Don’t vote on a short-term memory
With the long weekend, people were making trips. Some made trips to the cottage, some made trips to see out of town friends. One man, however, made a very important trip to Rideau Hall.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper made official what many had suspected was coming: the official announcement that the federal election had begun. Canadians will now be plunged into the longest election campaign in memory at two and a half months.
Over that time, you’re going to hear a lot of messages from the various parties. As with any party seeking reelection, the Conservatives will be reminding Canadians what they’ve done for them while in power. One of those things, quite often the world over, is what kind of money was spent in a particular community.
Oshawa saw a large influx of federal dollars last week for various infrastructure and community projects, ranging from the Robert McLaughlin Gallery to the Canadian Automotive Museum. The money thrown into Oshawa was part of a larger national trend, which saw millions upon millions of dollars given away.
Some, like the aforementioned community projects, were part of the Canada 150 fund, which is investing money in infrastructure ahead of the country’s 150th birthday. Others, like the millions announced for fixing up the armoury, are the result of a program announced in the 2014 budget.
And who could forget the “Christmas in July” childcare benefit cheques that came in. Opposition leader Tom Mulcair made a splash by saying that families should donate those funds to political campaigns for the impending election. Liberal leader Justin Trudeau said he was going to donate his to charity. Grandstanding or not, the arrival of the cheques, as well as the actions of those working against the government that issued them, got people talking in recent weeks.
Now while it’s still too early for The Express to throw support behind any one candidate, it’s not too early to mention that when considering who to vote for, it’s best to think about more than just what’s happened in the past couple of weeks. Nobody is going to argue that those dollars injected into Oshawa aren’t great. But don’t be fooled about the timing.
When looking for which party you’re going to support, be sure to look at what the party has done for the country, for the community and for you over the past few years. Don’t vote on a short-term memory.