It鱿鱼视频app hard to know what will be decided in the May 2 election, but it鱿鱼视频app just as hard to imagine that Canadians will decide well unless we inject respect, sincerity, honesty and a few high-minded ideals into our political culture.鈥淚t鱿鱼视频app either the worst kind of pandering to 1.6 per cent of the population 鈥� and I don鈥檛 know why you would do that 鈥� or it鱿鱼视频app absolute cynicism,鈥� said Stockland, formerly editor-in-chief of the Montreal Gazette and editor of the Calgary Sun.
The veteran political observer doesn鈥檛 just blame the Conservatives. He鱿鱼视频app also leery of opportunistic Opposition maneuvering to have the government fall on a contempt of Parliament motion rather than the budget.
鈥淭he Opposition parties feel they have an opportunity here to capitalize on some of the ethical things the government has been dealing with,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here don鈥檛 seem to be, as there have been in elections past, really pressing, central issues.鈥�
The argument that attack ads work just doesn鈥檛 cut it ethically, said Stockland.
鈥淎 broken bottle works in a bar fight, but I don鈥檛 think most of us would advocate it as a way to get along with our neighbours.鈥�
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Toronto wants the election to be about issues facing the country rather than issues facing Parliament. The voters鈥� guide Catholic Charities puts out on behalf of its 28 agencies will be ready shortly and will target four issues: poverty, housing, aging and immigration. They are issues that have had little attention from the last minority Parliament, said Jack Panozzo of Catholic Charities.
鈥淎 lot of the issues just sort of sat there,鈥� he said.
When less than 60 per cent of voters show up to cast a ballot, as occurred in the last election in 2008, it鱿鱼视频app important to make the election about big issues that matter to the whole country, said Catholic Charities executive director Michael Fullan.
鈥淚t鱿鱼视频app part of our democratic process,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鱿鱼视频app the social teachings of the Church 鈥� that鱿鱼视频app really what it鱿鱼视频app about.鈥�
For Campaign Life Coalition, elections are always about just one issue.
鈥淎t each election we鈥檝e gained candidates in the parties 鈥� whether it鱿鱼视频app Conservative or Liberal, we don鈥檛 care,鈥� said acting executive director Mary Ellen Douglas. 鈥淎nd if we found somebody in the NDP who was pro-life we would support them too.鈥�
Douglas claims about 100 MPs from the last Parliament could be classed as pro-life. This election Parliament will lose three British Columbia Conservatives who were strongly pro-life 鈥� Stockwell Day, Chuck Strahl and John Cummins 鈥� but Douglas hopes they can be replaced.
Over the course of the election, Campaign Life will distribute questionnaires to every Bloc Quebecois, NDP, Green, Liberal and Conservative candidate in all 308 ridings across the country. Based on answers or on refusal to answer, Campaign Life ranks candidates as pro-life, anti-life or capable of being educated. Results are posted on its web site (www.campaignlifecoalition.com).
鈥淥ur ultimate goal, our reason for existence at Campaign Life, is to get a law to protect all life from conception to natural death,鈥� said Douglas. 鈥淲ithout that law all life is in danger.鈥�
Project Ploughshares executive director John Siebert is pretty sure Canadians won鈥檛 elect the next government based on Canada鱿鱼视频app contribution to peace in the world, despite a decade of Canadian soldiers fighting to make peace in Afghanistan and now in warplanes over Libya.
鈥淚nternational affairs rarely feature in Canadian elections,鈥� he said.
While the fighter jets will get some play in election coverage, it will mostly be about whether the jets will cost $16 billion as the Conservatives insist or $30 billion as the Parliamentary budget office claims. But there鱿鱼视频app more to it than a budget battle, said Siebert.
鈥淐anadian international policy has shifted decisively to a military framework and a downplaying of both diplomacy and development in Canada鱿鱼视频app contribution to international peace and security,鈥� he said. 鈥淐anada鱿鱼视频app failure to gain an elected seat on the (United Nations) Security Council in the fall of 2010 is symptomatic of the rejection in the international community of Canada鱿鱼视频app new face.鈥�
Canada needs a 鈥減eace surge鈥� but the issue isn鈥檛 getting much attention, said Siebert.
Canada鱿鱼视频app Make Poverty History campaign knows it also has an uphill battle engaging Canadians when headlines and official campaigns concentrate on horse-race politics, but national co-ordinator Dennis Howlett insists they鈥檙e going to get the attention of politicians.
鈥淲e will try to get individual candidates to debate these issues, even if it鱿鱼视频app proving difficult to get the Prime Minister to really take this issue seriously,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to count on church leaders, union leaders and so on to try to get their membership engaged as well.鈥�
Make Poverty History wants the federal government to have a poverty-reduction strategy complete with timelines, targets and objective measures of poverty reduction. Given that six provinces already have such plans, a federal plan is essential, said Howlett.
Make Poverty History has broad ecumenical support, including participation from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Poverty reduction isn鈥檛 a left or right issue, but one that holds the key to Canada鱿鱼视频app future, said Howlett.
鈥淧overty reduction, both globally and domestically, is going to do more to improve our security than some fighter jets will. Addressing the causes of crime will create safer communities than building more jails,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he single best way to reduce health care costs is to reduce poverty. Poverty is the single largest cause of most disease. Our economic competitiveness is being compromised by so many people trapped in poverty.鈥�
If Canadians want better leaders they鈥檙e going to have to become better voters, said Howlett.
鈥淰oters should get engaged in saying what they want their leaders to be doing, and not just be consumers of what the parties want us to hear,鈥� he said.
At Citizens for Public Justice, another ecumenical group trying to foster debate on social justice, this election will be about four issues 鈥� a federal poverty-reduction plan, climate change, immigration and taxes.
CPJ wants Canadians to think about the need for higher taxes.
鈥淲e want to move away from the idea that all taxes are somehow evil,鈥� said executive director Joe Gunn.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we want to argue that every tax is a wonderful thing. But you want to be able to say to people, 鈥楲et鱿鱼视频app focus on some of the things that we could never do without that (tax).鈥� 鈥�
CPJ鱿鱼视频app own voters鈥� guide will go out to 1,200 members and a network of churches across the country at the end of March.
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