With election day just days away, many are still unsure of which direction is best for Canada. I normally have strong convictions early on, yet this time I find there are two versions of me wanting very different things. This likely stems from the fact that for the first time in a decade, my mental illness has roared back into my life. Rational Stewart may be able to look at what is best for his community in a nuanced way while the other side of me just wants the pain to go away. Which side should dictate a vote? Should a person listen to their primal emotions or do we have a responsibility to look beyond our own needs?
Canada has opportunities to offer; vast untapped natural resources, space, and security. There are few nations as blessed as Canada. Yet it is an unfinished project – inequality in society has increased rapidly over the past 18 months; one in five Canadians were told they were unessential and their right to earn a living was stripped away. Children have had important rites of passage stolen and have endured tumult for too long.
All the while, middle and upper-class households have seen their assets skyrocket in value, and while there have been road bumps for them as well, they are far better off than the barbers, bartenders, and baristas who have been punished for too long. It is in Canada’s national interest to tackle inequality, to make national affordable childcare a reality, and to deliver on progressive issues like national pharma and dental care. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has failed to deliver anything more than words on this front and doesn’t deserve another chance. Canadians would be best served by giving a new progressive movement a chance with an NDP government.
Too many Canadians have been harmed in the name of saving us all from COVID. At this juncture it is clear that no mainstream politician has the gumption to stand up to unelected bureaucrats and COVID zealots who have stolen the last 18 months from all of us.
Addicts have been cast aside to suffer and die alone, families have been torn apart, and we are on the verge of a segregated society where due to a personal health choice a person will be excluded from something as sacred as the funeral of a loved one. People have been ground down to a pulp, each person just trudging through life with no hope of normalcy.
The neverending chorus of ‘just do this and we will give you your life back’ has destroyed public trust and created a far more polarized society. In this election there is only one party with the courage to decry government overreach and the destruction of our liberalized society; Canada needs a full reset and that means that it is time for the PPC to enter the national stage.
It is a curious thing to have such divergent opinions exist within oneself; which version of ourselves do we need to listen to? In my personal case, having five manic episodes in 18 months after almost a decade of being free of that pain means that the primal side takes priority. All it takes is one irreversible decision by that version of myself and both pieces of me are no longer here to be a husband, dad, and community member. So next Monday I will be casting my vote for the only party offering an end to government overreach and harmful lockdowns, the People’s Party of Canada.
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Stewart Skinner is a local business owner, former political candidate, and has worked at Queen’s Park as a Policy Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs. He can be reached at stewart@stonaleenfarms.ca or on Twitter: @modernfarmer.
