The US isn’t the only place with interesting politics and an election cycle ongoing. Over here in Toronto – all of Canada – we’ve got our own campaigning and silly banter filling the airwaves. It turns out our riding is a really close race between two left-wing parties, the NDP (New Democrat Party) and the Liberals. It’s safe to say that Liberal leader Stephane Dion really wants his good buddy Gerrard Kennedy to pick up this seat in Parliament, and Kennedy thinks he can do it since he was a longtime provincial member of parliament for this riding. Of course, incumbent NDP candidate Peggy Nash feels differently.
Unlike the US election (in which I actually get to vote), I’m quite torn between the two leading candidates. A vote for the Liberals probably helps dethrone current Conservative PM Stephen Harper, and Gerrard Kennedy seems to have been a real good MPP. Before that he ran food banks, so naturally I like the guy.
But I also like the feeling I get from Peggy Nash (who I’ve now seen several times and met once). And Dad would be happy to know she was a longtime labour negotiator with the Canadian Autoworkers union, one of the largest and strongest unions in the country. Earlier this year when GM announced it was closing a plant, workers set up a blockade of the corporate headquarters that lasted until a court order was achieved to force them to “release” the building. But I digress.
Canadians vote a week from today (Tuesday, October 14). Usually around here there are complaints that Canada just follows the US’s course… maybe this time Canada will set the liberal trend…
