Liberal Leadership

Here I am, typing away near 5 in the morning with nothing to do.

I haven't posted much here lately, mainly since I have been pretty apathetic lately. I've gotten so fed up with politics in the last few months. Actually, the second school is finished for me, I stop paying attention to politics (or French for that matter) until the first day of school again.

I'm very confused over what party I'm a supporter of. I'm a Red Tory I'll admit, I've been a Red Tory ever since Kim Campbell became the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, and Jean Charest fueled my interest even more. From this period of time until 2004, I would not even dare thinking about supporting any other party, I grew up with supporting this party, and it was a party that grew to support my ideologies, it was a fairly Liberal political party, and I'm a fairly Liberal person, being from rural Manitoba.

Then in 2004 the Progressive Conservative Party merged with the Canadian Alliance, I was automatically displaced, I didn't know what I was anymore, I still didn't like the Liberals since they had a tarnished image in my part of Canada, I was not a fan of the NDP since the NDP focused mostly on the elderly and poor and Kyoto, yet I was not a fan of the newly-formed Conservative Party of Canada, since their views don't align with my views. Also, I'm not too fond on Harper, I'm a Western Canadian but his views are just too right wing for me as I've said, although it's nice to see my riding being supported by the governing party for the first time in 13 years.

For about two years, I've been pretty neutral politically, I've supported both the NDP and the Liberals in elections, the first election I ever voted in (federally), I voted for Liberal, yet this election I voted NDP. It has gotten to the point in time my party stance is back to being concrete.

I'm now supporting the Liberal Party, I believe they can do some good, although their past was tarnished by a few bad apples. I renewed my Liberal membership for a second year just a month ago, so I'll have the opportunity to vote for the new leader.

Back in February, I had a concrete view who I was going to support, Scott Brison or Belinda Stronach (if either had ran), Brison because he was a former Progressive Conservative MP, he could interest former PC supporters to support the Liberal Party for the first time, heck he even gave up his seat to Joe Clark in '97 for a few months. Stronach because she's a successful business woman, better looking than most female MPs (not that it matters), but has potential. Later on Stronach decided not to run, so I decided in Brison or Dryden, since we need someone who knows his hockey, but over time I was questioning my thoughts on who to vote for.

But now I've made my mind, finally, me making up my mind for once. I've decided to support Stephane Dion, who is the former Environment Minister for the Liberal Party when they were in power. In my opinion he seems to be the strongest candidate at this point. His english isn't as good as Brison or Dryden's but he's the most bilingual of any candidate oddly enough. He has some very good ideas that are very well thought up. The next election will be about who can win the support of Quebec, if we have someone such as Bennett or Brison leading the Liberal Party, they may lose the Quebec vote, since a huge portion of the Quebec vote depends on who can communicate to the population the best. That's where Dion has everyone beat. Dion's expertise of being a Politcal Science professor gives him an advantage, he knows the ins and outs of politics (as does Ignatieff), I've looked over some of Dion's platforms and he has really thought up his policies. He's thought up plans for helping out the agricultural industry by increasing bio-diesel production, which is a very good idea, as well as finding ways to protect the small farmer against the multinational/mass production corporations. He has a willingness to listen to the public, he seems to be very interested in receiving feedback from the public, to help improve ideas for Parliament bills and Government projects, which is a good idea. I am hoping to go to Montreal this fall to the leadership convention, but we will see when the time comes. I will be watching highlights of it on TV if not.

Well I should get going, it's almost 5 in the morning, and I leave for l'Universite Laval in Quebec City in one week, and I will be there for just over a month.

Have Fun.