Vol. 23 No. 25 Elections 2015 Pullout by The Cascade

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“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” - Mother Theresa

BY MEGAN LAMBERT DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY BRITTANY CARDINAL

ELECTIONS 2015

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Image credit: Wikipedia Commons

If you cast your ballot, see if it ripples Preserving democracy means learning how to be a Canadian citizen — and we can help you with that MEGAN LAMBERT THE CASCADE

Our government is supposed to work like this: Communities big and small elect a member of parliament who represents their values and will keep a finger on the pulse of what the communiy needs while working with the big guys to make it happen. In reality, the lines of communication between communities and politicians are frayed; this has never been more apparent to me than in this election, as I tried to track down local MP candidates for thoughtful answers about how they plan to benefit their ridings. The Greens were eager to talk. The Liberals popped up out of nowhere and were inconsistent in their public representation — a couple granted us interviews, but one twirled a sign next to the freeway as if he were advertising cheap fried food but was unable to provide any readily available information online. The NDP had no contact info for their MP candidates (save for their Twitter handles), but instead had a “contact us” form on their websites that just sent me handfuls of spam each day. Besides the Conservative incumbents staying afloat by one loyal demographic

casting their ballots, they were completely unresponsive — probably because they aren’t allowed to talk to the press, according to a recent article in the Toronto Star. Even in debates, candidates only restated platform items, gave circular answers, and offered unsupported facts. Candidates for office may have good intentions of representing their communities, but good intentions aren’t a good reason to elect a person to parliament. A member of parliament is meant to be a servant of their community. But with party discipline, a candidate might not be able to fully represent their community when asked to vote in accordance with their political party. Federal political parties hold “dibs” in certain ridings and strategically campaign to win swing ridings. Politicians are fair-weather friends: we are accosted by attack ads, buzz words, and fly-by promises telling us they’ll stay in touch when they are in Ottawa, then they disappear for another four years. So that’s why we’re taking you back to basics with this issue. We’ve compiled some basic and necessary information about the party platforms, what the federal government does, and how

to figure out which party is best suited to your values. So, even if some of our MPs are disorganized or inexperienced, we can still give you some help in choosing where to cast your ballot. This system has flaws — not necessarily because it’s a bad system but because humans are flawed. It’s difficult to think that we wouldn’t have a responsible government — Canadians inherited the British system that already developed from hundreds of years of revolutions to sort out the kinks. Generation X, Y, and Z have not had to ask for a major revolution. One government has handled things for the last decade — and despite the issues with access, scandals, and an “old-stock” worldview, Canada hasn’t completely fallen apart. For the most part, Canada has had a history of pretty responsible governments. The way to keep them responsible is by watching closely: by reading newspapers, having opinions, and keeping them accountable. Unfortunately, we don’t tend to do that. A citizens’ life is mostly dominated by corporations. We get our food and clothing from big box stores, and we can deal with government bodies at the provincial level with car insurance

or at the federal level with filing taxes with minimal critical thought about how these systems were actually built. Life is good here, why would we pay attention to politics? Four years is both the length of a government term and a bachelor’s degree. Even the youngest of us at UFV could be entering the working world and going on to bigger and better things by the expiry date of the next government’s time in office. Things like childcare or small business taxes may not matter to us now — but part of voting is imagining how we want to world to look when we get there. It’s easier to imagine that world if we talked about it the same way we talk about our personal or career goals. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a culture that prizes political conversation. I don’t remember really talking about current events in high school. I grew up with the idea that it was rude to ask somebody about their political opinions, the reasoning behind it being that avoiding arguments and not poking at people’s private values is polite. I can understand that. But being polite can backfire. I believe it has done our generation a great disservice. We have few role models who discuss

politics in a respectful and wellinformed manner. We haven’t learned to talk about it, so we have learned to ignore the quiet machinery that paves our roads, or prescribes our medication. We don’t talk about politics. This means we don’t get a chance to exercise our citizen muscle, and when it comes time every few years to cast a ballot I can understand why some people don’t feel the strength to do it. In my opinion, it’s not a lack of will. It’s a lack of knowledge. This eight-page feature will give you some fundamental tools: basic and unbiased facts. We can’t change the political system with one vote. It may not even change in one lifetime. This alone is disheartening. But, I can tell you that I find hope every day when I walk through this university. Every single UFV student I have met has been brilliant and unique in their own right. Everyone I have met here has a special kind of power and is trying to use it for something good in the world. Mother Theresa was right: Every time you use your voice in class, at work, with friends, at home, or on the ballot is your drop. I can tell you that the world would be thirsty without it.

ELECTIONS 2015

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

WORDS TO KNOW

Members of Parliament (MPs) are elected by the voters in their respective ridings. An MP is elected if they get the largest number of votes — even if that number is less than half of the total votes in the area (see firstpast-the-post).

START HERE

Caucus: A private meeting between members of a political party, held to decide candidates or discuss policy. First-past-the-post: The electoral system that allows the MP candidate with the most votes to represent their riding in Ottawa. The other party candidates are not able to represent that riding. Party discipline: The idea that members of political parties will unanimously support their leadership in policy matters and sometimes moral matters.

HOW IT WORKS

Surplus: The opposite of deficit, a surplus is when more money than the estimated revenue comes into the government.

The Senate also plays a part in government when going over bills or as an advisory board for the Prime Minister. Senate members are appointed by the Prime Minister.

MPs sit with their political parties in parliament at the House of Commons in Ottawa.

Deficit: Spending more funding than gaining in revenue. The government has a yearly budget that is comprised of income taxes, and will often borrow money from Canadian banks to invest on other initiatives.

g interprovincial trade

immigration

Parties work together to pass legislation. Some MPs are appointed as ministers to serve as a bridge between federal agencies that handle things like agriculture, defence, finance, or foreign affairs. For example, Ed Fast is a conservative incumbent from the Abbotsford riding, but he was also appointed as Foreign Affairs Minister.

foreign affairs

The federal government handles:

indigenous healthcare affairs fiance, banking,

NATIONAL and currency DEFENCE agriculture interprovincial transportation

NOT

education crown lands natural resources hospitals intraprovincial transportation welfare

Responsible government: The notion that the government is dependent on and supportive of the population that elected it in, rather than a monarchy. Swing riding: An area that does not consistently or historically vote for one party. Abbotsford and Chilliwack have historically voted Conservative, so they are not swing ridings. At time of print, polls show that the Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon riding almost equally supports the Liberal, NDP, and Conservative MP candidates — this means it is considered a swing riding. Constituency: Voters. People of different age groups, demographics, ethnicities, or socio-economic backgrounds whose values and needs coincide with a particular political party can be considered that party’s constituency, as the party can target them with specific policies that appeal to them. Incumbent: A candidate who has previously been elected. Policy: A plan, strategy, or approach. In the case of federal politics, policy refers to a party’s stance or course of action on a certain issue. Infrastructure: Facilities or structures necessary to society. In this case, a party’s policy on infrastructure would include roads and transportation, power and energy supplies, and buildings.

CONSERVATIVE LIBERAL NDP GREEN

PARTY PLATFORMS

Energy / Environment

Finance

Taxes

Infrastructure / Manufacturing

Jobs

-Support Keystone XL Pipe-Promises to balance the line from Alberta oil sands to budget every year for four Gulf Coast years. -Move to low-carbon economy by 2050; eliminate fossil fuel usage by 2100 -Reduce Canadian greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent (from 2005 levels) by 2030 -$15 million to restore estuaries, where freshwater rivers and streams meet the ocean -In 2017, $5 million towards programs that sustain moose, bird, and turkey populations -In 2016, $9 million towards tourism program targeted towards recreational anglers, hunters, and snowmobilers

-Reduce small business tax rate from 11 per cent to nine per cent by 2019. -Reduce corporate tax rate from 22 per cent to 15 per cent by 2019. -Increase apprenticeship job creation tax credit from $2,000 to $2,500 and extend it to include third and fourth years of training. -Tax break on membership fees for organisations like the Kiwanis, Lions, and Royal Canadian Legion.

-$5.3 billion per year for provincial and municipal infrastructure (under the New Building Canada Plan). -Funding a Public Transit Fund with $250 million in 2017, $500 million in 2018, and $1 billion after 2019. -$200 million to extend highspeed internet to remote and rural areas. -Provide $700 million for light-rail transit in Surrey, B.C.

-$65 million for post-secondary institutions to help “better align curricula with the needs of employers” -$2 billion per year Labour Market Development Agreements with provinces to re-structure training to suit employers. -Increase apprenticeship job creation tax credit from $2,000 to $2,500, and include the third and fourth years of training.

-Oppose Northern Gateway pipeline; support Keystone XL and Energy East pipelines. -Phase out fossil fuel subsidies. -$200 million per year towards clean technology in forestry, fishing, mining, energy, and farming industries. $100 million towards organizations that support clean technology firms. -Temporary probation of tankers on Northern BC coast. -$40 million to Department of Fisheries and Oceans -Increase marine and coastal protection from 1.3 to 5 per cent by 2017, 10 per cent by 2020.

-Cancel income-splitting policy for families, stating it only benefits a small percentage of wealthy families. -Decrease middle-class income tax bracket from 22 per cent to 20.5 per cent. Raise taxes by 33 per cent for incomes of over $200,000.

-Discuss infrastructure issues in municipalities with a mayoral conference in Ottawa. -Increase federal infrastructure from $65 billion to $125 billion for public transit and social and green infrastructure.

-$1.5 billion in four years for youth job strategy to aid 125,000 youth find work. -$500 million for provinces for skilled trades training, $200 million for federal training programs. -$100 million per year for an industrial research assistance program, and investment in research facilities and small businesses.

-Oppose Keystone XL Promises to balance the Pipeline. budget in the first year of -$200 million towards rettheir term. rofitting 50,000 homes and 15,000 apartments to make them more energy efficient. -Move $1 billion from fossil fuel subsidies to invest in clean energy industry including wind, hydro, solar and geothermal technology. -$100 million towards 25 remote or northern communities to encourage less diesel use.

-Reduce small business tax rate from 11 per cent to nine per cent. -Promises to not raise personal income tax rates. -Promises to increase corporate taxes. -Cancel income-splitting policy for families, stating it only benefits a small percentage of wealthy families.

-$1.3 billion annually for 20 years in public transit funding for municipalities. -Allocate one cent of federal gas tax (10 cents per litre) to transportation infrastructure, to an estimated $1.5 billion per year.

-$100 million per year for over 40,000 jobs, paid internships, and co-op placements for youth. -Cap EI premiums and spend more on training and increase eligibility for EI benefits.

-Ensure a majority of Canadian energy is from renewable sources by 2025. -Ban tankers on Northern BC coast; temporarily ban drilling oil and gas in Gulf of St. Lawrence. -Retrofit all homes to make them energy efficient by 2030. -Remove fossil fuel subsidies. -$1 billion per year for municipalities to hire youth in a Community and Environment Service Corps. -Pass stronger environmental assessment laws from “risky pipeline and tanker schemes.”

-Eliminate income taxes for people below the $20,000 low-income cut-off. -Reduce small business tax rate to nine per cent by 2019. -Increase corporate taxes from 15 per cent to 19 per cent by 2019. -Negotiate with provinces to raise taxes on tobacco and alcohol.

-$6.4 billion for municipal infrastructure. -Improve Via Rail service to all major regional cities.

-Begin a national Community and Environment Service Corps, $1 billion per year for municipalities to hire youth. -Ban unpaid internships.

Promises to run three years of deficits (no more than $10 billion) to pay for more infrastructure. Promises to balance the budget in 2019.

-Set a disciplined schedule to gradually pay down the debt while maintaining public services and programs that meet immediate social and environmental needs.

Foreign affairs, defence, and immigration

Indigenous affairs

Healthcare for youth

Childcare

Student debt

Arts and culture

Democratic reform

-Establish a Canadian Forces unit in the Yukon. .Allow 10,000 more Syrian and Iraqi refugees to move to Canada. .$10 million over the course of the term to the Kanishka project that aims to prevent violent extremism. -Enforce travel bans on already sanctioned people. Add to the list of reasons to sanction people.

-$500 million for building and renovating schools on reserves. -Review 94 recommendations released in June by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. -$567 million for Aboriginal people and northerners to help build “stronger communities.” -$200 million to improve education -$30.3 million to help communities create their own land management laws.

-Increase annual health fund- -Fund child advocacy ing for provinces, increase to centres. three per cent each year. -$1,000 increase to the Child Care Expense Deduction. -Maintain the Universal Child Care Benefit.

-Increase government contribution for low- and middleincome families who invest in education savings plans.

-Start an endowment fund for museums to match the funding institutions raise privately (up to $15 million per year). -$150 million for Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program to fund community and cultural infrastructure projects to commemorate the anniversary.

-Introduce legislation that would require Canadians’ approval in referendum for first-past-the-post electoral system changes. -Postpone new Senate appointments to pressure provinces to accept reforms to the upper chamber or move to abolish it.

-Eliminate Canadian bombing in Iraq and Syria. Keep military training in Iraq. -Increase humanitarian aid in Iraq and Syria. Allow more refugees from Iraq and Syria into Canada. -Amendments to Bill C-51: - Limit sharing of personal information between government security departments and agencies - Eliminate ability for CSIS to obtain legal warrants that violate rights -Begin an oversight committee for security agencies. -Change rules to prioritize family reunification for immigrants.

-Set aside another $50 million for skills and job training. -Add $515 million per year for funding for First Nations education, add $500 million for education infrastructure, and add $50 million per year to help aboriginal students in post-secondary education. -Implement all 94 recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

-Meet with the premiers to improve healthcare in areas like wait times, affordability of prescriptions, and homecare. -Implement new restrictions on marketing unhealthy food and drinks to children. -Improve access to and reduce the cost of prescription medications through bulk purchasing. -Establish an Expert Advisory Council on Mental Health.

-Implement a tax-free Canada Child Benefit that would include all families with children and an annual income under $150,000. -Lower federal income tax rate to 20.5 per cent on incomes between $44,700 and $89,401, recompensating for it by raising taxes for higher-income earners.

-Increase Canada Student Grants by 50 per cent to $3,000 a year. -Allow students to wait until they earn $25,000 a year before requiring them to repay student loans.

-$380 million in funding for the arts. -Promise to undo Conservative funding cuts to the CBC.

-Support access to information system and apply to prime minister’s and ministers’ offices. -Eliminate the first-pastthe-post voting system and consider other methods of voting. -Introduce a merit-based, non-partisan, and independent appointment process for the Senate.

-Eliminate Canadian bombing in and withdraw military from Iraq and Syria. -Repeal Bill C-51. -Allow 10,000 more Syrian and Iraqi refugees to move to Canada by the end of the year. -Support independent reviews of security agencies.

-Call a national inquiry into murdered and missing aboriginal women, act on recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. -$32 million to ensure more northerners have access to nutritious food. -Form a cabinet committee chaired by the Prime Minister to respect treaty rights while making federal decisions.

-$100 million mental health innovation fund for children and youth. -$15 million per year for health-care providers and community mental health associations. -$10 million per year for research and informationsharing among healthcare providers.

-$15 per day national child care program, open 110,000 child care spaces in B.C. -Honour the Universal Child Care Benefit.

-Phase out student loan interest over the next seven years. -$250 million towards 74,000 new grants over four years.

-$60 million over four years for Telefilm Canada and the National Film Board . -Increase eligibility for grants from the Canada Council for the Arts. -Allow self-employed artists to average their incomes. -$10-million digital content fund to support Canada’s 150th anniversary celebration in 2017.

-Replace the first-past-thepost system with a mixed member proportional system. -Abolish the Senate with consultation from provinces. -Introduce legislation to make the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) an independent officer of Parliament and require government departments and agencies to make financial information available to the PBO.

-Implement a national security plan that coordinates the RCMP, CSIS, Border Services, Coast Guard, and Foreign Affairs. -Respond to terrorism in accordance with international law. -Repeal Bill C-51.

-Recognize Indigenous -Set up national pharmacare approval of natural resource program. projects as equivalent in weight to the federal government approval. -Increase access to housing for First Nations on and offreserve. -Adopt recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, including a national inquiry into murdered and missing aboriginal women.

-Accelerate the creation of workplace child care spaces through a direct tax credit to employers of $1500 per child per year. -Restore 2005 agreement between the federal government, provinces, and territories to implement a universal access child care program in Canada.

-Eliminate tuition for students without financial means. -Forgive student loans over $10,000, and eliminate interest on student loans. -Increase available funding for bursaries.

-$1.5 billion over five years for the CBC, Radio-Canada, and the National Film Board, Canada. -Council for the Arts and Telefilm Canada.

-Eliminate first-past-the-post system, and consult the public for a new electoral system. -End “whipped” votes in parliament. -Establish an independent agency for appointments to government tribunals, boards, and senior positions.

This information has been adapted from “Platform comparison: Where the parties stand on the top campaign issues,” the Globe and Mail; and “Everything you need to know about the parties’ platforms, from taxes and terrorism to the environment,” the National Post.

ELECTIONS 2015

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

MP candidates and polls MISSION MATSQUI FRASER CANYON

ABBOTSFORD Conservative Liberal NDP Green

Ed Fast (incumbent)

Brad Vis

Mark Strahl (incumbent)

Peter Njenga

Jati Sidhu

Louis De Jaeger

Jen Martel

Dennis Adamson

Seonaigh MacPherson

Stephen Fowler

Arthur Green

Thomas Cheney

ABBOTSFORD GRN

NDP LIB

MISSION MATSQUI FRASER CANYON GRN

CON

CON 51.8 % LIB 21.4 % NDP 18.6 % GRN 7.8 %

CHILLIWACK HOPE

NDP

GRN

CON LIB CON 39.5 % LIB 20.8 % NDP 31.1 % GRN 7.8 %

CHILLIWACK HOPE

NDP

CON

LIB CON 43.6 % LIB 26.2 % NDP 21.5 % GRN 7.9 %

ELECTIONS 2015

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca

Political parties from left to right If you hear the terms right-wing or left-wing when referring to political parties, people are talking about the values of ideologies like conservatism, liberalism, and socialism on the political spectrum. Conservatism is classically associated with the right and liberalism with the left, but modern Canadian parties are more complex than that. Liberalism is based on the principle that everyone has a right to freedom and equality — this can extend to the right to compete in a free market, and the right to pur-

sue one’s own life choices in the way they see fit. Liberalism operates on the belief that humans are naturally inclined to do good, and so when allowed to choose for themselves they will make good decisions. Conservatism isn’t necessarily the opposite of liberalism, as both are ideologies focused on making life as good as possible for people. However, they are very different. Conservatism operates on the idea that people are predisposed to doing wrong — that if humans are left alone with no governance

or control they will act selfishly and ignore the greater good of contributing to a functioning society. Conservatism prioritizes order, tradition, hierarchy, and community; it focuses on conserving the morals and values of the collective rather than the individual alone. But today’s Canadian conservatives and liberals don’t precisely follow these principles. The Conservative Party of Canada are a form of liberal, believing that everyone is equal to participate in a free market while also trying to

conserve certain values and moral positions such as their stance on abortion, marijuana, etc. This also explains why the Conservative Party invests in defence, as keeping tabs on terrorism and foreign affairs is assumed to be within their purview. Canadian liberals don’t wholly rely on classical liberalism either — the Liberal Party of Canada incorporates socialism in the sense of supporting welfare and support for low-income earners. Classical liberalism operates on total equality, but welfare liberal-

ism recognizes that in a capitalist economy some people will inevitably be born into inequality, and feels it is the government’s duty to support them. The New Democratic Party (NDP) usually falls in the middle of the spectrum, but incorporates a few extra features of socialism, like their federal child care plan. The Green Party falls more on the right side of the spectrum, as they aim for numerous federal initiatives to conserve the environment.

NEO-CONSERVATISM Authority Competition

CONSERVATIVE PARTY OF CANADA LIBERALISM Equality Individualism Liberty Competition

LIBERAL PARTY OF CANADA NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY (NDP)

GREEN PARTY OF CANADA

CONSERVATISM Hierarchy Tradition Community Order

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM Community Co-operation This information has been adapted from “Rules of the Game: An Introduction to Canadaian Politics,” Hamish Telford

A bite-sized history of each political party CONSERVATIVE

LIBERAL

NDP

GREEN

In 2003, the Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance combined to become the current Conservative Party of Canada. In 2006, Stephen Harper was elected leader of the party and has been prime minister for two terms.

The NDP was founded in 1961, comprising of the Canadian Labour Congress and the Co-Operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF). In 2011, the NDP became the parliamentary opposition in the House of Commons.

The Liberal Party of Canada, like the Conservative Party, has contributed much to Canadian history, including the formation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982. The Liberal Party has formed many majority governments, but was a parliamentary minority in 2011.

The green movement in Canada began in the 1960s, but manifested itself in various organizations in the 1980s before moving together to form a political party. Although it was founded in 1983, the Green Party won their first seat in the House of Commons in 2012.

ELECTIONS 2015

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2015 www.ufvcascade.ca