Rick Mercer said it best when stating that we, the younger generation, are often ignored politically. Nobody is directly targeting my vote. Stephen Harper shows up at boat showrooms and my grandma’s over 65 assisted living condos, but he doesn’t seem to venture to the places where I hang out. He’s not in the condos of 20 something year olds in West Edmonton. Even when he’s spending time in Edmonton-Strathcona trying to get a conservative sweep in the province, he isn’t stopping by the University where there are tens of thousands of eligible, extremely apathetic voters. He’s not at movie theatres, ski hills or sporting events. Why not? It’s because we haven’t got out and voted in the past.
If you’re in high school right now, you should be excited about getting a chance to choose your MP and Prime Minister. I never know who to vote for. They all seem to have the same promises and after they’re elected they just go about their business as usual. You can pretty much tell who is the most environmentally friendly by the party names.
Green = spend a lot of money and create a healthy environment.
Conservative = don’t spend much money and impose laws to maintain a healthy environment.
NDP and Liberals are somewhere in between those parties.
The environment is very important to me, and following is a summary of the platforms from 2008. Also, check out the carbon footprint required to get elected.
THE CONSERVATIVES
– Cut greenhouse gas emissions and pollution a little bit by making laws and fining companies
– Promote energy efficiency by putting a lot of money into citizens home renos (I used the EcoEnergy program!)
THE LIBERALS
– Cut greenhouse gasses a lot by taxing companies who emit too much and allowing the companies to trade credits
– Renewable Power incentives for things like wood power
– Fuel efficiency standards for vehicles
THE NDP
– Reduce greenhouse gasses a lot (same as liberals)
– Reduce export of water out of the country
– Appoint someone to make sure our Environment policy is good.
THE GREEN
– Reduce greenhouse gasses a lot, faster than everyone else
– Spend lots of money on researching low carbon technology
– Remodel older buildings to be more environmentally friendly
Maybe that’s why more people don’t vote. All the parties want to do the exact same things. None the less, environmental management is a huge issue this election and will continue to be in the future. So check out the parties environmental platforms in 2011 as they roll out and see what fits with you!
