Canada Votes 2006

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"The penalty for refusing to participate in politics is that
you end up being governed by your inferiors." — Plato

The Issues (according to the CBC, but in the order that I've ranked them):

• Parliamentary Reform
• Foreign Aid
• The Future of Federalism
• Healthcare Funding
• Taxes
• Economic Growth
• National Security
• Defence Spending
• Gun Control
• Employment Insurance
• Child Care
• Farming

unfortunately, no one's yet been talking much about the environment, poverty, Aboriginal issues, aid and foreign policy, or education... the irony of the outcome of this quiz — and perhaps more an unfortunate effect of a singular vote, the first-past-the-post system, and the fact that there are many nuances in one's personal values that can't be perfectly captured by party politics — is that i'm volunteering for the local Liberal candidate... despite generally agreeing with the NDP's platform, i don't see standing behind the Liberals as too much of a personal conflict, if at all, given that i have a high regard for Ignatieff and i definitely believe that we need more people like him in politics... although i may be a card-carrying Liberal, i can still exercise independent political thought and will very likely continue to lean left on many social and economic issues...

i'll also give the devil his due... he's been running a smart campaign...

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