How Master Yoda Is Changing The Way I Think About Elections

This election, I have gotten more political than in any other. The reason for this is simple: I am more worried in this election than in any other.

But as an avid fan of Star Wars--at least until Jar Jar ungraced the silver screen--I can’t pour my energy into something based on fear without taking a moment to pause and wonder if this is the right thing to do.

As the short green dude said: fear, anger, and aggression are the dark side.

Sure, I feel that my fears are well-founded, and I believe my actions are good for my country. But that’s exactly when the dark side is at its most seductive: it starts with fighting for good things that you believe in, then convinces you to hate what threatens what you believe in, then turns you against your friends and family. Soon, you are a twisted reflection of your former self, representing everything you used to hate.

So I have decided to radically change my approach, before I go too far down this dark path. I have decided that efforts predicated on fear are toxic, and that my actions must now be predicated on calm, informed, and even loving thoughts.

While I am being deliberately silly and talking about these things in the context of Star Wars, let me be serious for a moment: every religion on Earth professes a love for fellow humanity. Some followers lose this message, of course, as we’ve seen with groups like ISIS, but that’s exactly the point: the dark side, rooted foremost in fear, is exactly what causes an extremist to lose sight of the messages of love in favour of the messages of hate.

So let me first of all apologize to my conservative-leaning friends and family: your values are a part of Canada’s identity, and that is precious to me. In fact, I share almost all of them. Liberty, democracy, justice, courage, safety, and most of all, family. These are things I value dearly. I believe my recent fear-motivated efforts have made me say things that might make this unclear. So let me state it explicitly again: these values are also my values. These are the reasons I love Canada and Canadians.

Second of all, I am now going to promote things I do want out of this election, rather than things I don’t want. Hopefully many Canadians will agree with me:

1. Election Reform. First and foremost, I would like to see more positive politics. I feel like every election in this country gets more divisive and angry, and I think this is being caused by our election system: when we vote, the winner takes all, and the loser has no voice. Both Stephen Harper and Rachel Notley had less than 50% of the popular vote, but essentially 100% of the political power. This creates a lot of fear, fear leads to anger, and anger leads to ugly politics. So as a positive solution, let’s fix this. There are other systems we can consider that gives better representation by population. Regardless of who gets in, let’s work on making our elections healthier, and protect the voices of all Canadians.
2. Democratic Rights. One of the things I fear is the ability for the government to take away a citizen’s right to vote. Bill C-51 makes that possible, and it has some dangerous loop-holes. Now I’m not saying all this in order to encourage fear, but merely to point out a potential threat that we need to deal with rationally. I am 100% in favour of protecting our country from terrorists and dangerous extremists, but we need to ensure that democracy--the right to vote--is not threatened. We need to protect the right of citizens to retain their vote, lest a future government abuse that power. The positive thing to campaign for is, therefore, democratic rights. Democratic rights are something Canadians of all political stripes can agree are important.
3. Economics Endorsed By Economists. Running a country is complicated, and involves a lot more work than a handful of random promises. As a non-economist, I don’t know if spending 10 million dollars on veterans is a lot, a little, or a giant financial mistake. It would literally take me years of online research to answer this question. This means I need to trust people who do this for a living. Organizations like the World Bank, the OECD, the Bank of Canada, and the IMF have economic research that is world-wide and decades-old. They know what they are talking about, so it’s worth getting their opinion.
4. Informed Voters. I accept that I make mistakes. Sometimes I become passionate about an idea, only to later discover that the idea was wrong. In order to make sure I vote well in this election, I want to be informed, so I can avoid making a mistake. I also think it would be good for all Canadian voters to be informed, because that will help Canada make a good decision, which is good not just for Canadians, but for all people in the world.

So here is my rationale for siding with the Liberal Party, at least for the moment--and if you disagree, please exercise your democratically-protected freedom to speak, a right I will defend for you even if I disagree with you.

1. The Liberals promise to reform the election system. They aren’t endorsing a single solution yet, and that’s wise: this isn’t a change we want to make carelessly. It needs to involve all parties, and that’s what they’re promising to do.
2. The Liberals promise to close the loop-holes in Bill C-51. This won’t make Canada less secure, it will just make sure that your most precious right, the right to vote, is better protected.
3. The Liberal economic plan is endorsed by economists who have resumes that include the World Bank, the OECD, the Bank of Canada, and the IMF. Let me address concerns with this that both right-leaning and left-leaning Canadians may have:
1. Right-leaning Canadians may ask how it’s possible that an economic plan to take on debt could possibly be endorsed by leading economists. Isn’t debt the worst idea ever? As it turns out, no. Microsoft has debt. Apple has debt. Dow Chemical has debt. Debt is a useful financial tool used by businesses all the time. Bloated, unmanageable debt can be bad, yes. But world-class economists aren’t concerned about the debt outlined in the Liberal plan, so it’s okay--this is just a tool to make some wise investments that will get the economy back on track.
2. Left-leaning Canadians may ask if organizations like the World Bank and the IMF have common people’s interests at heart. Aren’t they just shills for big companies? As it turns out, no. Visit their websites. Every one of them is calling for more investment in the vulnerable people of the world. They support taking care of people who are vulnerable, because taking care of them gets them back into the economy. When you just let them suffer, they remain alienated from the economy and can’t contribute. Taking care of people isn’t just kind, it’s smart economics.
4. When I talked to a Liberal campaigner, he didn’t try to argue policy with me. He just suggested that I look at the party platforms online, and see which one sounded the most reasonable. This was a huge risk for him: for all he knew, I would side with a different party. But he didn’t just want my vote, he wanted my vote to be informed. And that’s the point here: I don’t care how you vote. I’ve given you my reasons for supporting the Liberals, but you might have a different opinion. I just want your vote to be informed.

To recap, let me again apologize for the fear that has gripped me recently. I apologize for anything hurtful or rude I may have said. Canada is a beautiful country, and Canadians are beautiful people.

As we go to the polls, let’s celebrate this most of all: we get to go to the polls.

And may the Force be with you, always.