Tuesday, May 3, 2011

DAY 209 - UNHAPPY DAY: THE CONSERVATIVES ELECTED WITH A MAJORITY...

Day 209

As many Canadians did, I watched the elections last night.  I had been following the campaign very closely and I was hoping that, since it wasn’t possible for any other party to win these elections, the Conservatives, a right wing party, wouldn’t get a majority.   

Last night, at 10:30pm, I knew I had lost my bet.  The Conservatives were going to form a majority government.  That meant they would be able to implement whatever policy they chose.  I didn’t cry, but I could have!!!!

The Conservatives have been known, among other things, to utter racist and homophobic comments, to be environmentally in denial and to have policies that get the rich richer and the poor poorer!   Everything they represent goes against my deepest beliefs!

As I began watching the elections, I was worried  and even a little depressed, seeing that the Conservatives might win a majority.  And then, when I realized they were actually reelected, I decided to shift my thoughts to four years from now, when their mandate would finally be over.  I also tried to rejoice at the fact that the NDP, a social democratic party I believe in, was going to be the official opposition.

The outcome of an election is really not something I can control, so at a certain point last night, I had to let it go and change my perspective.   The truth of the matter is the Conservative Party is going to govern now, so all I can do is cross my fingers that the repercussions of their years in power on the future of Canada won’t be too disastrous.

The elections definitely brought down my level of happiness.  But we live in a democracy and I'm hopeful that Canadians will eventually realize that the Conservative Party is definitely not the one our country needs in order to face the environmental and social challenges that lie ahead.  It might take a couple of years for Canadians to understand that, but I have faith that they eventually will!

If you like this post, pass it along.  To receive posts as they're being published, you can either send me an e-mail at alina500daystohappiness@hotmail.com or join the facebook group:  500daystohappiness

No comments: