Exercising franchise

Many of us will have a sigh of relief on Tuesday morning once this election is finally over.

This one has been gruelling for voters to go through. In fact, it’s likely that by now, many voters have already tuned out of the campaigns and ongoing character attacks between national party leaders.

But we’re not there yet. A few more days to go. Now, we have to make a choice. On the Island, some voters may be swayed by a rogue candidate on the campaign trail. One of the standouts is Egmont Conservative candidate Logan McLellan and the idea of buying out the Confederation Bridge contract with Strait Crossing Bridge Ltd. before it expires in 2032.

That must have been news to Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, who has criss-crossed the country proposing tax cuts and fiscal conservatism. The idea of cutting a cheque to buy back, operate and maintain the bridge sooner than later is probably the last thing the Conservatives wanted to hear. Scheer hasn’t even committed to reducing the toll, if elected.

Another Conservative candidate – Wayne Phelan – in Cardigan has said he will vote against ratifying the Canada-US-Mexico agreement (CUSMA). Scheer hasn’t said much about the proposed agreement, other than he would have negotiated a better deal. But given the heat incumbent Liberal Lawrence MacAulay is feeling from dairy farmers over his support for the deal, saying you’ll vote against it probably isn’t a bad idea.

Even Charlottetown Liberal candidate Sean Casey has gone rogue with his support for a federal environmental assessment of the Northern Pulp effluent pipe project while party leader Justin Trudeau has said the assessment is a provincial matter.

Going rogue may get candidates a few more votes, but parties have a system in place to keep everyone in line and on the same page.

This wouldn’t be the first time a candidate ran on a promise that wasn’t fulfilled. Some Islanders are still reeling about the broken campaign promise four years ago by Liberal candidates to restore P.E.I. to one EI zone.

With all that is happening federally and provincially during this campaign, it’s easy to understand how some Island voters are still undecided. But let’s not forget that Islanders have predominantly voted Liberal in federal elections since 1988. And, for all the talk about strategic voting, undesirable party leaders that could be the next prime minister and the uncertainty about whether we’ll have a majority or minority government, polls are suggesting that Islanders may wake up to the same four, familiar Liberal MPs in power as they’ve had many times before; although Lawrence MacAulay is likely to have a tougher time given his support for CUSMA.

A concern in this election is the effect its negativity is going to have on voter turnout, especially among young voters. This is a different election than Trudeaumania four years ago. This time around, young eligible voters can’t be blamed for feeling disillusioned about federal politics, especially as Trudeau has been marred in scandal after scandal. All the “sunny ways” promised in the last election has turned into distrust, cynicism and a lack of hope about Canada’s future.

Regardless, it’s our democratic duty to cast a ballot – if not to support a candidate then to support a policy proposal. Change for the better can still happen, but not if you’re sitting at home rather than out voting.