Canadiana post #4
I enjoyed a genuinely Canadian moment earlier this evening. I attended an outdoor folk concert in the park by Paul Valdemar Horsdal, more commonly known as Valdy. The guy is pure Canadiana, a quintessential folk artist, and a great entertainer. He sang many of his most well-known and well-loved tunes: Play me a rock ‘n roll song, Yes I can, Peter and Lou; included a tribute song to Stompin Tom Connors, a Gordon Lightfoot song, some interactive folk classics, and ended off with “Come on people now smile on your brother, everybody get together. Try to love one another right now.” What a feel-good evening, spoiled by the following negative election blog post; but, the federal election campaign has begun and I must get this off my chest.
In more than three decades of voting I have voted for all four major parties, and even voted for the Rhinoceros Party once as a young adult. When voting in a federal election I consider the party, the national leader, the local candidate, and the policies and record of each. In this election the national leader of the Conservative Party has been so dominant that it trumps even fine local candidates in helping me to narrow down my choice.
Traditionally, especially in the USA but also in Canada, conservative Christians have voted for conservative politicians and parties in elections. I’d like to remind conservative voters that Harper has done absolutely nothing for their most coveted issues. He has repeatedly said that he would not open the abortion debate. It should also be noted that a motion to open the gay marriage debate was also defeated by a parliament under Harper. Here are ten reasons why conservative Christians should think twice before voting for Harper’s Conservatives.
10. Harper thinks that the economy is the most important election issue. I disagree with this as stated in Canadiana post #2. I’ll vote for policies that also look after “the least of these” not just oil barons.
9. His poor record on the environment with a long list of no-shows and non-actions when the opportunities were there. Taking care of creation is part of the biblical mandate.
8. His term in office has tended to be a one man show. What happened to teamwork and recognizing the gifts of others?
7. The senate scandal and the Mike Duffy trial; either way Harper is guilty. If he knew what was going on he is complicit in the crime and if he didn’t he is an irresponsible leader who has no idea what his people are doing.
6. He has failed to respond to any of the TRC recommendations [see posts #1 and #2 in this series]. Doing justice to those who have been oppressed is a core Christian value.
5. Really immature attack ads that poke fun at an opponent for being “just not ready.” Ironic, especially considering Harper was a similar age to Trudeau when he first came to power. Christians should encourage responsible and respectful advertising, which might be hard to find.
4. His evasive non-answers to questions prefaced by “let me be perfectly clear…”
3. The new child benefit that puts money in parents’ pockets during the election only to be taken away during the next tax season.
2. “Proroguing” parliament four times during his terms just so he could keep a stranglehold on power or get his way. Governments should act in the best interests of the populace not for their political benefit.
1. International policies that favor bombing over humanitarian aid. The traditional Canadian peacekeeping role in the world has been eroded during the last decade. As a Christian I want to vote for people who will promote life and well-being for all people. Of course, this is a big issue dealt with in numerous previous blogs but fear-based bombing campaigns have not been effective in ridding the world of terrorism; they have done the opposite. Perhaps sending parkas to Syrian refugees is not such a bad idea.
gareth brandt 
Yes to the all of the above. I try not to throw something at the TV every time one of those “just not ready” attack ads come on. They came on during our evening news everyday for a few weeks. Whether or not you think Trudeau is “ready”, it makes it really clear that Harper is the really immature one when his main attack against him is that he has nice hair. Trudeau’s response ad to those is perfect, in my opinion.
C-51 is my one biggest issue for this election. It’s fear-based legislation that was rushed through to strip a pile of rights – and we know it will be utilized primarily against minorities – against the better counsel of every expert. Combine with things like the second-class citizenship bill that also passed in a hurry, the eagerness to bomb Syria without bothering to help refugees, the disregard for Native communities, the blatant disregard for the environment, the manipulative policies to buy votes without helping anybody, changing election law and then using it to his advantage, the regular Islamophobic rhetoric, and on and on…
Yes, I tend to be pretty left-leaning to begin with. I do think in theory I could vote for some Conservatives, or at the very least I would not be passionate about stopping them, but I definitely find it very hard to see any Christian argument for supporting these Conservatives.
Hi Gareth and all who read this
I am very sorry to say that, for Christianity, the other leaders will not help your cause as it were, any more than Stephen Harper.. Our mandate as christians is the great commission first and formost.. yes we need to do our part for envionmental issues, but way to many believers I meet place the environment way above the great commission. You know the answer to this, its in the bible.. a lot more then the environment is. Second, we are, as the church, to take care of those who are hurting and hungry and need a friend.. sure government programs are nice, but we as the church have forgot what it means to help and love and support our neighbors and those who can’t help themselves. As christians we must be very careful to look out for those in need,, don’t just point to the government to do everything. (Although they should help) I have been to many financially poor countries and people with way less than me are changing their world by giving their time and money (till it hurts the pocketbook) where God has called them to..
as we come to this election we need to on our knees praying for who will be the next prime minister of Canada… not who I want… what God wants. Then once we have done some serious praying, we can speak God’s Words of hope. (Ps I am very guilty of not praying and rather complaining about my government 🙂
God bless you all as you Seek the King of Kings!
Thanks for putting it so well, Gareth. The list could be multiplied.
Why do so many Christians seem to assume that holding to a more or less “conservative” theology automatically requires that they unquestioningly embrace a “conservative” party approach to governing our society, which implies conserving things the way they are. As I see it, for Christians, conserving the status quo should be the last thing on our agenda. If Jesus had taken that approach, he would have aligned himself with the Sadducees and other temple authorities who were willing to go to any extreme to preserve their hold on power and prevent changing of the social structures.
It seems to me to be generally true that in Canadian political history, the conservatives have tended to favour the interests of the rich upper class, of big business and big corporations, the liberals have tended to favour the interests of the white collar class and perhaps small business, and the NDP have tended to favour the interests of the blue collar working class. Where would Jesus line himself up in Canada today, I wonder.
What I find tragic is the simple assumption, with seemingly even less basis in thought, that Christians must vote for a party whose leader is presumed to be Christian, simply because he is “a Christian,” apparently without ever asking whether the policies put forward by that party bear any resemblance to the values and actions taught and exemplified by Jesus.
More tragic is the culture of silence that permeates churches, where it seems to be taken for granted that discussions of such issues are off limits.
Also tragic is the obvious recent success of “governing by PR” — the increasingly effective process of finding out what people want to hear and want to fear, then carefully controlling the whole process to repeatedly tell them only whatever they want to hear whether it has any truthful basis to it or not, and play on their fears whether there are any grounds for them or not, all the while carefully concealing as much as possible (e.g., omnibus bills) from the people what actions are really being taken by the government, through parliament (less and less) or through the prime minister’s office (more and more). Harper didn’t start this trend, but he has certainly elevated it to a whole new level.
Is there any realistic hope for a public debate among Canadians over the real issues and where we’re being taken? For such a debate among Christians? Among the folks at Emmanuel Mennonite Church? I see very little basis for optimism.