Faithfully yours - Confessions of a skeptical voter

Details

Published on Sunday, June 14, 2015

By Neil Strohschein

We are still a few months away from the official dissolution of Parliament in preparation for the October federal election. But I have already received the first of what I am sure will be many visits by people hoping I will vote for their candidate (and their party) this fall.

Let me state up front that I will be glad to see the candidates or their representatives when they drop by. I will make sure my dog is well behaved. I will listen to them and will gladly accept and study the literature they leave with me. But don’t expect me to believe everything they say. When it comes to promises made by those seeking my vote, I am a confirmed skeptic.

In my years on this earth, I have learned two things about politics and politicians.

First, to quote the ancient words of the King James Bible, most candidates for office have “a zeal that is not according to knowledge.”

This is especially true of those who represent non-governing political parties. They can say all they want to say about how they would do things differently if they were in power. But there are three questions they can’t answer—how long will it take to implement their programs, how long before average citizens benefit from them and how much will they cost?

No candidate can answer those questions accurately because no one knows the answers to those questions. So while I applaud their zeal, I won’t be as enthusiastic about some of the statements they make. I will wait to see how they perform if elected.

The second thing I’ve learned is that our democratic system of government isn’t as democratic as we think. The only MPs who have a “free vote” in Canada’s House of Commons are the leaders of political parties and those with no political affiliation (Independents). All others are expected to vote as their leaders vote; even if, by doing so, they vote for measures that will cause their constituents more harm than good.

In our parliamentary system, the will of the people often takes a back seat to the goal of keeping the governing party in power. Don’t expect that to change any time soon. Past attempts at reform have achieved little. The system, I’m afraid, is here to stay.

So when choosing the candidate who gets my vote, I will use three criteria.

First, relevance. The candidate I support must be able to show me how the measures being proposed in his or her party’s platform will address the concerns of citizens in my community and provide long-term sustainable answers to these concerns.

Second, honesty. If a measure in a party’s platform is potentially harmful, I want the candidate to admit that and tell us how he or she will work to modify the measure so that it really benefits those it is designed to help.

Third, boldness. I will support a candidate who has a proven track record of putting the needs of the people ahead of the desire for political power. We need MPs, MLAs and local councilors for whom this is a way of life—not just words we hear during an election campaign.

These qualities can only be found in people who have “a servant’s heart;” people who are willing to use their influence and sacrifice their resources to make life better for those they serve.

There is only one way to get a servant’s heart. It is a gift from God and is given freely to those who ask for it.