This Time We Must Vote For Outcomes
To love your country is to do right by her; and by doing right by her is to shepherd her as best you can through the coming storm. Canada is a breathtaking country, a sovereign land endowed to us through incredible sacrifice by our ancestors in times of war, national trouble and uncertainty. This is not the first unclear choice we, as Canadians, have had to endure. But it is our challenge.
What has changed in our time is how we approach national challenges. The very character of our approach lends itself to make choices differently. This, I fear, is our greatest subconscious import from the United States: the choosing of leader by considering character over outcome.
While it may seem not too long ago to older folks, eight years ago many now-homebuying age Canadians were closely watching their first election. The No Puppet moment was a watershed moment in American politics. It was a kneejerk deflection - a moment that signaled a shift in American politics, where character took precedence over outcomes. It indicated that the election was about character, not outcomes, policy or the practical matters that countries must answer to in order to serve the people.
Canada is not immune to this shift away from outcomes and reasonable discussion of policy in any way, shape, or form. The 2019 Trudeau Blackface Scandal cost Trudeau his majority government. Did "Blackface" have anything to do with his policies? Absolutely not, but it sucked the oxygen out of the room until we had no breath to debate them. And yet, we all lived with his policies for the next two-plus years regardless of our ability to consider how they would affect our country or our lives.
Canadians no longer have the luxury of simply evaluating the character of the person in charge and letting it rip at the voting stations. We are in a trade war with a country that has the ability to decimate our economy and our security. We need to prioritize outcomes again because a country-restructuring response is needed. In a time of crisis, we must be pragmatic in choosing the leader who provides for the best outcomes for Canada.
Values matter, and character still matters insofar as it reflects the tone of policy. However, we demand that policy is visible before we choose a leader. The stakes are too high this time.
We must pause our privileged belief that they matter in exclusion of policy and outcomes. Regardless of who you vote for, vote with the intention of making Canada a stronger country. Reject the modern US political trope of voting solely for character.
This is now our nation to shepherd through difficult times. Take the time to research policy - not just personality.
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