Go Out And Vote This Monday!

This coming Monday, all of Canada will be called upon to help lead the country in a new direction. With campaigning for the federal election making its final rounds this weekend, it’s extremely important for all Canadians to consider which candidate they feel would be best fit as the new Prime Minister of Canada.

Perhaps, you feel that the current Prime Minister Stephen Harper should continue to lead our nation. Having assumed office in 2006, Harper is the first Prime Minister to represent the Conservative Party – an amalgamation of the former Progressive Conservative and Canadian Alliance parties.

Resuming his role as Canada’s PM would certainly be quite the birthday present for Harper as he celebrates his 52nd birthday this weekend! He does, however, lead a party that has been defeated with a no confidence vote this past March. With this motion being carried out, a general election was made mandatory.

Is it time for the Liberals to regain leadership of Canada? Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff sure thinks so. Having taken over the reigns from Stéphane Dion in 2009, Ignatieff is campaigning for Prime Minister of Canada for the first time. The last time the Liberals were in power was when Paul Martin led the nation prior to Harper taking over.

Maybe it’s time for the New Democratic Party to finally take over. A perennial third place finisher in federal elections, Jack Layton‘s NDP is currently second to the Conservatives in pre-election balloting. For most Canadians, a NDP-led federal government would be quite hard to imagine as it has never happened before in the nation’s history.

Gilles Duceppe of Bloc Québécois is also running for Prime Minister of Canada. Of course, Duceppe and his party are best known for working towards the benefit of the province of Quebec. While this might not be the most popular platform for English-speaking Canada, he has gained quite a bit of support nonetheless.

No matter who you vote for, it is very important that you do vote. Knowing that you have a voice that matters and that you have say in the way in which your country is lead is both a right and a privilege. Many people are under the impression that their votes don’t matter. But, in reality, the only votes that don’t matter are the ones that are not cast.

So go out and vote this Monday. As Canadians, we have much to be proud of. And of those many things is the freedom we enjoy living in a democratic society. We have the right to vote and it is certainly a right that we should all exercise. The future of this nation is in your hands!