I was impressed with the strong political opinions of young people that I’ve interacted with over the last little while.
A grade 8 student asked me if I liked Trudeau, my response was that I didn’t hate him nor did I really like him. The young politically inclined individual then told me he spends too much money on every other country and gives too much away, that he should focus on his own country. Although Trump isn’t the greatest at least he’s focused on his own country.
They then proceeded to ask me if I didn’t love or hate Trudeau, then what were my political views. I replied that if there was a party that landed between the Conservatives and Liberals, I’d probably be in there, but because no party really lines up perfectly with my ideals I usually vote according to the big topics… or as I told them sometimes I choose not to vote.
I thought about what I had just said. This grade 8 student was likely told that voting was important to do, but although I can be as educated as possible in who to vote for, sometimes the choice not to vote is an option. I didn’t like the promises of either sides in the last election. The Liberals were too far left and the Conservatives too far right for what I believe we should be doing.
I like the idea of how the Conservatives generally manage money, but I also like social programs and ensuring that every citizen in the country isn’t left without the basic necessities of life including healthcare. People always say they would donate to programs if we didn’t have universal healthcare, but would we really?
I do agree with the grade 8 student that Trudeau has given too much to other countries, but at the same time the refugees and others that he has helped, do we not have a global duty? What is the right balance of global duty and your duty to your country?
The other topic that plays a factor into this, which I didn’t discuss with the grade 8 student; but, it had come up the other day with someone else: debt. How are world economies even still functioning when countries are in millions, billions, and even trillions of dollars in debt? Where is that money coming from?
Apparently the Canadian debt (Federal and Provincial net debt) is approximated to be around the $1.4 trillion (Fraser Institute), while the American debt is sitting up at around $19.9 trillion (US News). Although the debt grew more under Trudeau than previous governments, while Trump’s debt has grown more slowly… are their other factors that would have attributed to this? The economic situation in general, regardless of the parties in power, would a lower oil price affect this in Canada?
Like I said I’m not a whiz when it comes to economics, but I do feel as though all of the political parties in Canada are similar enough that things won’t really change a lot for me. They change policies, but typically replace that policy with something similar just slightly different and that is the reality of our world. Each party has the same basic want of keeping Canada strong, they have different views of how to do this, but at their core they’re all relatively similar.
Do I think Trudeau is getting in again? Probably not. When Trudeau got in, however, did I feel as though government needed a change? Yes. Having focused my schooling on history it’s become a theory of mine that governments need to change every 10 years, but should be afforded two terms to enact the change and vision they have for the country because the first few years is often the new government fixing things from the previous government.
