As a scientist, I find myself among the throngs of Canadians who do not want Stephen Harper back in power. Does this mean, as suggested by David Beers last week, that today, Sept. 28, the deadline to remove my name from the ballot, I should step down unless I am positioned to win my seat?
The premise is undemocratic, but the question is rational. The Harper Conservatives leave us burdened with legislation designed to silence dissent, increase inequality, and suppress democracy. The urgency of climate change is denied, scientists are muzzled, and health, safety and environmental protections eviscerated. The recent drop in oil prices exposed the fragility of a petro-state economy. The list goes on. These "accomplishments" are the legacy of an ideology that is out of touch with the realities of our planet and Canadian values.
Our antiquated first-past-the-post electoral system allowed the Conservatives to form a majority government by losing big in ridings they don't need for their seat count and winning by small margins in hotly contested ridings like mine.
In Burnaby North-Seymour, the Conservative, Liberal, NDP and Green candidates are all contenders for the seat. Volatile polling results are causing headaches for the many people whose first priority is to oust Harper.
The ups and downs in the standing of each candidate often reflect what is happening on the campaign trail of the party leaders. In my case, starting from a virtually non-existent base, support has grown steadily, with nice bumps when Elizabeth May is given an opportunity to shine, such as in the Maclean's debate.
Scare tactics
In a recent published poll commissioned by Dogwood Initiative, my numbers took a sudden dive. Based on what my canvassers and I hear on the doorstep, and based on the cheers, applause and comments at and after all-candidates events, I know that actual support for me is continuing to grow. Was the poll an anomaly or is something else going on?
We know from our own internal polling that the severity of the dip was almost certainly an anomaly. But the truth is, even our higher quality internal data revealed a dip in those saying that I would be their first choice at the ballot box. Causality is difficult to establish, but we are hearing one message so often that it cannot be ignored.
Lately, many times a day I am told, "I want to vote for you, but I fear that if I do, the Conservative will win." This is the message that is being hammered by the NDP candidate, on the doorstep and bluntly in all-candidate debates. My polling numbers climb on the merits of my campaign and fall on the fear of Harper and the push for "strategic" voting.
I stepped up to run in this election because neither the Liberals nor the NDP and certainly not the Conservatives are proposing genuine and urgent action on climate change or social inequality -- the intertwined and defining issues of our time. I am a research scientist, a professor, a university administrator, and a climate justice activist. I understand that it is possible for us to transition to a post-carbon economy within 20 years and that there is no excuse for poverty in Canada.
Parliament needs Greens
Do I now step aside because last week my polling numbers took a dip? After a great deal of careful thought, I do not believe that stepping down would be the right thing to do. We need a caucus of Green MPs in Ottawa to be the conscience of Parliament, to push as hard as we possibly can for real action on climate change and meaningful policy to address social injustice.
Whether I am elected is going to come down to strategic voting. Some voters will use polls to try to guess what everyone else will do on Election Day. Others will use the strategy of voting for the candidate that will best represent them in Parliament.
My name will stay on the ballot and I will fight hard to win, for the climate, for Canada and for a healthy democracy. I will continue to get my message out to bring new voters to the ballot box and to give courage to those who want to do what is right.
Original Article
Source: thetyee.ca/
Author: Lynne Quarmby
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