Candidate blank

I’m strongly considering voting blank and you should too

By Craig Allan, Staff Writer

2011 was the first year I was eligible to vote. I remember being so proud that year to walk into the voting booth and cast a ballot. I have always been a proud Canadian, and to finally be able to take part in one of the most patriotic activities a citizen can possibly do filled me with great joy.

That year I voted Conservative. I know it’s not the most popular party among people my age, but I have always identified myself as a moderate Conservative, so to me they were the best choice. The next election I voted Conservative again. They lost, but I didn’t feel sad because I contributed in the electoral process that makes a democracy like Canada great.

This year, with the Conservative party being, in my opinion, driven off a cliff by the indecisive Andrew Scheer, I thought about writing an article about why I can’t vote for the Conservative party this time around. However, seeing this year’s election and how all the parties have been acting, along with the fact that none of them will do anything about the issues I really care about—I realized that the best option of all may be to vote for none of them.

The reason why I am so interested in the idea of submitting a blank vote is because I do not believe that any of the parties are going to make any significant strides in fixing the issues that plague me today. Take tuition for example. When it comes to tuition, the Liberals plans are to increase government grants—which all the parties want to do— have two years of interest free loans so students can “get started,” and add a five-year interest free grace period for people with new children.

What are the chances I will be able to get my hands on any of these grants? I have little faith. A two-year grace period, meaningless. A five-year grace period if I have a kid. Well, I don’t plan to have kids, so goodbye to that. The comprehensive nothing that the Liberals have is the same as the NDP and Greens plans, which I believe are built on the fantasy side of paying off all of Canada’s current and future student debt with no idea of how to pay it off, and the Conservatives plan of basically nothing.

Justin Trudeau says “You’re nervous, and we hear you,” and “Young Canadians heading off to school should be excited about embarking on this new journey, but are instead losing sleep, racking their brains over how to pay for it. That’s not OK.” All of that sounds like the words of an out of touch politician that is just saying what he needs to say, and that is the problem with all the party leaders. They are all out of touch with what I’m going through, and what I feel many people are going through.

I didn’t get into affordable housing, or the easier access to well-paying jobs, but long story short, it’s pretty much the same—and I have the same low belief that any of it will be enacted.

With this in mind, why should I give any of the parties my vote? I was dreading the idea of having to give any one of these parties my vote. Then I discovered that I don’t have to. I can just go into the voting booth and fill in a blank vote. I’m not saying that I am swearing off all the parties, but I am saying that I shouldn’t have to just settle for a party that is not going to help me in any way. The parties and their leaders are all out of touch, and if they are our only options then the best candidate may very well be candidate blank.