Well, here we are, 3 weeks out from the election. An election many are calling the most important one we have ever had. The election that will ultimately determine our direction as a nation. Our collective futures hang in the balance. We face the very real threat of climate change. We must end our dependence on fossil fuels and shift towards renewable, clean energies and technologies. In many of our cities, young people can’t afford to purchase homes. Nearly a third of Canadians don’t get all their prescription medication because of outrageous costs. And here we are, just 3 weeks out, discussing niqabs and social media comments various candidates have made over the past decade. 

I love living in a country where we can freely discuss any issue that is important to us, but I feel dismayed that the things that will actually affect Canadians in our day to day lives are not being discussed. What does it say when the current race for the Republican nomination in the United States is spending more time discussing climate change than our politicians are in Canada? Or that China is emerging as a world leader, addressing the real threat that climate change poses to us globally? The Pope just spoke to the UN and demanded better of us all as human beings, and pressed how we need to see that all issues from poverty to climate change to social justice are interrelated. Yet, aside from an announcement here and a photo-op there, the issues that are most important to every person who lives in this country are underreported.

We need to look beyond what will affect us in the short-term, and see where we need to go in the long-term. We need to demand better of those who are elected to represent us. We need to build a Canada that young people can look forward to growing up and raising a family in, not one we look to with fear and uncertainty. We need to be lead by example on the international stage in shifting to a carbon free future. We need to put future generations in a position where they are set up to succeed, not doomed to fail. We need to build the Canada we want to live in.

But to accomplish any of this, we need to change the tone. We need to keep our elected officials talking about the real issues our country faces. While all issues that Canadians find important should be discussed and respected, we need those elected officials to stay focused on the big picture. I have received countless emails about what I would do, if elected, for: refugees, people living with MS, the cost of prescription drugs, how we can combat climate change, electoral reform, affordable housing, oil tankers and pipelines, people with diabetes, how I would help seniors, and so on. These are real and important issues to people! Yet none of these topics have taken hold as strongly as whether or not a woman should have to show her face at a ceremony or who made an inappropriate tweet 7 years ago or who peed in what cup.

For those of you who have lost interest in getting involved, see what sort of future the Green Party wants to offer you. See how little the other parties offer in terms of meaningful, long-term positive change. Get enraged, then engaged! Get involved. Vote for the Canada you want to see. Vote for tomorrow. Vote Green!