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Do your homework before March 3 |
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Wednesday, 20 February 2008 |
So just what will continue to develop as the big election issues leading up to the March 3 vote?
It seems each and every day, a new issue rises to the surface.
Last week, it was the auto-insurance issue, and the possibility Albertans will be paying a lot more to protect their vehicles in the future.
Just before that, the government's pre-election spending spree came into question.
Just before that, it was Premier Ed Stelmach's environmental policy, and the Progressive Conservative plan to pursue carbon-capture technology which was catching the eyes of voters.
Just before that, it was the whole royalty-rate issue, and how much Albertans should be getting from oil-and-gas resources.
What issue will pop up next is anyone's guess. In the long run, one has to ask if all these issues, and the stances on those respective issues by the four major parties, will make a difference to the average voter?
As March 3 looms on the horizon, Alberta voters have to do their homework on their local candidates. Just as important, voters have to listen to what leaders like Stelmach, Kevin Taft of the Liberals, Brian Mason of the NDP and Paul Hinman of the Wildrose Alliance have to say.
It is easy to simply throw your support behind the same party you voted for last time, or the last several years but in the end, a well-researched and informed decision would serve voters well.
While it may be impossible to know where your candidates or the parties themselves stand on each and every issue, a little more time preparing for your all-important vote is a solid investment in democracy.
With that in mind, voters have many ways in which to decide how to use their votes.
Do you vote for the best local candidate, for instance, or vote for who you consider to be the best leader?
What specific policies do you want to narrow it down to, when selecting which party would be best suited for Alberta in 2008 and beyond?
Voters should also examine how realistic the spending "promises" of each party have been up to this date.
Typically in Alberta, elections have become just a formality, a mere stepping stone on the trail to one majority Progressive Conservative government after another.
Will that be the case again this time, or have enough opposition MLA candidates or party leaders done enough to capture the imaginations of voters across Alberta?
Come March 3, Albertans will see for themselves whether or not the 2008 election was simply a formality, or if the winds of change will begin to blow. |
