why you should vote on May 2

If you are a Canadian living in Canada or abroad, don't forget to vote on may 2. You may not find a party you align with 100 percent, but you will find a party that represents you and your values in part. Celebrate your right to democracy post voting with some vegan ice cream!

I'm not sure how closely you follow Canadian politics. I'm not as up-to-date as I used to be, but I have been catching up with a bit of what has been going on since the 2006 election. And, yikes. I knew of some of the stuff, but not about a lot of it. I feel so uninformed! Staying more on top of such things will definitely be a goal of mine from now on.

In case you also didn't know, here is some of what has been going on in Canada for the past five years...

• "Since 2006, Harper has cut funding for women’s advocacy by 43 per cent, shut 12 out of 16 Status of Women offices in Canada and eliminated funding of legal voices for women and minority groups, including the National Association of Women and the Law and the Courts Challenges Program."
• "In the recent budget, the Harper government failed to allocate any new funding for drinking water on First Nation reserves." Meaning that these communities would be without clean drinking water. Source 
• "For the first time in Canadian history, a committee of Parliament has found a government to be in contempt." - Harper's. Source
• Other countries tried to kick Canada out of the commonwealth over its climate change policies. "Canada's per capita greenhouse gas emissions are among the world's highest and it will not meet the cut required under the Kyoto protocol: by 2007 its emissions were 34% above its reduction target. It is exploiting its vast tar sands reserves to produce oil, a process said to cause at least three times the emissions of conventional oil extraction." Source
• "Canada [raised] its limits on pesticide residues on fruit and vegetables for hundreds of products." Source
• Our science minister doesn't seem to believe in evolution. Possibly not the best career choice... Source

Wow! I was blown away finding out all of that! Canada, you used to be so cool! Luckily, the internet makes it way easier to stay informed. I also recommend ensuring that you receive the facebook newsfeed for your friends that are all on top of these things. Those friends conveniently filter down the news - it's like having your own Media Analysis department!

ShitHarperDid.com and the Rick Mercer Report videos on YouTube are also great sources - witty updates in 140 words or less. Here's a hilarious video too, entitled Breaking Up With Stephen Harper:

You don't need to be engrossed in politics to be informed or to find out which party you want to make decisions that will impact your life and future. I now rely on platform summaries from sources like NOW magazine. Remember - May 2!! For where to go to vote and what you need (surprise - it's not the voter's card! you can vote without it) visit Elections Canada.