I've seen you make this point often over the last few months, and I find it compelling. I'm probably on the younger side of this board, so I'm ashamed to say my mindset was entirely different in 2015, it was my first federal election where I could vote and I voted liberal then(I also live/grew up in a very liberal riding). I voted liberal over another candidate because I believed it was a strategic vote, even though I preferred another candidate.
I've learned and changed a lot since then. I now oppose the corrupt lying liberals. I have adopted the principle that I will not support a lesser evil, I will vote with my conscious. I believed the liberals were less evil than the conservatives and I wouldn't vote third party, look how that turned out. From now on I will vote for my preferred local candidate, "strategic voting" be damned.
So I see your argument about the nature of electoral politics in Canada, but the liberals have shown me that establishment parties will only exploit this. Further, I don't think real change will come at the ballot box but at the individual level of every Canadian. This is a reason for me to support the PPC, so I can at least have conversations with people about my values and point to a party that represents them. Cynicism and complacency in politics only dissuades individuals' civic engagement. I'd rather have to something to aim for than something to be let down by.
Besides last time PPC got 3% of the vote. If they get 7%, that's EXACTLY what Ham is saying sends the message to Conservatives, even if the PPC had no seats. If they lose seats because they don't represent 20% of their potential voting base, they'll adapt or die.
I'm in my late 20s, so I'm not much ahead of you, and I only woke up to politics in 2015 anyhow.
If you want a good historical context of what the PPC is trying to do, look up the reform party 1987 and what they became.
You said what's on my mind. People saying the PPC only got 3% of votes last election are fools. It's a new party. No one expect them to win or even get 10%. But they did get nearly 400,000 votes Canada wide. It could be 800,000 next election and even if no seats are won I will be happy knowing there are 800,000 reasonable Canadians out there who think like me and who are tired of CPC.
I have adopted the principle that I will not support a lesser evil
Then you're supporting the greater of two evils by default.
When you start thinking about politics with your head instead of your heart, and you accept the truth (and it is the truth) that there's no way your minor party can win, you will realize that your only viable choices are the greater of two evils or the lesser of two evils. And that by abstaining, you're choosing the greater of two evils by default.
Have you heard of the trolley problem? It's an ethical dilemma thought experiment.
If you do nothing, the train will continue straight ahead and kill five people. But if you throw the switch, one person will be killed, and it will be through your action.
What do you do?
They're both bad outcomes, but one is worse than the other and you have to choose. By saying "I won't choose the lesser of two evils" and instead doing nothing, you will get the worst possible outcome. The same goes for Canadian elections. Doing nothing and letting the train kill five people is analogous to not voting for either major party, and thus allowing the LPC to win again (worst possible outcome).
I've seen you make this point often over the last few months, and I find it compelling. I'm probably on the younger side of this board, so I'm ashamed to say my mindset was entirely different in 2015, it was my first federal election where I could vote and I voted liberal then(I also live/grew up in a very liberal riding). I voted liberal over another candidate because I believed it was a strategic vote, even though I preferred another candidate.
I've learned and changed a lot since then. I now oppose the corrupt lying liberals. I have adopted the principle that I will not support a lesser evil, I will vote with my conscious. I believed the liberals were less evil than the conservatives and I wouldn't vote third party, look how that turned out. From now on I will vote for my preferred local candidate, "strategic voting" be damned.
So I see your argument about the nature of electoral politics in Canada, but the liberals have shown me that establishment parties will only exploit this. Further, I don't think real change will come at the ballot box but at the individual level of every Canadian. This is a reason for me to support the PPC, so I can at least have conversations with people about my values and point to a party that represents them. Cynicism and complacency in politics only dissuades individuals' civic engagement. I'd rather have to something to aim for than something to be let down by.
Besides last time PPC got 3% of the vote. If they get 7%, that's EXACTLY what Ham is saying sends the message to Conservatives, even if the PPC had no seats. If they lose seats because they don't represent 20% of their potential voting base, they'll adapt or die.
I'm in my late 20s, so I'm not much ahead of you, and I only woke up to politics in 2015 anyhow.
If you want a good historical context of what the PPC is trying to do, look up the reform party 1987 and what they became.
You said what's on my mind. People saying the PPC only got 3% of votes last election are fools. It's a new party. No one expect them to win or even get 10%. But they did get nearly 400,000 votes Canada wide. It could be 800,000 next election and even if no seats are won I will be happy knowing there are 800,000 reasonable Canadians out there who think like me and who are tired of CPC.
Then you're supporting the greater of two evils by default.
When you start thinking about politics with your head instead of your heart, and you accept the truth (and it is the truth) that there's no way your minor party can win, you will realize that your only viable choices are the greater of two evils or the lesser of two evils. And that by abstaining, you're choosing the greater of two evils by default.
Have you heard of the trolley problem? It's an ethical dilemma thought experiment.
Suppose you're standing next to a train track switch and there's a train barreling down the tracks. There's five people on the tracks straight ahead of the train, but only one person on the tracks that branch off.
If you do nothing, the train will continue straight ahead and kill five people. But if you throw the switch, one person will be killed, and it will be through your action.
What do you do?
They're both bad outcomes, but one is worse than the other and you have to choose. By saying "I won't choose the lesser of two evils" and instead doing nothing, you will get the worst possible outcome. The same goes for Canadian elections. Doing nothing and letting the train kill five people is analogous to not voting for either major party, and thus allowing the LPC to win again (worst possible outcome).
And then you the worst of two evils, because you put emotions ahead of outcomes.
Then people will do something about all those victims who end up tied to railroad tracks.