By Derek Birch

Young people don’t vote. Why don’t they vote? No one under the age of 35 even remembers a time when politicians actually did the will of the people. For anyone under 35 this means an entire lifetime of pent up cynicism.

Canadians want to see corporations taxed. Canadians want to see corporate lobbying made illegal. Canadians don’t support Bill C-51. Canadians want environmental protections. Canadians want job creation and a national living wage. Canadians want electoral reform, Canadians oppose free trade, (have you noticed that ever since NAFTA was signed in 1988 that we have had chronic unemployment? Yet more and more free trade agreements are signed every year, and we are continually fed the lies that free trade creates more jobs and wealth. Wealth for whom?). Canadians want more money spent on healthcare and education. We want tuition reduced.

Yet, the government does not reflect any of these things. Bill C-51 is now law, and you supported it, with a mere promise to amend it. In doing so you went against the will of the majority of Canadians. And you wonder why Canadians are cynical and don’t vote any more.

Most of the youth believe we live in a dictatorship already. Most of the youth believe that all parties are the same. Most of the youth believe that voting wont make any difference. Most of the youth believe that elections are fixed. Can you blame them for believing this?

You had a chance to change that. I believed that you Justin Trudeau, were the one who would get people involved in voting again, but you went against the will of the people and voted for Bill C-51. You support the tar sands. You support pipelines. You are not going to tax corporations.

Conservative light? Damned right.

Is offering more of the same the best way to encourage the youth vote? Of course not. Canadians are centrist. We are not right wing or left wing. The greatest politicians this country has ever seen were also centrist. Every political leader since Pierre Trudeau stepped down, has tried to move this country further to the right. That is a very long time for the right wing agenda to thrive in a centrist nation. Especially since doing so is against the will of the people. We had high hopes for you Justin and you blew it. You really did.

You were a shoe-in for the election, but we are so sick and tired of the right wing agenda, and we are sick and tired of the 2 major parties passing the torch between each other, while supporting each other in the gradual move toward fascist economics. We are sick of politicians who don’t listen.

By supporting Bill C-51 you told us two different things: 1, you support the police state and 2, you are no different than any other politician in the last 30-odd years. You are obviously not going to listen any better than anybody else has. Hundreds of thousands of Canadians signed petitions against Bill C-51, but all you are offering to do is to amend it. Bill C-51 represents more than just the creation of a police state, It indicates once and for all that you are no better than any politician in the last 30 years: you are not interested in what the people think. Then you wonder why you plummeted in the polls. If you wanted to be elected Justin, all you had to do was to listen to the people, and bring this country back to the centre, but you are just as deaf as the rest of them. I can’t help but wonder who bought you. Voting against bill c51 would have sent a strong message about your support of the people.

We are done with politicians who don’t listen, and we are done with an unwanted right wing agenda.

Times have been hard for the average Canadian for a very long time, and we are continually told that he way to fix the tough times is to go deeper and deeper into unfettered economics; free the economy, eliminate corporate taxes, give corporations free reign. The environment is in critical condition.

There are almost no manufacturing jobs left. There are almost no real jobs left. Most people work precariously in temporary contract positions, or part time jobs at minimum wage. Entire families are supported on minimum wage jobs, despite high education levels. People are going into severe debt due to high tuition’s. The youth are starting out life saddled with tens of thousands of dollars in debt.

The cost of living is increasing at an alarming rate: A three-bedroom home in Toronto is over a million dollars. Rents are skyrocketing as landlords pass their high mortgages and property taxes on to the tenants. When is the government going to step in and stop this? People are going further and further into debt with mere cost of living expenses. People are subsidizing their rent with credit cards, because they have no other choice.

All these things are the fault of free trade, corporate lobbying and unfettered economics. Unfettered economics is the problem, not the solution.

All Bill C-51 does is prevent Canadians from speaking out about all the rest of it. Terrorism is not a threat in Canada, but the state of the economy and its effect on average people will certainly lead to revolution; history has proven it time and time again. Clearly that is the real reason for Bill C-51. You are trying to prevent a revolt.

If you want to be elected you have to start listening, and so far you are not.