The Ontario Election & my Vote as a Christian

 

The Ontario provincial election is underway and a month from now our trips to the polls will reveal which party will be in power for the next four years. Polls suggest that the Regressive Conservative party led by Doug Ford will be returned, which baffles me from so many perspectives.

I'll say, first of all, that during my decades in congregational ministry I chose not to be partisan in my politics from the pulpit or any other platform. Still, I have no doubt that faith is always political and that Jesus was killed by the "powers that be" of Imperial Rome because he was seen a a political threat, not because he was a good story-teller. And through the years many clergy-persons in Canada have made significant contributions in the political realm. We have nation-wide, largely universal health care because of Baptist pastor Tommy Douglas, who became a politician to fulfill his gospel convictions. 

In Federal elections I've voted for three different parties and two in Ontario.

Back to the Ontario election! From the outset I've been underwhelmed by Premier Ford's consistent lack of transparency throughout the past four years. Despite running in 2018 with a "For the People" campaign slogan he won't speak to or with the people in any setting that isn't a controlled media op, or with party faithful. There hasn't been a single lengthy interview with a reporter or media host since he became premier and while CBC Radio has been giving each leader an opportunity to speak, so far he has been silent. 

Some of you know that I have been appalled by the environmental record of this government. Seven members of the Greenbelt Advisory Council resigned last year because the administration was circumventing its own rules. The Conservatives have scrapped roughly a quarter billion dollars worth of green energy initiatives since coming into office. Our Conservation Authorities, admired around the world, have experienced significant cutbacks. In the recent faux-budget new highway construction was mentioned more than 40 times, a multi-billion dollar boondoggle with no regard for informed advice from conservation experts. And the damn license sticker rebate is pandering to vehicle drivers who should pay for that privilege. 

Which party will I vote for? The Libs and the NDP are close in many platform planks. The Greens are appealing with excellent leadership but they certainly aren't a serious threat for power. I've got four weeks to figure out who I'll choose in a riding that leans heavily to the right at the moment. I'll vote according to my Christian conscious and discernment about the issues that matter. I do believe that "the Earth is God's and the fullness of it" and I want to make a difference for this generation and generations to come.