Canada's Upcoming Election

I've noticed a trend over the last decade or so come election time, with more and more people of all ages passing on their right to vote. The question most often asked, 'who are you voting for?' has changed to 'are you going to vote?'.

I, for one, have passed on voting in past years because, like a lot of you, I've felt very uncomfortable believing in any one candidate enough to want to vote them in to run our country. 

The criteria a candidate needs to meet for me to vote them in really shouldn't be that hard to do.

I want a candidate who will listen to the people of Canada; ALL of the people, ALL of the time.

I want a candidate who will say what they mean, not talk in so many riddles it makes my head spin.

I want a candidate who will put our needs as a whole above their wish to run a smear campaign against each other.

I want a candidate who will honour the promises they made that got them elected in in the first place.

I want a Prime Minister who will, once elected; work with the other Parties to do the job of running our country on our behalf; respect the needs of every Canadian and carry forward that respect when they represent us on our home turf and on the World Stage; remember that he/she were hired by us and can be fired by us too.

When it comes to voting or not voting, I'm now looking at things from a new perspective. As a female born in 1962, I've never had to 'fight' for my 'right' to vote. My female ancestors didn't have that 'right to vote' handed to them on a silver platter as their male counterparts did, they fought long and hard to earn it for themselves and for future generations.

For that alone, I will at least do them the honour of researching who my candidates are and what they stand for, try harder to make a decision and on election day, I will vote.

Those of you who wish to research what the Party Candidates stand for, you can type their name, or their Party, into an internet search engine, it should bring you to a page or a link to their Campaign Platform.

Good luck!

A Case of Greed Part Five

Success...she was so close she could almost taste it.

Stepping into Philomena’s position was the biggest hurdle she needed to fulfill her dream of becoming one of the richest women in the country, of living the life she believed she’d been born to lead. Holly played her part so convincingly for the last year, the part of the very efficient, now very sorrowful, assistant to Philomena Townsend that it was easy to see why Alec Longstreet believed her to be the woman for the job.

“Holly-girl, you may only get one chance in this life to get what you want, with your looks you’d do best to pull out all the stops...you have to dress for success,” Holly repeated her mother’s advice to the woman in the black dress and stiletto heels staring back at her. “There’s no fool like an old fool,” repeating the old adage to herself, as pumped up with confidence at the image she presented, she mentally prepared to cross the next hurdle in her plan for success.

Alec Longstreet hadn’t looked twice at her, but tonight that would all change. Alec Longstreet didn’t stand a chance.

A Case of Greed Part Four

John scanned the area ahead with a mixture of relief and dread when Jerry was nowhere in sight. “Perhaps it’s time to call your brother out of the bushes? He can join us in my office. Save the puzzled look, you Townsend boys all look alike,” Alec said as he watched Jerry slip out of the shadows to join them.

The pointed look, the almost imperceptible shake of the head as they walked into Alec’s office told John that the bug slated for here had yet to be installed. Whatever happened here tonight would not be recorded on their home unit.

“Are we alone here?” Alec asked Jerry. “Good,” he responded at Jerry’s nod, “let’s get this over with. Install the bug.” John’s head swivelled side to side trying to sort out what he was hearing.

“Which Townsend boy are you?” Alec asked.

“John,” he answered, none too happily.

“Well, John, don’t look so confused. Jerry and I had a long conversation earlier this evening. I want whoever did this to Philomena caught as much as you boys do. Philomena’s the closest I’ll ever come to having a daughter. Now, shall we talk about how, working together, we can achieve that?”

John knew Jerry would make a better thief than a Private Investigator, with his stealth-like ways, making him question how Alec knew about the bugs in the first place. “I’m sorry John, I was listening on the other side of the door, waiting for my chance, when I heard Holly laughing...at what they’d done to Phil,” Jerry said as his remembrance of that moment, how hard it had been not to step out and blow his cover, crossed the features of his face. “A few minutes later I heard Holly saying her goodbyes. I followed to be sure she was leaving the building before coming back to wait Alec out. When I got back, Alec’s light was out. In my haste, I entered his office only to find him sitting at his desk in the dark, a gun pointed at me.”

“It’s not real,” said Alec as he pulled the toy gun he’d had trained on them out of his pocket. “I’m not a violent man. In fact, I abhor violence. My young nephew saved his hard-earned allowance to buy that for me after my house was broken into last fall. Trust me, after a long day of having to sort the bullshit from the truth, it’s good to have a reminder of what’s really important in this world...to me.”

Despite himself, John found he could actually come to like this man in another time and place but he wasn’t convinced that this wasn’t all an act. A lawyer who won as many cases as Alec Longstreet did was certainly capable of keeping up pretences to gain ground, or in this case to give his girlfriend everything she so desired.