Well it has been a busy month and it hasn’t even gotten into Christmas yet. I love the United States election process for two reasons. One is that they get to elect their leader independent of the party. Of course the way they elect the leader is a bit weird with the electorial college and all that but it’s cool. The second is the never-ending battle to attain a viable third party alternative for voters. Got to give old Ralph Nader a pat on the back for trying it even though he might have sunk Gore.
Still that is cool.
I was infected with Naders enthusiasm and decided along with Brian Zelnicker to see what kind of alternatives Canadians were “partying” with. Too my glee there was a few pages to the list Elections Canada put out. However, I did notice one thing, and that was while there were parties for almost everything under the sun, there wasn’t a Aboriginal Party.
I think the challenge for the new millennium would be to organize one. One that wouldn’t be limited to Aboriginal membership but would reflect First Nations values, traditions and way of life. Think of it! I mean just think of it!
You’ve got four years to think of it as a matter of fact. Surely within four years we could come up with a platform, party policies and candidates!
Can any mainstream party meet the needs of Aboriginal and like-minded people? I don’t think so. Just look at the problems with gun control for one example. It was done without consultation and affects more than the First Nations way of life.
Look at the environmental concerns people have. An alliance with the Green Party could see some sort of action. At least our voices would be heard and that is important.
I have the results of merely having your issues in the open. If they are well thought out then they may be acted upon. I’ve noticed that in the Cree game of politics that some of the platforms of the candidates even though they didn’t win were acted upon. If those candidates didn’t raise the issues or have those things mentioned in their platform it might have taken longer for actions to be taken, so being a part of the process can be rewarding.
I would also like to see more Aboriginal candidates out there to counteract some of the other party platforms. I hate to namecall but the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance’s bit about removing tax-free status and minority hiring policies scares the hell out me. There needs to be a balance of some sort and perhaps an Aboriginal Party is an idea whose time has come.
