Fingers crossed

I took my neighbour Pat to the elementary school to vote in the advance poll. The first advance poll day was yesterday, but I thought I’d leave it for a day. Last time round islanders were so keen to cast their vote against Stephen Harper that the school gym was a zoo on the first day. Timed it perfectly. Only three people ahead of us in the queue. By the time we’d voted the queue was out the door.

I have now cast my vote for Bob Chamberlain, the NDP candidate and my fingers are crossed. (Although not while I’m typing, obviously.) Historically, casting a vote for the NDP candidate in this riding was a done deal, but not this time around. The provincial NDP government has done a lot of things in the past couple of years that have (quite rightly) pissed off environmentalists. Mostly for this reason, back in May when we had a bi-election for our MP, Bob did not win. The Green candidate won. Good news for the Green Party which had just doubled its seats in the House of Commons.

I’d seriously considered voting Green then to send a message, but then I met the candidates. I decided then that Bob would make a fine MP for this riding. I also decided I wouldn’t trust the Green candidate as far as I could throw him.

I can’t speak for Nanaimo, which has a much, much larger population, but the ratio of signs on the island is alarming. Way too many Green signs compared to orange ones as far as I am concerned.

I honestly think it would be a tragedy if we lost the opportunity to have Bob Chamberlain represent us.

Obviously I want an MP who takes climate change seriously. Both the NDP and the Green candidates do. However, I also want an MP who will fight to protect the coast from fish farms (an issue on which Bob already has a proven track record) and tanker traffic and the myriad other threats to the ecosystem. I want a brawler representing me in Ottawa, not a self-satisfied dickhead.

I’ve done my bit and now I just have to wait. There’s something satisfying about voting as early as you can, but it does result in delayed gratification. (Well, let’s hope it’s gratification. Brief pause while I cross my fingers again.) Nine days and several hours to go before I find out if the best man won in my riding.

As for who will win the top job, as I’m pretty sure I’ve already made clear, there is no question of the best man winning. It is a question of the least worst. (Well, second least worst if you count Maxine Bernier, but I don’t.) Go, Justin!