Hey, you.
Yes, you with the infant snuggled in the Tula wrap, texting on your iPhone while you sip your coffee at Starbucks.
And you. Yes, you with the van-load of kids and soccer gear on your way out to the field for practice.
And you. Yes, you with the longer-than-your-arm list of back-to-school shopping that hasn’t been done yet.
We know, you’re all busy. But look up from your kids and pay attention for a second because someone’s trying to get your attention.
Four someones, in fact.
If you haven’t met them before, their names are Stephen, Tom, Justin and Elizabeth. They’re all vying to lead their respective parties to victory in the next federal election — and they’ve all set their sights on you to help them get there.
There’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper, with his newly announced universal child care benefit, hoping to woo new families to the Conservative cause.
There’s Tom Mulcair of the NDP with his national child-care plan and a pledge to provide $15-a-day child care for all.
There’s Liberal leader Justin Trudeau with his proposal for more flexible, extended parental leave.
And there’s the Green Party of Canada’s Elizabeth May with promises of universal child care and the creation of a national children’s commissioner.
Clearly, all four of Canada’s main parties have decided that the 2015 federal election will be about families.
Now it’s up to those families to decide which party’s vision will best support their needs — and the needs of the nation as a whole.
So, please, all you busy parents out there, take some time this election to do your homework. Look into the platforms of the parties. Talk to your local candidates and find out where they stand.
Then tell your candidates, their parties and their leaders what you want and what you need.
Tell them by attending all-candidates meetings and raising questions about family-related policies.
Tell them by writing letters to the editor, by sharing information on social media, by encouraging your family, friends and neighbours to get informed, too.
And most of all, tell them in the way that matters most: Get yourself to a polling station on Oct. 19 and cast a vote for the person and the party you believe will best look out for your family’s interests.
Creating a bright future for Canadian families is too important a task to leave up to someone else.
– Burnaby Now
(Glacier Media)
