Strategic Voting Doesn't Work

- Darlene Dziewit, MFL President

Much has been said in this federal election campaign about so-called strategic voting – that is the idea that one should cast their ballot for the party most likely to beat the 'enemy'. I find this notion to be at best naive, and at worst destructive.

Proponents of strategic voting have been advocating that voters, and particularly union voters, should vote for the Liberal Party in order to keep out the Conservatives in ridings where the Liberals are perceived as having the best chance to beat the Conservatives. The thought process seems to be that a vote for the NDP is wasted. Furthermore, there is the assumption from strategic voting supporters that Liberals are better than Conservatives. What bunk and hogwash!

Strategic voting has been tried, and it has failed every time. Who can forget that great strategic voting exercise in Ontario when Mike Harris was running for his second term. A number of unions advised their members to vote Liberal and a number of those members heeded that advice.

Enough of them voted Liberal that Mike Harris, arguably the most right wing premier in Canada at the time, cruised to a massive victory and proceeded to inflict further hardship upon the working people of Ontario. What a victory. Many union voters were confused by the mixed messages they were receiving from their leaders. They sometimes even voted Liberal in sufficient numbers so as to squeeze out the second place New Democrat and ensure an even greater Conservative majority.

And let's not forget about the last federal election. The media, some labour leaders and the Liberals themselves (not surprisingly), seized upon the issue of strategic voting. Enough voters bought the strategic voting line that a number of good NDP candidates lost by the slimmest of margins, thereby denying the NDP the balance of power in parliament.

Now I can understand the Liberal position – they will say and do anything for a victory. But when those strategic voting proponents in the labour movement saw the results of their folly, I believed that there would be a general acknowledgement that strategic voting was a disaster. No such luck.

Let's look at the current federal election and what the supporters of strategic voting are saying. I have heard some say that Paul Martin has been a friend to working people. Some have even given him credit for the progressive legislation that was passed in the last minority parliament. In fact, I have even heard the jaw dropping comment that good, left-leaning unionists should vote Liberal to ensure more good legislation. Hello??

Here is the truth – good, progressive legislation was achieved in the last term because Jack Layton and the NDP were there to make it happen. Our NDP MPs fought, cajoled and pushed for each and every piece of good legislation and policy that occurred, including the most worker friendly budget in modern times. Think of what the NDP could have done with another 15 or 20 seats. We wouldn't, for example, have lost anti-scab legislation by seven Liberal votes. If anyone really believes that progress was made in the last session because the Liberals 'saw the light', then Brother or Sister do I have a bridge to sell you!

Here is a little secret. Paul Martin and his merry gang are not our friends. They do not believe in what we believe in. They believe in doing and saying whatever will keep them in office. News flash. Paul Martin is a friend of convenience, nothing more.

Paul Martin is fond of saying he balanced the budget. Bully for him – he did it on the backs of ordinary Canadians. And he did it by decimating our social programs. Our health care system, which was the envy of the world, is in crisis today because of the Liberal cutbacks. Under Paul Martin's budgets billions of Employment Insurance dollars were scooped up while workers' benefits were reduced. That is the true Liberal legacy. Not so different from the other right wing party, is it?

In case you're still not convinced, here is another reason to vote NDP. Under the Federal Election Act, a political party gets $1.75 per year for each and every vote it receives. If you believe in progressive change, and if you believe that the NDP represents that change, then your vote for your NDP candidate is certainly not wasted, no matter where you live. You can, with your vote, help ensure that the NDP has the resources to continue to be an effective voice for real change.

The Canadian electoral system needs to be overhauled. We need a system of proportional representation, whereby parties get seats based on their percentage of the total vote. That is the way to true democracy. But we're not there yet. In the meantime, don't be fooled by those who promote strategic voting, because it means you diminish your vote. The only real strategic vote you can cast is to vote NDP.

That's what I'll be doing on Monday.