Time to Vote

Thanks for all the positive comments on my last post :) I was so pleased with how well the cookies turned out since I had never done anything like that before, but even more impressed that they tasted good too!

Today, we voted in the federal election.

I usually don't like to talk politics since I respect everyone's right to their own opinion and don't always feel the need to share my own, but I find myself somewhat neutral in the outcome this time, although very interested to see what Canadians will choose.

We take voting very seriously in our house and from the time an election is called, be it municipal, provincial, or federal, we do our homework on all the candidates in our riding and research the party platforms to ensure we make an educated choice for what our family needs at that particular time. Hubby and I have voted differently in the past, but for this election, we agreed to take a strategic approach. Our vote goes beyond who we want to see win in our riding, it encourages a change in party leadership and hopefully a more stable and accountable government over the long term.

Given my day job, that last thing I want to see is a new party come in and change everything the previous party did for the sake of simply putting their stamp on things. Although I have not yet worked on the inside during a change of leadership, I can only imagine the frustration and wastefulness that must follow. In contrast, I also do not want to see a government that will once again bring up the questions of gay marriage and abortion rights.

I am excited to watch the election coverage tonight and am sure that I will stay up until the bitter end (even though I am still exhausted from this past weekend's festivities). Regardless of who wins, I hope that they can keep their focus on what's best for all Canadians and keep moving our country forward. It's days like these that I am reminded how grateful I am to live in a democratic society that values my opinion and vote.

So here are my questions for you:

Did you vote?

What influences your decision?

How did you prioritize the issues? (taxes, environment, childcare, health, jobs, etc)