I was watching CBC the other night showing how part of the reason for the Conservative win was its winning over much of the 'ethnic' vote along with an increase in working-class votes (two groups especially the NDp claims to stand for).
Clearly someone in the NDP or Liberal Party dropped the ball.
It would seem to me that if the NDP and Liberals want to win these groups back, they're going to have to articulate not only their policies better (which they have done a decent job of already, though they could still do better), but also how these policies will benefit the poor and minorities (which is where I think they really dropped the ball).
After all, if you're a worker in a company that exports goods, will you be so fond of a party that wants to bring back protectionism? If you're looking for work, will you be so fond of the government raising the minimum wage? And how do you see taxpayer funding of political parties helping you get job training if your unemployed?
I'm not saying the right is perfect either of course, but I think if the left wants to win these votes back, it will have to better articulate what concrete benefits these kinds of policies present to the most vulnerable.
Now if the left managed to do these things well, then the ball would be on the right's side to defend the cost of being members of the G8 and G20, NATO, NORAD, etc.
Of course the left has to also defend how funding for the CBC benefits everyday people on the ground. Though granted some of the CBC's local educational radio programming in the North providing practical information might be useful, but most of the rest of it is already being offered by the private sector anyway.
Clearly someone in the NDP or Liberal Party dropped the ball.
It would seem to me that if the NDP and Liberals want to win these groups back, they're going to have to articulate not only their policies better (which they have done a decent job of already, though they could still do better), but also how these policies will benefit the poor and minorities (which is where I think they really dropped the ball).
After all, if you're a worker in a company that exports goods, will you be so fond of a party that wants to bring back protectionism? If you're looking for work, will you be so fond of the government raising the minimum wage? And how do you see taxpayer funding of political parties helping you get job training if your unemployed?
I'm not saying the right is perfect either of course, but I think if the left wants to win these votes back, it will have to better articulate what concrete benefits these kinds of policies present to the most vulnerable.
Now if the left managed to do these things well, then the ball would be on the right's side to defend the cost of being members of the G8 and G20, NATO, NORAD, etc.
Of course the left has to also defend how funding for the CBC benefits everyday people on the ground. Though granted some of the CBC's local educational radio programming in the North providing practical information might be useful, but most of the rest of it is already being offered by the private sector anyway.