In 1851 when they first set out to count people in Canada, they concluded that 86 per cent lived in rural areas and 14 per cent lived in urban villages, towns and cities. It then took 160 years for that to reverse. In the 2011 Census, it was determined that 86 per cent lived in urban Canada and the remaining 14 per cent were rural. What it means is that pandering to the farm vote might get us fed better but it is hardly the key to winning a majority government.
But what the recent redistribution of federal ridings in Ontario did was to add rural and urban votes when possible to take advantage of Ontario’s urban-rural split. In this way, the rural Conservative voters could fight above their weight class by helping the urban Tories. There is a band of rural ridings across the middle of the province that is the stomping grounds of the Ontario Landowners Association. These are Conservative voters. Not that all these rural OLA hotheads are crazies but they do include a lot of gun nuts and people who seriously believe that property rights supersede human rights.
It is not that urban voters are more urbane but the requirements of urban lifestyle do require that you put community standards and civilized living ahead of property rights.
Not that Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives or the federal Conservatives care about the differences. They just want the mindless votes for mindless candidates. There is no attempt on their part to pick intellectual candidates. While the odd populist sneaks into the role of candidate, the majority are just expensive votes for the party leadership. Most just do what they are told.
But Stephen Harper has never understood is that Canada has become an urban nation. Farmers and city-folk alike are better educated, more sophisticated, better read and more aware of current events. They are not dummies. They know when politicians are lying. They turn up their noses at attack advertising. In the current ad campaign against Justin Trudeau, the only point that has been made is that the Liberal leader is younger. Considering the Prime Minister’s age, most Canadians are younger. So what?
Harper has done what he can to shore up his urban votes. He has pandered to the Jews and Ukrainian-Canadians. He gives substantial benefits to the rich. He uses threats of terrorism. He denies the financial trouble he has caused by his oil-centred industry policy. He has failed the young in not creating jobs for them. He has failed our cities by not recognizing their needs. He has failed the country.
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Copyright 2015 © Peter Lowry
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