What do newspaper editors look for when they go to the track in Oz? An endHORSEment of a different colour.

So all the big papers have made their endorsements, and they’ve all endorsed the Conservatives. Talk about closing the barn door…Way to go out on a limb, guys. The Globe, the Post and La Presse have all decided to “endorse” Stephen Harper’s party, which means, I guess that they are encouraging their readers to vote for that party, or, perhaps it means they think that it wouldn’t be so bad, after all. At this point, it seems the editors will get their wish.

I thought I should endorse a party, too. I’m no Marcus Gee, but I will take a shot at this. I endorse…get ready for it…the NDP.

Blink. Blink.

Silence.

Ok, so no surprise there. Maybe a bit of a surprise considering what you might call my earlier endorsement of the Bloc, but strategic voting and endorsement of policy are two different things. If my MP weren’t the indomitable Gilles Duceppe, I would vote strategically for the Bloc. Gilles has a lock on Laurier-St. Marie, though, so I can afford to give my $1.75 to Jack’s crew.

The NDP gets a bad rap in Canadian politics. They are accused of wasting money, of being idealistic and, of late, being too big for their britches, taking the blame for bringing down the Liberal government. Most of this is untrue, yet normally sound-minded Canadians (for example my mother) fear an NDP surge in the polls.

Jack Layton offered an unprecedented deal to voters: vote for the NDP, just this once, he says. Try us out. The Liberals are in the shop for a while; take the orange and green for a spin (more on the colours later). This may seem foolish of the leftish leader, but I see the method to his grovelling. As the old cliché goes, a week is a lifetime in politics. By the next election, no one will remember this particular plea. Can you remember any particular slogans or promises (other than the ones that we are so often reminded have been broken) from the last election? Of course not, and that was 18 months ago. Imagine if the Conservatives get a majority. It will be four years!

Jack knows that if he can increase his seat count, the NDP will take a big step back towards respectability. That fear some Canadians have of an NDP powerhouse in Ottawa will be allayed if the party can make a large, strong contribution to the next Parliament, as they did in the most recent, truncated mandate.

Why would a strong NDP be good for Canada? Well, it comes down to your opinions on two questions. The first is that of the role of government. If you think government is meant to help people, and to maintain a certain standard of living, and that is should do so by being actively involved in people’s lives, congratulations, the NDP may just be for you (Thank you Paul Barry, grade 10 history, for the details behind this very simplified notion).

The second question is how smart do you think people are? Can Canadians think for themselves? I would say: no. This is perhaps more of a right-wing idea, at least in terms of law and order, but it is also the dirty little secret of the left: people are too stupid to use those Conservative tax cuts wisely. They’ll spend them on beer and popcorn, instead of saving up for health care user fees. An economy can’t run on beer and popcorn alone, so better to save people money by paying for the things they need, so they can spend what they have on the things they want.

The NDP would spend money on what people need: health care, the environment, and housing. The NDP thinks long term. Environmental policies, for example, may in fact hurt business’s profits this year, but they may allow those businesses to exist years from now, by forcing them to change.

The national child-care program, which Stephen Harper would replace with a paltry $1200 a year, could do wonders for the economy. As much as I think the best place to raise a child is in his or her own home, the economic reality is that parents (both parents) need to work to pay for the kid(s). If a national program can be created to allow parents to go back to work sooner, that would certainly help the old economic engine. $1200 a year doesn’t even pay for diapers.

The Liberals make a big deal of their debt-reduction, but really, the fear of debt is unfounded. Now, I’m no economist, but I get by in my little economy of one. I am in debt, but it isn’t hurting me. I could be spending an extra $400 a month on stuff, spurring the economy and so forth, but all in all, being in debt is not so bad, and considering my debt has paid for two degrees, which allows me to teach and write books, I would say it was a good investment.

The NDP supports these sorts of things. While they may not be strong enough yet to form the government, a seat near the front of the table (as opposed to the back of the barn) would help force the hand (if not in terms of parliamentary confidence, at least in the court of public opinion) of the Conservatives and/or Liberals. Harper’s recent comments about Liberal checks, while perhaps unorthodox, speak to this ideal situation: a balance of ideas in government is the best way to give Canadians what they want.

As Jack Layton likes to say, the NDP are a positive choice. It is a fancy campaign slogan, but it is true. I have no problem with those voting Conservative or Liberal because those parties’ values are the ones they themselves espouse –only those who vote for one to punish the other. In Quebec, as I’ve said, for the sake of balance, the Bloc is better. Yes, that is a protest vote, but, until recently, there hasn’t been much of a race here. That has changed, and so, too, perhaps, should my thoughts on the matter. (Il y a seulement les fous qui ne changent pas d’idées.)

There you go. Delight has endorsed the orange and green (more after the election on why those colours are a bad idea), matched up with the moustache, leaned left, as it were. Good luck on Monday! Everyone vote!