Living in the Future

Tag: policy

Proposition 12: Trans Pronoun Rights
This question makes me feel a lot of things. For one, it’s the only question on trans rights in this vote compass, and I think that protections for LGBT people should continue to increase until they are as safe and protected in their everyday lives as straight and cis people.
For another, I think respect for the people who live in our midst is extremely important, and one sign of that respect is something as simple as referring to people by the names and pronouns they choose.
You’ll notice, though, that I actually somewhat disagree with the idea of making it illegal to refer to somebody by a gender pronoun that is different from what they would prefer. I’m not sure how well researched this is, but I suspect that most trans people don’t want people who disrespect them and refuse to acknowledge their preferred gender to be charged with a crime.
While immensely disrespectful, this act probably shouldn’t be a crime, and there are already laws in place which do protect trans individuals from discrimination because they feel their gender was mis-assigned at birth.
I would be very curious to hear if transgender people (especially those who have been deliberately and repeatedly misgendered) want criminal prosecution for those who commit these acts.
Summary: I think the phrasing of this question is flawed in trying to advocate for increased protections for the human rights of trans people, because fixing discrimination is simpler than convicting them of crimes for being rude and disrespectful in their speech.
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Proposition 11: Equalization Payments
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Proposition 13: Corporate Taxes
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October 14, 2019
Proposition 11: Equalization Payments
I’ve always been an egalitarian at heart, in that I think that as long as everybody has enough to go around, people should be able to share their wealth without really thinking too hard about it.
I don’t expect provinces who have more to bankrupt themselves in order to pay other provinces, but the whole point of the equalization payments are that some provinces happen to have a lot of natural resources which are valuable, while others don’t.
The only question that this proposition leaves me is how much equalization payments actually are currently, information which isn’t given in the question. Another piece of info that’s missing from the question is what these equalization payments actually go towards, which is pretty important context I think a lot of people lack when thinking about these payments and their importance to the provinces which receive them.
Provinces like Alberta with their oil and gas deposits aren’t wealthier because of their wild business savvy and economic acumen, it’s because of those resources that Alberta is richer, and I believe Canada and Canadians should have access to that richness too.
Summary: There’s a lot of info missing about the amounts of equalization payments going to provinces, and what this money is actually used for. This would be very helpful to put the question in context, and to decide whether voters in a given province think they should continue (and increase or decrease).
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Proposition 10: Quebec Separatism (2)
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Proposition 12: Trans Pronoun Rights
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October 14, 2019
Proposition 10: Quebec Separatism (2)
Since I’m not particularly interested in the nuances of provinces joining and leaving Canada, this question is effectively the same as Proposition 6 for me, except that it doesn’t take any kind of slant.
I have no opinion about whether Quebec should separate from the rest of Canada, except that I think it’s kind of silly to want that. But then again, I think United Nations could formalize and create one whole world government holding each nation accountable for the things they do and the people inside their borders.
Summary: This question is fine, nothing unambiguous about it, but it doesn’t mean I have to have an opinion on it.
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Proposition 9: Reconciliation
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Proposition 11: Equalization Payments
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October 14, 2019
Proposition 9: Reconciliation
This question is pretty subjective, as probably amounts to virtue signalling in its responses, since the question “How much does the government currently do to make amends for past treatment of Indigenous peoples in Canada?” would likely have wildly different answers depending on who you ask.
In addition to the ambiguity of the question itself depending on your perspective, many people would say that Indigenous peoples in Canada are *still* being treated in a way that we will be ashamed of looking back from the future.
Summary: To put it simply, as a progressive who’s family/ancestry came to Canada, there is no real answer to this question besides “Much more”, even if this is a question that doesn’t really give any information.
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Proposition 8: Climate Change
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Proposition 10: Quebec Separatism (2)
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October 14, 2019
Proposition 8: Climate Change
Oh boy this question is a dooooooozy for me. Watching the adults in the room lately completely bungle what’s necessary and good for our planet for the sake of the economy and ‘good’ politics makes me very upset, to say the least. The science on climate change is quite clear at the moment, and building a pipeline is maybe even worse right now than selling weapons to oppressive regimes, in terms of overall harm to the world and everyone on it.
Anybody who answers anything other than ‘much more’ to this question either has their head in the sand on climate change, or is actively disinterested in the consequences of our continued impact on the environment. Whether that is for politics, or their personal wealth, or any other reason, it’s not good enough, and we deserve political parties who are willing to step up and do what’s right for the world, politics be damned.
Summary: I hate this question only because it makes something political that shouldn’t be political. If the Earth becomes scorched, you’re going to suffer the consequences, and it doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor (but it will be far worse for the poor).
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Proposition 7: Unions
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Proposition 9: Reconciliation
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October 11, 2019
Proposition 7: Unions
As somebody who’s literally never been part of a union or been in a situation where one impacted me directly, information-wise I’m not really sure how much influence this question assumes unions have now. There are all kinds of small up to very large unions who have almost no sway or who control or influence everything about their industries.
The majority of the work unions do, as I understand it, is to protect their individual members from being taken advantage of by more powerful ownership. In that sense, standing up for the little guy, I don’t see how a union becoming ‘too influential’ is even possible, because at that point they’d basically have to be running the organization itself, and then you’d need a union within the union, right?
In any case, unions seem like a good thing, so I’m not even sure how limiting their influence through policy would work. Maybe I’m just naive, in which case I really hope somebody can fill me in.
Summary: This question assumes knowledge of unions that I don’t have, and I don’t know what laws exist that would limit the influence of unions, but I think that they’re very important and nobody who wants to be part of or form a union should be stopped for it by company ownership.
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Proposition 6: Quebec Separatism
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Proposition 8: Climate Change
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October 11, 2019
Proposition 6: Quebec Separatism
Oooh, another question I like (in that it’s basically a yes/no)! I mean, to be honest, I think it would be silly for Quebec to separate from Canada (is that what ‘formally recognized as a nation’ means), but if they really want to do that, I don’t personally have a good reason not to let them.
I’m not going to dwell too long on this question, because it comes down to the will of Quebec (and like a woman’s right to choose, I don’t think I really have any say in the matter).
Summary: This question is fine, I think. Quebec should be allowed to separate, even if the rest of Canada (like me) doesn’t necessarily think it’s a good idea for them.
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Proposition 5: Basic Income
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Proposition 7: Unions
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October 11, 2019
Proposition 5: Basic Income
I’ve been extremely vocal about my support for a basic income program in Canada. This question is quite straightforward, but I think it takes a certain (liberal) leap in thinking compared to how most people view this policy proposal. Most people hear about basic income and think about homeless people or ‘freeloaders’ on the system who will end up costing the country money.
However, those same people will also complain about having to work 40 hours a week, or liberally use sick leave, EI, or pension in their careers/retirement, but not think about it the same way as with others. They see themselves as complex beings who deserve a break, but the homeless person who can’t get a job due to mental illness or not being able to afford a shower at the YMCA made too many mistakes in their life.
I think giving each Canadian enough to ultimately bring them out of poverty, by charging what would be considered a very high relative tax rate, is a great way to let the most successful of us (read: the lucky ones) support those who haven’t had as many breaks in life. Nobody is suggesting billionaires need to live life poor, they will still be billionaires (just slightly less so).
Summary: This question is quite straightforward, I think because it doesn’t rely on context or knowledge of the current plan in place (because there is none!). It’s a broad question about a proposal that some parties want to have in place, and lets people answer as they will.
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Proposition 4: Health Care
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Proposition 6: Quebec Separatism
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October 10, 2019
Proposition 4: Health Care
This question is REALLY tough for me, mostly because it exposes some flaws in my understanding of how these systems are run. My understanding is the health care is currently administered on a provincial level, and most of my basic procedures and medical appointments are paid for by OHIP (the Ontario Health Insurance Plan). This is a public sector system, but private companies can handle all kinds of procedures which are then billed to OHIP.
I think the balance between private and public that we have in Ontario is pretty good, so I thought that things should pretty much stay the way they are (I certainly wouldn’t advocate for more private health care). I will say clearly that I’m also very ignorant of these things though, other then hearing about proposals for national drug coverage (Pharmacare), which I’m also fully in support of. This question/answer didn’t really help me at all, because it doesn’t give you any information about how much the federal government determines these things, and how much the private sector is actually involved in health care in Canada.
Summary: This is not the worst question, but with no context or information, I find it really hard to come to any conclusion other than to say I’m happy with how things are in Ontario, and we have some balance of private/public health care.
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Proposition 3: Child Care
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Proposition 5: Basic Income
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October 10, 2019
Proposition 3: Child Care
This particular question is framed poorly in that given the way I feel, it presents the participant with a flawed premise. The way I read it, it’s asking whether I think the money that currently goes to parents (the Canada Child Benefit?) should instead go to child care centres to let parents who want to work the flexibility to do so.
However, my particular opinion is that the Canada Child Benefit is great, but having the government subsidize child care in addition would really benefit parents too, especially those who might not be able to afford child care otherwise (it’s HECKA expensive).
Answering ‘disagree’, like I did, could reasonably be interpreted as meaning that I think money should continue to be given directly to parents instead of going to child care centres. But in my case, I don’t think it should be a ‘one or the other’, I think parents should have affordable ways to make sure their kids are in a safe and engaging atmosphere during the day if they want to work (until kids go to school).
I find that with a lot of these questions, with the way they’re phrased, the most ‘extreme’ positions aren’t addressed at all, or the problem space the question addresses can’t be answered with a one-dimensional ‘agree/disagree’ scale.
Summary: I support the ability for parents to receive cash each month to help raise their kids (dependent on income), AND the ability to access subsidized (affordable) child care if they need or want it. Not everybody has other options.
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Proposition 2: Handguns
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Proposition 4: Private Health Care
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October 10, 2019