A change of political parties is not what we need. We need a change of leadership.
Over the past couple years, we've witnessed a Liberal scandal that has shown us the darker side of Canadian politics. With the Gomery report being released last week, what was at first mere accusations became fact. High-level Liberal officials, namely Jean Chretien, were personally blamed for a scandal that found several hundred million dollars of taxpayers money in the hands of a few crooked politicians and businessmen. Although our current PM, Paul Martin, was not blamed for the scandal, there are still questions regarding his involvement that need to be asked. Still, the Gomery report states that he is innocent and, pending further examination, I'll accept that.
Even with the sponsorship scandal entrenched in our memories, I would (I'm 16, can't vote yet) still vote for the Liberals. Why? I would still vote for the Liberals because there is no real alternative. Take a look.
NDP: Although I do think that Jack Layton is a great leader, the NDP is much to left wing for Canada.
Bloc: Since I'm not from Quebec and since I don't think that seperatism would work, the Bloc is not an option for most Canadians.
Conservatives: Stephen Harper is a disgrace to Canadian politics. He is not a natural leader and will never become a decent one. We can't have a PM who has no passion, can we?
Liberals: I bashed Harper and now I'll bash Paul Martin. Although he's a much better leader than Harper, Martin still isn't cut out for the job. Again, there's no passion with him.
The lack of alternatives is what is keeping the Liberals afloat right now. Although the Conservatives may lead in polls, the views of the Liberals is more Canadian than the borderline American platform that the Conservatives campaign on.
When the election does come, we'll probably see a close race...closer than the last one. I just hope that Canadians will be able to see past the sponsorship scandal and see past the faults of the Liberals. I hope they see that a Conservative parliament would be far from beneficiary for our country.
For all of you people above 18, take a look at your options (NDP, Conservative, Liberal) and you'll see that though they may have their problems, the Liberal Party of Canada is still the best choice for Canadians.