So we are to have an unnecessary election.

Didn’t we make our views clear enough in 2019? We didn’t give one of the parties a majority because we didn’t buy into any of their platforms sufficiently. So we elected a minority government. And it seems to be working well enough. The NDP have been reasonably co-operative and it hardly matters if the Conservatives haven’t. Furthermore, the polls indicate our views haven’t changed significantly: no party is approaching even 40 percent support of the electorate.

The next election was scheduled for 2023, soon enough. Until then we expected the Liberals (who formed the government even though they received fewer votes than the Conservatives—but that’s another story) to co-operate with other parties on legislation that would meet the approval of most Canadians. But Mr. Trudeau wants all the power, not just most of it. So we will dutifully slog off to the polling stations on September 20th to sate the prime minister’s ego. Even if the Liberals win, they won’t have the support of most Canadians but that clearly matters not a whit to them.

I am not enthusiastic about voting, simply because I cannot in good conscience vote for my party of first choice. That would be the NDP, but in my riding the NDP has no chance of winning. It’s either vote Liberal or simply concede to the Conservative. That I am not about to do. Such are the constraints of our undemocratic electoral system.

It’s not that I find the Liberal platform objectionable. Quite the contrary. I just find it difficult to vote for a party whose leader promised a better electoral system and then cynically betrayed his promise.

Ironic, isn’t it? Mr. Trudeau’s betrayal of his promise coerces me into voting for his party. And in an unnecessary election at that.

But I will do my duty. On September 20th I will drag myself to the polling booth and cast my vote. Reluctantly. One thing that would make it all worthwhile would be another Liberal minority government. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.