Speaking solely for myself, this federal election in Canada has proved to be a very searching time.

Let me preface with some background on this. I’ve voted in four federal elections since 1993. I did not vote in the 1988 election, which was held just shortly after I turned 18.

I was a member of the Reform Party for the 1993 election, but let it lapse and did not renew it for the 1997 election, despite still being a believer in Manning’s vision.

By the time of the 2000 election, the Reform Party had become the Canadian Alliance, and though I was not impressed to have lost Preston Manning, I still supported the party over the other ‘options’.

Thoroughly confused about who was who in the 2004 election, I still felt obligated to support the newly amalgamated Conservative Party of Canada with my fourth ‘right of centre’ federal vote.

Now with yet another leader change, and what I see as a watered down version of the Reform Party, the 2006 election would be the first time I openly consider spoiling my ballot. With no less than 61% of the popular vote going to a ‘conservative’ party in the Fraser Valley since 1997, I was beginning to believe that my ‘one vote’ would be of no consequence.

I know some of you (including the Sierra Club) would readily agree that the Conservative ‘environment platform’ is about as light as a helium filled balloon on a windy day. I too sense that is the current reality.

While I still support the social values held by the majority of the so-called Conservatives, I feel a great sadness watching Canadians take part in ruining the planet, and feel compelled to view this as disobeying our calling.

Moving from spoiling my ballot as a first choice, I decided that voting for the Green Party as a protest was a better option… however, at one point, there was no Green party candidate in my riding… which got me thinking this through some more.

Last week I attended an all candidates meeting in Abbotsford to see what the candidates had to say, and to see what issues were most important to people.

Tonight, Conservative candidate Ed Fast met with about 40 people in Abbotsford, a cross-section of the environmentally minded/engaged in our community. We pressed Ed for two hours on environmental issues. Climate change, GMO, fish-farming, water supply, natural resources, energy, agriculture, wildlife, wetlands… all these topics came up. I believe Ed was honest and forthcoming, and was humble enough to admit he doesn’t have all the answers.

To his credit, Ed was active in the fight against SE2 here in the Fraser Valley, and has since voiced support for the Kyoto/climate change issue within the Conservative ranks, despite many in his party who have little regard for it’s importance. (See here as well.)

I specifically asked Ed about the Conservative environmental platform, noting that it was indeed very light. I wanted to know how the Conservatives were going to develop a realistic game plan and deliver some results. I noted that in my own experience with the One-Tonne Challenge, awareness of the issue has been achieved, but with just beginning on the action phase, now is not the time to lose momentum.

What Ed did commit to, was to represent our concerns to Ottawa, not represent Ottawa to us. He is willing to be a strong environmental voice in Ottawa, and agreed to become educated on the issues as they are presented to him. He will make environmental concerns one of his ‘top three’ efforts while in parliament, if elected. He also supports proportional representation, as do I.

So where does this leave things?

I will say this:

On January 23rd, I will vote.

If you are a Canadian of voting age, I hope you will too.