November and December were busy months for me. Work made it seems like I had to be in three places at any one time and somehow I only had 3 days off in a four week period. Normally not a problem, but combining the work situation with a new girl friend, things got a little out of hand. In any case I was preoccupied enough that even my last election mishap didn’t get me thinking about how to go about voting in the federal election.

A few days before Christmas I went to visit my fellow EWB volunteer, Robin and happened to notice an official looking glossy brown envelope in her possession. So I ask ‘Gee Robin, what’s that shiny officially looking envelope all about’, wondering if another one of my friends has been invited dinner with the high commissioner without me. ‘Well Tom’, says Robin, ‘This envelope is just what I need to fulfil my civic duty as a Canadian citizen by voting in our federal election’. ‘Oh’, I say, ‘How do I get one of them purdy brown envelopes’, thinking I surely wouldn’t want to miss out on the wrenching decision between voting for the party I despise the least, one who’s values I like, but don’t feel is ‘quite ready for prime time’ or the party most likely to keep the dark side (for the political neophyte I speak of the Reform....ahh, er Canadian Alliance…I mean Conservative party and the ever so engaging Stephen Harper) out of power. As an aside can anyone think of a more boring, yet scary political leader?

In any case I really really wanted to vote. Of course the answer was to get in touch with Nancy, the chief Canadian in these parts (these parts being Tamale). Of course I forgot about it and next thing you know it is Christmas Eve…the last thing I want to do is call this lady up on Christmas Eve and ask her how to vote. So I tucked my head between my tail and headed out for a vacation in Mali. Knowing full well the double edge sword of forgetfulness and procrastination had caused me to shirk my civic responsibilities for a second time.

I returned from Mali a week before the election…I had left Ghana reading about a comfortable Liberal minority and possibly majority and returned to hear that the Conservatives were rounding the corner to a solid victory.

Well like all the other bleeding hearts volunteering in Ghana I couldn’t stand for it…so I headed to elections Canada’s home on the web and looked up how to vote….ahh easy after all I could even fax in the forms…if only I had know before I could have……aaarggg and grrr.

So I missed voting in another election, I do believe that every vote should count (yes a backhanded support for proportional representation), but at least in this case I could be well assured that even my vote couldn’t stop the Conservative landslide in my riding. Too many angry old folks up lining up to vote in good old Parksville for anyone near progressive to win.

Another disappointing election, another consolation prise…at least it wasn’t a majority! Let’s see the conservatives try to kill the Kyoto protocol with a minority in parliament!