Of the three major parties in Ontario, my political views coincide most closely with those of the NDP. I like the idea of more government funding for social services, despite the inevitable tax increase implication. I firmly believe that for society to advance as a whole, an equal opportunity must be provided to all citizens. The desired end result in this approach is to provide a more even distribution of wealth amongst the population.
In my eyes, the two areas requiring the most attention are health care and education. I believe the health care system is suffering greatly due to government cutbacks. Windsor in particular is more than 200 doctors short of the recommended quota for family physicians per capita. And yet, here we are, laying off doctors and health care professionals with years, and in many cases, decades of experience! Poor government decision-making leaves those in the medical profession with little incentive to remain in Canada. The never-ending waiting lists for critical surgeries, over-crowded emergency rooms and an overall degradation in patient care are among the most obvious effects of reductions in health care funding.
Similarly, although Canada ranks among the best in the world for education, as stated recently in the Windsor Star, I believe there remains vast room for improvement. I believe teachers are underpaid, and as a result, the profession fails to attract many highly qualified individuals who would find such a position otherwise desirable. Teaching in many circumstances, has become a last resort for those who didn't qualify for their chosen profession. University tuition costs continue to soar and students graduate further and further in debt. I don't necessarily think that we should go so far as say, Finland, who fully finances all of their citizens" education on top of pay allowances while attending school on a full-time basis. All tuition costs for foreign students are even covered by the Finnish Government! I am relieved, however, that education is more subsidized by the government in Canada than it is in the United States, where only the wealthy can afford to attend the best schools.
