(The following article is from the September 16-30, 2008, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133 Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)

     Those of us on the Left occasionally poke fun at our tendency to call each federal election "the most important in memory." In reality, while each electoral struggle is important, it often takes years or decades to grasp which campaigns truly marked crucial turning points. The 1935 defeat of R.B. Bennett's Conservatives comes to mind, or the 1988 "free trade election," which saw the Mulroney Tories win a majority even though most voters opposed their sellout of Canadian sovereignty.

     The October 14 election may be one such historic campaign, because the stakes have rarely been so high, and the time to tackle humanity's problems is so limited. It's no exaggeration to warn that giving the Harper Tories a majority could quickly take Canada too far down the wrong road to turn back.

     Consider some key issues. The full integration of Canada's military into the U.S. war machine has begun, even though nearly two-thirds of Canadians agree that the blood price for the military occupation of Afghanistan has been too high, and even more think a U.S.-led war against Iran would be a catastrophe. Or take the crisis of climate change. Despite overwhelming scientific proof that human economic activities are a key factor in global warming, the Harper Tories stubbornly insist that "what's good for Big Oil is good for the country." The Conservatives scrapped the first steps towards a national child care program, and they refuse to defend the Canada Health Act.

     On these and other important issues, the Conservatives are out of step with public opinion. Yet they could win a majority in Parliament with less than 40% of the popular vote. With such a tainted mandate, Harper could spend five years torching Canadian sovereignty, environmental action, and the social safety net. By 2012, Canada could be completely tied to an imperialist power whose most reactionary leaders are willing to destroy the planet to preserve their hegemony.

     It doesn't have to be that way. The Tories have vast piles of cash, but their policies stink to the skies. They should be hammered ruthlessly at every opportunity. October 14 will not be the end of the process, but it sets the stage in the next round of struggles for peace, jobs, democracy, social justice, and defence of the environment. Let's get to work!