By Emily Stonehouse

In Minden, the Gull River weaves and winds throughout our downtown core. It’s what’s right in front of us. It’s what we see all the time. It tells us the seasons, the time of year, the weather. It contributes to our day-to-day well being. It pushes and pulls, gives and takes.

Right in front of us.

We can compare the Gull River to our member of parliament. For the past few years, Jamie Schmale has been right in front of us. We see him all the time, contributing (to some extent) to our day-to-day.

And as I watched Schmale dive into an all-candidates conversation with Liberal Nell Thomas, it was apparent that they were the figures chosen to represent our communities. The meeting was in Lindsay, and it was clear that Schmale has his ties to that neck of the woods, while Thomas is intrinsically interwoven into our community here. There are highs and lows to having such a large riding.

But they were right in front of us. The faces we will see on a regular basis for the next four years or more. I believe they both care, perhaps in different ways, about the well-being of their communities, their people.

But there’s more to it than that. As we sit with baited breath this time of year while the waters rise, we are reminded that the piece of the Gull that weaves and winds through Minden is only a miniscule part of the entirety of that watershed. What happens in varying pieces and portions of that snaking system has the ability to impact each and every one of us. Even if we can’t see it.

We need to remember that supporting Jamie Schmale is supporting Pierre Poilievre.

That supporting Nell Thomas is support for Mark Carney.

The pieces of the river that weave and wind on stages far past our corner of the world.

Thomas was adamant that a vote for Carney is not a vote for Trudeau. While they both flew the red flags, Carney carries a lifetime of economic experience, a dedication to the betterment of our country through housing initiatives, medical support, and environmental action. Above all, he sees a country that welcomes all, that includes all, that sees all, that respects all.

I am not sure the same can be said for Poilievre.

In fact, I know it can’t be. He’s voted against programs that help working families, such as ten dollar a day childcare, school food programs, and dental care for kids. He voted to ban abortions, to raise the retirement age, and will defund the CBC. He does not support the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and many individuals are fearful for their future with him at the helm.

So while we like the faces we see here, and they are diligently doing their parts to allow the voices of our community to be heard on a larger political stage, remember that they are part of a bigger river; a waterway of ebbs and flows, where every part plays a role in the day-to-day lives of Canadians, even if we don’t see them.

Every vote counts. Every voice matters. And your votes are bigger than a ballot for your community. They are a part of a weaving and winding system that pushes and pulls, gives and takes.

And if we’re not careful, what happens in other parts of the river could result in a flood for us.