We all know that on the political spectrum, the more to the right people are, the more they value traditions, laws and an orderly society. On the other hand, people to the left intend to favour individuals’ liberty and freedoms. As a centre-left person, my points of view on social and economic issues can be very different from many people. 

Firstly, about environmental problems like global warming, acid rain or air pollution, I think that the government should encourage their citizens to come up with new ideas in order to solve this issue. Because our planet’s resources and many species of animals would not have been in such danger if the old-good-solutions worked! Obviously, new ways of dealing with these problems are important and needed. Secondly, social services such as healthcare and education should be provided by the government. Because society can only get better if its people are satisfied with their lives. For example, how can a bus driver stay focus on her job, when she has to be worried about things like who is going to take care of her children while she is working? Or how can she afford the health-care services if they are too expensive? Also, to be able to do such things, I agree with the idea that the government should tax more, especially on wealthy people. In my opinion, heavier taxes mean better public services for all, better public services improve quality of life and society. 

It is a good thing if the government encourages businesses. However, it is still more important that business activities are controlled by the government. Especially when the companies are involved in working with the environment and natural resources, they should be monitored in order to make sure that they follow the laws, are nature-friendly and will not cause any too serious harm to the environment. 

Left–wing political parties usually believe individuals’ rights to practice their freedoms, which I see as a good thing, especially when it comes to abortion. I remember reading a confession about a woman, who was poor and abused. She was pregnant at that time but she did not want the child. “How can I escape from this situation with a child?” she wondered, “and most importantly, how can I let my child have such a suffering life?”. So, she decided to do what she had to. A similar thing happened with a young girl, she was raped. Having to carry an unwanted child with the raper obviously made her upset, it made her feel self-hatred. So, she did what she had to. The question here is: if abortion was illegalized (which, in some countries it is), what could possibly happen to those women? They could have suffered from mental health problems, they could have died due to unsafe abortions, they could have killed themselves. Legalize abortion is a good way to respect each person’s rights and their decisions about what to do with their bodies.  

Since marriage has been a human right for all people, gay marriage should also be legalized. Rejecting someone’s the option to marry is a type of discrimination, which is unacceptable if we desire to create a community of equals. Military spending is also one of many concerns. Some people say that military spending should be increased in order to keep the nation safe. However, unlike the U.S, I do not think that it is necessary for Canada to spend more in this area. 

Moving on to criminals and crimes. Although I believe that each citizen’s rights should be reserved, it is important that the criminals are fully aware of the consequences and take responsibility for their actions, so that they will not break the laws again. It will be fine if the punishment is a bit harsher on them. For some crimes, I think capital punishment should also be an option. 

In conclusion, everyone’s opinions are usually different. This is just my personal perspective on some issues as a centre-left wing person. 

This was our first project in Social Studies 10. In a group of 2-4 people, we had to make a presentation that represented our views of Canadian identity like what symbols people usually think of when Canada is mentioned, or how do we perceive ourselves? And then discuss what issues the nation is facing and how do they affect our identity as Canadians. This project has helped me understand more about our significant colour, about how special we are and what has built up this unique country- a country that has a red maple in the centre of their flag, or a country with the beaver as their official symbol. At the same time, I became more aware of the issues our society is having. Major issues like regionalism, multiculturalism or French-English relations could be very controversial but they have helped to shape our identity as a country. For example, Canada’s well-known reputation of being very accepting of immigrants and their cultures makes our country a complete diverse place. During this project, I got to see lots of new information and facts that I had never known before. From them, I understood more about our beloved nation.