Canada votes today. At least we’re supposed to.
The sad reality is only 62.6% of eligible voters bothered to cast a vote in the last federal election, in 2021, according to Elections Canada. I’m rather certain that there’s significant overlap between the 37.4% who stayed home and folks who whine the loudest on social media.
So here’s the deal: please vote.
See what I did there? I said please, like a good Canadian.
This could very well be the most pivotal election in our country’s history. We face an existential threat to our future thanks to our neighbours to the south, and nothing short of all-hands participation in the process will ensure we have what it takes to push back against the orange-make-upped menace and assert our national sovereignty.
Even more significantly, countless Canadians fought and died for our right to vote. We tarnish their sacrifice by not doing our part.
If you’re a non-voter, please don’t try to excuse it away. It takes just as much time to come up with an excuse as it does to mark a ballot. Please don’t complain about long lines and paper-based election processes. If that’s your greatest hardship on a Monday, then you’re doing better than most.
Please also refrain from complaining about the candidates, the parties, the broken system, the whatever. The system isn’t broken. Canada isn’t a failed nation. A little adversity does not give us all a free pass to avoid being part of - and ensuring the continued health of - our democracy.
Engage. That’s it. Be a part of the process. Vote for whoever moves you: the only wrong decision is to not be a part of the process in the first place.
If you still, against all logic and empathy for your country and your fellow citizens, decide to stay away from the polls today, your silence for the remainder of the new government’s mandate clears the decks for those of us who took the time and made the effort.
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