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Part III - What else do we need to know?

Hi everyone. This is the last part of the series, mainly meant for new voters. Feel free to skip it if you’ve voted in previous elections. It just touches on who’s registered to vote, finding local voting information, and accessibility options for people with disabilities.

I wrote this series to share on my personal social media, but decided to host it here so I didn’t have to worry about character limits or having links removed because they’re news sources. I do hope to continue writing, but I still haven’t decided what I really want to do with this account yet. Maybe book reviews, maybe politics stuff … IDK. We’ll see.

If you are a Canadian citizen who has voted in a previous federal election, you are probably already registered to vote. Elections Canada uses data from provinces and territories, as well as the Canada Revenue Agency [CRA] to create an elector’s lists for each riding. These are lists of every Canadian citizen who is of voting age, and are used at local poling stations. If you have not voted in a federal election, or have moved since the last election in 2021, you should register at election’s Canada’s website. Frequently asked questions about voter registration can be found here:
https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=vot&dir=faq&document=faqreg&lang=e

Most voters get a voter card in the mail shortly before the election. This card lists the people who are running to be the MP in your riding. It also tells you which polling station you can visit on election day and where any advanced polling stations are. If you don’t receive a voter card, or can’t read it, you can use election’s Canada’s voter information service. By typing your postal code into the search field, you can find out about your local candidates, poling stations, and more.
https://www.elections.ca/scripts/vis/FindED?L=e&PAGEID=20

Last but not least, here’s some info about accessibility options for voters with disabilities. Anyone who can’t travel to the polls can mail in their ballot, and if you’re in the hospital or a long-term care home, an elections Canada officer may visit you there. Anyone who is blind or visually impaired can access Braille or large print candidate lists, tactile voting templates, or ask someone you trust to fill out the ballot for you. More information on accessibility options can be found on CNIB’s website. The CNIB is also running virtual information sessions where people can learn more about accessible voting options.
https://www.cnib.ca/en/accessibility-federal-election?region=bc

Thank you to anyone who has read this series. If anyone has any questions, or if anything I’ve posted isn’t true or accurate, please let me know.

Part II - Why Vote?

As outlined in my first post, many Canadians from marginalized groups were excluded from voting until fairly recently. In Canada, voting is not just a right; it’s a responsibility and a privilege. As Canadians, our voting process is more inclusive and has fewer barriers than ever. There are multiple ways to vote; from mail-in ballots, to advanced voting, to tactile voting templates. Some jurisdictions even allow voting over the phone.

Despite this, voter turn-out has remained somewhat low throughout Canadian history. The data on voter turn-out has been unreliable until recently, but in general, only 55 to 70% of registered voters actually cast a ballot in Canada. The voter turn-out rate for the 2021 federal election was 62%, with only 46% of Canadians aged 18-24 casting a ballot.

I’m sure there are many reasons why our voter turn-out is this low. For some, barriers to voting may still exist. Some people may be unable to get to a poling station or have an elections officer visit them at a hospital, nursing home or other facility. Some people with disabilities may not realize voting is accessible. There are probably other reasons I am not thinking about as well.

But the main reason people don’t vote seems to be that they don’t think their vote will make a difference, so voting is not worth the effort. With over twenty-seven million people registered to vote in Canada in 343 ridings, I can see why they would think this. However, I believe every vote does count, and I have evidence to prove it.

In the 2024 BC provincial election, my local member of legislative assembly [MLA] won my riding by less than a hundred votes. Other ridings were much closer, including Kelowna Centre, and Surrey Guildford, where MLA Garry Begg won his seat by only 27 votes. While not every election has such close results, you never know how they will turn out. Right now, the polls are predicting the liberal party are slightly ahead of the conservatives. However, it’s worth noting that numbers vary between polls and some people are questioning the accuracy of polls in general. Given these facts, I think it’s safe to assume that this year’s federal election will be a close one.

It’s going to be a close election because Canadians are politically divided right now. The gap between the liberal and conservative supporters, and the political left and right, seems to be getting larger each day. I’ve noticed that people are still as friendly as ever when engaging in small talk, but a conversation about politics can quickly become a heated debate. There are people in my own family who have lost friends due to differences in political opinion. Right now I feel the election essentially comes down to Mark Kearney, our current prime minister and leader of the liberal party, and Pierre Polievre, leader of the conservative party. While the NDP and the Block do have their supporters, I highly doubt either party will get more than a handful of seats.

Whoever becomes our next prime minister will have to lead our country through an unstable time, nationally and globally. Nationally, problems include the ongoing trade war with the US, rising inflation, lack of affordable housing, high rates of crime and drug overdose, and climate change. Other countries are dealing with the same or similar issues, not to mention the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, and Israel and Palestine.

So who do we want leading our country through this time of crisis? Will Kearney’s experience as the governor of the bank of Canada and the bank of England give him the expertise to lead us? Do you think that Pierre Polievre’s commitment to cut taxes and lower government spending will strengthen Canada’s economy so we are better able to withstand the pressures of a trade war? Should we continue the corporate carbon tax to punish big polluters, or should we scrap the carbon tax all together to put more money in consumer’s and businesses pockets? Which party, and leader, will help fix the overwhelmed and understaffed health care system? Which party’s approach to crime is more effective?

I can’t answer any of those questions. To do that, you need to take the time to do your own research. Look up each party and its policies. Find out what each political party has promised to do if they win the election, and decide whether those promises mean anything. Find out who your local candidates are and meet them if you can. They will be representing you in parliament. If you want to and have the time, get involved with the political party that is the best fit for your values. Buy a party membership or volunteer if you’re able.

But most importantly, you’ve got to get out there and vote. Voting is the easiest, most effective way for your voice to be heard. Whether you care about politics or not, whether you want to get involved or not, I think every Canadian should have their say in deciding Canada’s next prime minister. We are experiencing a lot of conflict and economic instability right now, and whoever we select as our next prime minister will decide how Canada responds to it.

References
“Voter Turnout at Federal Elections and Referendums” https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=ele&dir=turn&document=index&lang=e
“Canada's Federal Electoral Districts” https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=cir/red/343list&document=index&lang=e
Event night reporting for 2024 BC provincial election https://electionsbcenr.blob.core.windows.net/electionsbcenr/Results_7097_GE-2024-10-19_Candidate.html
Canada Poll Tracker https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/poll-tracker/canada/
“What the polls might be missing in the 2025 federal election” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU8ko02-jxE
“Signs the polls may be WRONG” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pspTGmYSFTY

Part I - History of Voting and Voter Rights

During confederation in 1867, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia joined to create Canada. The rest of the provinces and territories joined Canada between 1870 and 1949. The provinces and territories, formerly British colonies, already had their own legislative assemblies and restrictions on who could vote. For example, in Ontario, only men aged 21 and over who owned property were allowed to vote in 1867 when Canada was formed. In 1885, the country finally created a universal set of rules for federal elections [before then each province had its own laws regarding who could vote in provincial and federal elections]. There were many groups who were excluded from voting at this time, including women, indigenous people, Asian-Canadians, and people with intellectual disabilities. Below is a brief summery of changes to voter’s rights. The document “A History of the Vote in Canada” provides extensive information about the electoral process and voter’s rights. There is so much information that this post barely scratches the surface.
• In 1876, the Indian Act was passed. Indigenous men were allowed to vote, but only if they gave up their Indian status and met the same requirements as other voters [were 21 or older and owned property].
• In 1898, a new law was passed preventing provinces from disqualifying potential voters based on socio-economic status. By this time, most provinces did not require voters to own property.
• During WWI, all men and women in the Armed Forces and relatives of soldiers temporarily got the right to vote. This meant that some women, indigenous people, Asian Canadians, and men under 21 had the right to vote for the first time.
• In 1918, women 21 and over were given the right to vote in federal elections.
• In 1934, Inuit people and indigenous people living on reserves were disqualified from voting, and were not allowed to vote again until 1950.
• In 1948, Asian-Canadians were given the right to vote.
• In 1960, indigenous men and women were finally given the right to vote, no strings attached. However, indigenous women who married a non-indigenous man lost their Indian status and were not allowed to participate in “political and social affairs”, including voting. These women would not be allowed to vote until 1985.
• In 1970, Canadians between the ages of 18-21 were given the right to vote .
• In 1993, people with intellectual disabilities were given the right to vote. It wasn’t until 2000 that elections Canada started making an effort to make voting more accessible, including providing information in large-print and Braille, and promoting a TTY service.
As you can see, many Canadians from marginalized groups were excluded from voting for most of Canada’s history. It took over a hundred years of legislative changes to make voting fair and inclusive.

References
“A History of the Vote in Canada” https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=his&document=toc&lang=e#toc100FullH
“Electoral Insight – Persons with Disabilities and Elections” https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=eim/issue10&document=p4&lang=e

On March 23, prime minister Mark Kearney called a Canadian federal election. Politics has been something I've been passionate about for a long time. When I was twelve I once stayed up until past midnight to find out election results. I have also volunteered for political parties in the past and been involved in student government in school.
As a young person who cares about politics, I find it disappointing that over half of Canadians in my age group didn't vote in the last federal election, and less vote in provincial elections. So I've decided to create a three part series about voting, and why I feel everyone who's able should head to the polls on April 28th. I plan to post the series between Wednesday and Friday and hope to stick to that schedule.
Thank you for reading, and have a great day.

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