Cornwall ON – Low voter turnout was the story of the 3 by Federal by-elections held Monday November 29th.
While the actual winning candidates may be what many of us in the media are talking about; it’s the voter turnout or lack thereof that is the story.
Canadians across the board seem less and less interested in using their Democratic rights and having their voices heard.
That leaves groups with agendas to get their candidates elected and change how we live in Canada from Municipal elections; provincial ones and of course in the Federal arena as well.
This is the biggest threat to our future as a country as once laws get passed it’s so hard to change them and as we’ve seen recently; even when passed in Parliament the Harper controlled Senate have no morals when it comes down to striking at policy forced through the minority government.
The question we have to ask is where have we all failed and why are so few people voting?
In Vaughan the turnout was 32.4 % of the voters. That’s horrible, but not as bad as Dauphin Swan River Marquette where only 26.4% of the voters bothered.
Winnipeg North hit 30.8 %.
The challenge for anyone that cares about Canada and cares about Democracy is to get people to vote, and to care about voting.
Is our country really that disillusioned about our government?
Yes. Everywhere you go, you here: my vote won’t do anything. The good ones won’t get in, and my vote will be wasted.
A variation on that is “they’re all the same, the good ones start off with good intentions, and then once elected they stop sharing and become part of the establishment.”
It says something that the riding with the lowest vote turnout was a rout by the Conservatives. The people who crave change are dispirited and disillusioned.
But they need to wake up and get out there and vote. That’s the only way things are ever going to change.
Don’t let Harper pull the wool over your eyes. There’s a reason Conservative starts with the word ‘Con’
I do not agree with blaming Harper or Harris or even Bob Rae so much. Many people are just fed up. Fed up with wait times, costs for electricty / gas, boondogles and fiascos.
Many people seem to have the attitude similar to ” its not my job”. Look around the next time you volunteer your time somewhere, it is always the same few who care that little bit extra.
We need to make it compulsary to vote and drill it into the school age children. Parents, it is your duty to vote yes, but instruct your kids on the importance. ( and please read a couple of headlines before marking the ballot)
Get rid of causus controlled voting and let the elected representative vote the way their constituants want them to vote, and you’ll have a great deal more interest in elections. Of course, the falling of the government would also have to eliminated on the outcome of the vote.