The next Canadian General Election is happening on October
19, 2015. Are you ready?
It’s not that difficult but it is important. First thing,
make sure you are registered to vote with Elections Canada. You can visit their
website or call them. (http://www.elections.ca/ or 1-800-463-6868) Because I had moved since the previous election and have
a wonky country address I had to call in. It didn’t take long at all.
We knew that we would be out of our riding at the time of
the election so my husband and I cast our vote in advance. There are a variety
of reasons that one can vote early. This was very simple. We just went to our
region’s Elections Canada office and filled out a short form and voted!
Are you registered now? Good! Now, whom to vote for…
There are a variety of quizzes that you can do online that
will try to tell you which party you might side with but I don’t really trust
any of them. The very popular “I Side With” site seemed to claim everyone
should vote Liberal regardless of your actual affiliations. CBC uses “Vote
Compass” which might be better but still that’s not the best way to decide whom
you will vote for. Everyone should do a little research. Find out what the
various parties core values are and try to get to know your local candidates. (You can find that list at Elections Canada or on the various party websites.)
There are many theories on how to vote. Different
strategies, be loyal to a party or decide based on the actual candidates… And
these methods can change depending on the current political climate. How you
choose to vote is your business.
I was going to provide a brief summary of some of the major
policies for the various parties but it looks like that’s not going to be as
easy as I had hoped. Pretty much all of their websites are terrible. Very
flashy and piles of information all over the place. You’ll have to wade through
on your own… Sorry.
Slogan: “Proven leadership for a strong Canada”
Slogan: "A Canada That Works. Together."
Slogan: "Real Change."
Slogan: "Ready for Change."
In case you’re a nerd like me and would like a better
understanding of how our voting system works, here is an interesting video
talking about “First Past the Post”:
Thankfully we haven't devolved into only two parties but for the longest time it seemed like we were. I keep hearing people say they will vote for a party they don't necessarily want to win but rather has the best chance of winning over a party they really don't want to see form the government. It's tricky.
Vote early and vote often! Just kidding. You only get one vote. Make it count.
