Imagine life prior to our democratic government. Before we elected our leaders they were merely appointed by the powers that be. And who were those powers? The unelected Monarch, i.e. the King or Queen. And you know how that King or Queen was chosen? Divine right. They were somehow superior to everyone else in such a way that they were “chosen” by God to lead us. The people that lead our country and governed all aspects of our lives were chosen, not elected, by another unelected person. Responsible government was virtually non-existent.
In the first election held in Canada, voter turnout was 73.1%. It has since fluctuated from the low 60’s to the high 70’s. In the last federal election, October 2008, voter turnout was a startling 58.8%. This number is so low that it is actually embarrassing.
The Fathers of Confederation worked extremely hard to bring us our democracy. Hundreds of thousands of people made sacrifices and worked very hard to achieve democracy in Canada. In fact, in other places in the world hundreds of millions of people, if not billions of people, have been killed fighting for democracy in their countries.
Canada already has a functioning democracy. We are not asking anyone to work hard or make sacrifices. We are not asking anyone to fight or die. All we are asking is that you take a few minutes out of your lives every year or so to vote.
In fact, we are not asked of very much in Canada. Follow the law, pay your taxes, fill out the census, and vote. Only three of those things are required. Following the law is a universal requirement everywhere in the world. Paying your taxes is also a universal requirement, and allows us access to necessary services. Filling out the census ensures that we get the right services. The last thing asked of Canadians is that we vote. It’s not required, and no one will ever be forced to vote. We are asked to vote because it is arguably the most important thing we as citizens could ever do because this voluntary civic duty is the controlling factor of the three required duties.
As previously mentioned, the duties of a Canadian citizen are not extreme. They are little more than a minor inconvenience. None of them take a very long time, and many are so ingrained in our day to day lives that we don’t even notice them anymore. The majority of us have no problem following the law, paying our taxes, or even filling out the census. Why do we have such a hard time voting. Especially considering all the social programs we receive as Canadians, such as healthcare, education, welfare, and police service. On a personal note, I would never be able to attend university if it weren’t for the Government subsidizing over 50% of it, and financing the remaining amount through both loans and grants.
If we don’t vote because we “don’t have time” or because our “vote doesn’t really count” we are insulting not just our history, but our future as well. As fewer and fewer people vote our government becomes less and less democratic. With each passing election as less people vote, we move closer and closer to our undemocratic past, and further away from the democratic future our ancestors worked so hard to achieve.
When you think about it, we have a municipal election every 4 years, a provincial election every 2-4 years, and a federal election every 2-4 years. If we can’t take the few minutes out of our lives to vote every year or so, then do we really deserve the social services we receive? Do we really deserve to be Canadian citizens?
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