Start a conversation about the upcoming federal election, and chances are you'll hear one of the following phrases at some point:
But the parties are all the same anyway. But I don't even know who's running. But I don't like any of the candidates. But my vote doesn't matter anyway.
Despite – or perhaps because of – the state of the world right now, far too many Canadians aren't feeling the call to carry out the one single act that defines individual responsibility in a democracy. Marking your X on a paper ballot once every four years or so is a duty we should all take seriously.
If you're one of the people contemplating staying home on April 28, this message is for you.
Just vote.
So you think all the parties are the same? Well, you probably haven't been paying much attention if that's your excuse. Take the time to sit down and dig in to what each of the parties is promising. Look beyond the sound bites and social media slogans and figure out what each party stands for and whether it speaks to the issues that matter to you.
So you don't know who's running? Elections Canada makes it easy to find out. Just go to elections.ca and type in your postal code to find out who's running in your riding. And, wherever you live, chances are you have a local newspaper (including this one) who's doing the legwork for you and covering the campaign and the candidates.
So you don't like anyone who's running? Vote anyway. As a popular meme points out, voting isn't marriage; it's public transit. You're not looking for the political equivalent of a soulmate who can fulfil your every desire. You're just looking for the best way to get where you want to be, and you need to catch the bus that takes you closest to that destination.
As for your vote not mattering? Well, the more Canadians who use that as an excuse to stay home, the less our election results will reflect what people actually want. You can't just stay home on election day because your vote "doesn't matter" and then complain for the next four years about how the system doesn't work.
So get on it. Figure out where you want Canada to go, and decide who's the most likely to get us there.
Then get to the polls – on April 28 or in advance – and do your part to make it happen.
