Canadian citizens will exercise their right to vote as the federal election begins later this month.
Oct. 21 will mark the decisive day whether Justin Trudeau will remain as Prime Minister of Canada, or if the population will see a new candidate embark on their journey to lead Canada.
The Canadian government acts on behalf of the people and is elected to serve Canadians, as well as represent our interests.
However, according to a data collection (table 42) in an article on elections.ca, 40 per cent of Canadian citizens under 25 do not vote due to feeling distant from politics by age and not feeling represented or connected. Additionally, 34 per cent of citizens from the same demographic do not participate in voting because of a lack of information, understanding or knowledge about political parties.
Geoffrey Hale, a political science faculty member at the University of Lethbridge, attributed this to the fact that its post-secondary students often have the perception that their vote will not make a difference.
“Reasons for not turning out to vote generally focus on the notion that ‘my vote won’t make any difference’ (something that is probably true in single-party dominated ridings), that the candidate or party options aren’t that appealing to particular groups of voters, or that parties and candidates ‘are speaking to issues that interest them,’” said Hale.
The political scientist also mentioned political parties can reinforce this apathy by targeting their messages to groups seen as most likely to vote, or by engaging extensively in “negative campaigning,” which is sometimes shown to decrease turnout.
Hale encourages voting from post-secondary students as he believes if you do not vote, your decision to not have a say gives off the impression you’re comfortable with the current situation.
“Silence implies consent. Apathy invites politicians and their strategists to ignore you in favour of the squeaky wheels of our society or, more generally, in favour of people who do vote. Voting – whether to support the government, to change it, or to signal your dissatisfaction with how the system is being run by voting for a candidate or party that has no chance of winning – tells them you are paying attention and that they should pay attention to people like you,” said Hale.
Voting will allow students and citizens to play a part in their future and to dictate how their country should be run. There is no right or wrong way to vote. However, if the current generation continues to not care about who our country’s leader is, citizens within the post-secondary demographic will be living in the shadow of what the current millennials want in a government.
John Villanueva, a business accounting student at Lethbridge College, says he would rather be able to vote for someone who closely mimics his personal belief, rather than be appointed a leader he does not share beliefs with.
“The importance of voting is it dictates the state of the country. Would you rather live in one that you personally enjoy, or would you want to live in one decided for you?” said Villanueva.
The business student plans on voting as soon as the polls open to have his political stance heard.
Early polling will take place about a week before Oct. 21, at various locations around Lethbridge.
To find out what party matches your beliefs the best and to provide further information on local issues, head to votercompass.cbc.ca
