Last week Elections Canada released preliminary figures indicating that approximate 7.3 million Canadians voted in advanced polls, a 25 per cent increase from 2021. What that may signify in regard to the potential outcome of this election we will learn later tonight, but regardless of the outcome, the bigger the turnout, the better.
I say that because it’s good for democracy when voter turnout is high. This widely accepted belief is based on the understanding that when more people participate in an election it ensures that widest possible swath of society has had its say in the outcome and on how a country will be governed.
Of course it helps when voters are presented with a stark set of options to choose between.
This was not the case during the 2019 and 2021 elections. These lacked a major ballot box question to motivate people to break from their regular routines and cast their ballot. Voter turnout in those contests reflected that apathy with just 67 and 62.6 per cent respectively.
But the advanced polling numbers this time around suggest Canadians are aware that this election is a pivotal one with a clear choice to be made. That choice is likely going to be break down along two key issues:
The first, and the one which has been given the most media attention, is who can best deal with President Trump and the threat of tariffs.
The second but equally important, is who is best suited to correct the many domestic problems we are facing such as rampant crime, affordability, lack of housing, and immigration.
The Liberal Party is banking on the people's fears regarding Trump and his tariffs as the key issue, and are hoping to leverage Mark Carney’s resume as former governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England as its key to victory.
The Conservatives meanwhile have focused on solutions to address the many domestic problems Canada is facing as a result of the last ten years of Liberal governance.
They’re hoping that Canadians will look at the damning data of a ‘decade of decline’ and realize that re-electing the Liberals to a fourth term would only mean perpetuating the governmental approach that has brought about the decline.
There is no denying that both questions require serious consideration and hopefully Canadians will deliver a resounding answer.
Because that’s what we need right now. We need a government with an overwhelming mandate from the citizens of this country. A majority, awarded by a majority of Canadians: nothing else will do, regardless of whether it’s Liberal or Conservative.
If the Liberals secure that majority government then as much as it will perplex me, I’ll respect that outcome. Likewise if the Conservatives win, albeit with much less perplexation.
Neither outcome requires you to like it. In fact, if you’ve voted, then you’re free to complain at length, and passionately, about whichever party forms government until the next election and say “I told you so” whenever they fail.
But what we definitely do not need is a repeat of the 44th parliament where the fate and future of the country was wholly dependent on the political whims of the parties jockeying for power, or the security of their pensions.
Now is not the time for that nonsense, not with Trump, the tariffs and the myriad of aforementioned internal difficulties we are facing.
We need a stable government, and another minority would be the worst-case scenario for Canada as it would potentially serve to exacerbate all of the troubles we face. We’d be weak in the eyes of Trump and ineffective in terms of passing legislation in a timely manner. Neither is ideal.
But ultimately, we need the government to get on with the business of governing.
I get the feeling that the advance polls are a reflection that a majority of Canadians feel the same way. Hopefully millions more will express that sentiment once the polls open this morning resulting in one of the largest voter turnouts in our history.
The more that do, the clearer picture we will get of what kind of country Canada is or isn’t to be.
So be sure to get out and vote for the Canada you want to see.
