We care

The election is over, but before moving on, a word of congratulation.

The exact numbers won’t be in for a while yet, but eligible voter turnout in this week’s federal election jumped significantly. Although new registrants have not yet been counted, about 68 per cent of registered voters arrived to mark a ballot.

Regardless of your feelings on the actual results of this election, those numbers should be a tremendous relief.

The numbers for the past two decades have been hovering around 60 per cent of eligible voters. With an estimated quarter of the population ineligible to vote, that means governments have been decided by about 45 per cent of Canadians.

In 2008, voter turnout dropped to 58.8 per cent. That was the lowest participation for a full election in Canada’s history.

Low voter turnout means voter apathy. It means those of us with the right and duty to vote don’t care enough and are not making enough of an effort to understand the system that creates the policies that keep this country moving. Voter apathy is a scary thing. It’s the death-knell of democracy.

When the people don’t care, corruption becomes easier. Corporate lobbyists can have their needs and wants met unchecked. A democracy without the will of its people is a slippery slope.

Whether we were born in this country or it is our chosen home, we live here because it is a democratic country. We can live safely here. When we want to see a change in government, we can make that happen peacefully.

This community is welcoming a tiny handful of people who can attest to the fact that this is something worth appreciating. Syria is a country lacking true democracy. Millions are risking their lives and losing their livelihoods to escape it. Canada fought for democracy here too, in battles and diplomatic meetings over a century old.

Distance in time and space can make us take democracy for granted. It’s easy to forget that Canada was once the colonial arm of a distant monarchy and not a member of the commonwealth. It’s easy to separate ourselves from those people who suffer under or escape from dictatorships and corrupt governments when we only know about those experiences through the news media.

So last week, when long lineups were reported and the advance polls reported a 70 per cent increase in turnout over last year, it was as if we had, along with our democracy, woken up. More Canadians turned up to cast a ballot than had in two decades. More people did what new Canadians know is not just a right but a duty of citizenship. They voted. The result was a jarring shift in the political landscape.

Now, of course, voting is not the only way to exercise democracy. Promises were made during the election, and it’s up to us to make sure they’re kept. Canadians have proven we are not an apathetic bunch. Let’s keep things going. Write letters. Participate in forums. Call your brand new MP and make sure your voice is heard. Let’s appreciate what we’ve got.

mihal@mihalzada.com