Apparently this is the most important election since 1945, and I’m supposed to know who to vote for in a matter of days, because of course I didn’t get my act together in time to go to advance polling. Let’s just call this election what it is — a power grab for the Liberals who want a majority government, which, based on the most recent polls, isn’t looking too promising.
The winning party of this election will decide how to govern Canada through the rest of the COVID-19 pandemic, unless we never wake up from this nightmare and we make it down to the Z and Y variants. While upwards of 79 countries have postponed their elections due to the pandemic, Trudeau has called a snap election in the middle of the fourth wave of COVID-19, two years ahead of schedule. It’s a little problematic to me that the Liberals will worry about new vaccination passport mandates to help stop the spread of COVID-19, but will call for a massive federal election at the same time. If you develop any COVID-19 symptoms after September 14 (the deadline to register by mail), then no vote for you. Considering that the Liberal government called this snap election during the pandemic, you’d think that they’d also have the foresight to come up with a way you can vote without leaving your place of residence on election day.
I’m going to tell you right now that I have no idea who I’m voting for yet. This is all happening way too fast to be able to make an educated decision. This is an incredibly inconvenient time of year, especially for post-secondary students who are still getting their act together to go back to in-person classes for the first time in 18 months. We’re also supposed to stay on top of debates and candidate statements? I’ve always been a Green girl. I’ve voted for the Green party in every election since I was 18 because I have always aligned with their stances on important issues — the most important being the health of our home planet. However, it feels like I need to be more strategic with my vote for this election and vote for one of the two parties that actually stand a chance at becoming the majority (Liberals or Conservatives).
The decision to choose one of the two parties who could become a majority is not as black-and-white as I thought it would be. It’s not as simple as supporting the Liberals because they’re doing more to enforce a vaccinated country or giving my vote to the Conservatives because they have a tight plan to ensure Canada’s financial recovery. There are many grey areas that haven’t been adequately addressed in the debates, such as protecting reproductive rights, addressing systemic racism, and the affordability of post-secondary education.
It’s not about choosing a party that I agree with on all issues; it feels like it’s about choosing who I want to screw me over. At the end of the day, candidates can promise us anything and everything to win our vote without a ton of accountability once the campaign trail is over and your ballot is cast. Stay on top of your local MPs long after the election to keep whoever you are voting for accountable for their actions in the House of Commons. Yes, your vote counts here, but what equally matters is your voice following the election.
Don’t stop pushing for the issues that matter most to you. Maybe it’s keeping candidates accountable for lifting the drinking water advisories on the 33 Indigneous communities in Canada who still can’t drink their tap water, despite Trudeau promising in 2015 to lift all advisories by March 2021. Or maybe it’s keeping harm reduction measures readily accessible and decriminalizing the possession of personal substances, something the Tory government has long opposed and fought against in the past, even in the midst of an opioid crisis — and continues to oppose in this election.
We should take full advantage of this miniscule amount of power we each hold in the future of our country. Bring your ID and face mask to your local polling booth and vote using one of the 16 million miniature, single-use pencils Elections Canada ordered, whether your vote is strategic or simply based on a gut feeling.
Image: Elections Canada
Andrea Sadowski is working towards her BA in Global Development Studies, with a minor in anthropology and Mennonite studies. When she's not sitting in front of her computer, Andrea enjoys climbing mountains, sleeping outside, cooking delicious plant-based food, talking to animals, and dismantling the patriarchy.
