On October 19th the 42nd Canadian Federal General Election will be held, but what does that mean for you? It means that you can have your voice heard. Any Canadian citizen who is at least 18 years of age can cast their vote and make a difference in the election. In Canada the country is divided into 338 electoral districts, with representatives from each party trying to win your vote and get elected to a seat of National Parliament. If a party can win over half of the seats in the house, they become a majority government. If no party can do this, Canada will either have a minority government made up of the party with the most seats, or a coalition made up two parties with similar views. The leader of the governmental party is then sworn in as the Prime Minister.
Our last general election was on May 2nd 2011, and resulted with a majority Conservative government led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Elections Canada estimates that 58.5% of the country came out to vote that day, but that only 38.8% of people aged 18-25 voted. Being 17 at the time I was able to, so I went with a friend and it only took around 10 minutes. To me that seems like a small price to pay to have a say in something this important.
In Canada this election we have five major parties: The Conservative Party led by the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, the New Democratic Party led by Thomas Mulcair, the Liberal Party led by Justin Trudeau, the Green Party led by Elizabeth May, and the Bloc Quebecois led by Gilles Duceppe. The first four parties operate nationwide while the Bloc Quebecois are a separatist party operating entirely in Quebec.
This year the Canadian dollar has seen a drastic decrease in value, and is valued at $0.75 USD at the time of this writing. On Thursday the 24th of September the dollar hit an 11 year low before slightly rebounding. Canada’s economy has also been in a period of decrease during the first half of 2015, meaning we are in a recession. Job growth has slowed, as well as general import and export totals. Expectations for the third quarter of 2015 are positive though, with many institutions predicting a rise out of recession.
The Conservative party does not believe we are in a recession. Their economic stance this election is that the economy is uncertain, but that Canadians need to trust them moving forward. This includes their reduced corporate tax rates and changes to Old Age Security benefit eligibility. They are also still committed to many controversial issues: the military mission against ISIL, the construction of the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline, and anti-terrorism Bill C-51. Socially they have promised to increase health funding to provinces starting in 2017. Waterloo is currently a Conservative riding, with Peter Braid running for re-election
The New Democratic Party, or NDP, is vocal about helping the middle class. They are committed to lowering child care costs, not raising personal income taxes, raising taxes on big business, and cancelling income splitting which only benefits the wealthiest 15% of Canadians. They want to end the bombing campaign in the Middle East, opting for a humanitarian aid campaign, repealing Bill C-51, and would oppose the Northern Gateway pipeline. Other promises include decriminalizing marijuana, balancing the budget immediately, and restoring health care increases. Diane Freeman, a University of Waterloo Engineering graduate, will be running for the NDP in Waterloo.
The Liberals have promised not to balance the budget immediately, choosing instead to run modest deficits to allow for mass investment in infrastructure. They have also promised tax breaks of up to 20.5% to the middle class, higher taxes for the wealthiest Canadians, and increased child benefits for families with below average income. Business taxes would not be affected. Legalizing marijuana for sale and taxation to increase federal revenue has also been promised. Similar to the NDP they would like to transition the military campaign in the Middle East to a humanitarian one, however the liberals supported Bill C-51 and have only promised to make amendments to it. Bardish Chagger is the Liberal candidate for Waterloo.
The Green Party is very environmentally focused, but do have platforms for every major issue. Of particular note is their plan to fully fund university education nationwide. They also wish the ban unpaid internships and boost trade apprentice programs. They have proposed a carbon pricing through a fee-and-dividend system and oppose the Northern Gateway. Economically they have promised to eliminate personal taxes on low incomes, reduce small business taxes, and raise corporate taxes. The Greens are represented by Richard Walsh in Waterloo.
As I mentioned before, voting is a relatively easy process (way easier than a work term report). You need to make sure that you’re voting in the correct riding, or electoral district. If you are registered to vote you will get a voter information time telling you where to vote and what riding you’re in. If you’re not registered you can register online or at a polling station. You then need to be able to prove your address. You can do this with government issued photo ID (your driver’s license), two pieces of ID with one address (your health card and student card), or by taking an oath in the presence of someone who knows you, lives in the riding, and has ID (you still need two pieces of ID). Then you just need to mark your X and your voice will be heard.
If you aren’t going to be voting in your home riding, say you’re away at school or something like that, you can participate in special ballot voting. This enables you to vote in your home riding from another riding. You still need to be able to prove your home address, and you must know the name of the candidate you wish to support, not just the party. Special ballot voting will be held in MC 2036, the SCH Laurel Room and SLC 106 from October 5th till 8th. On campus there will also be a local candidate debate and meet and greet on Monday October 5th from 1-4 pm in the SLC.
Leave a Reply