Strong voter turnout would send a clear message about Canada

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Recent federal elections have prompted somewhere between 61 and 69 per cent of eligible voters to cast a ballot nationally. But as a letter to the editor of the Citizen recently declared: “That is not good enough. We must aim for a voter turnout in excess of 90 per cent to demonstrate that we care about our country and that, no matter what party we support, we will do whatever it takes to uphold Canada’s sovereignty.”

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Ninety per cent? Not likely. No Canadian election has ever reached that level of public enthusiasm; the highest participation was 79.4 per cent in 1958. In the 2021 election, just 62.6 of electors voted nationally. All Ottawa ridings exceeded the national average that year, a tribute to how much this city cares about the country. Still, the letter writer’s challenge is worth mulling: a federal election is a powerful, collective method of showing we care about democracy.

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Even without Donald Trump, voting would be important in this election since the outcome will be a different prime minster from the one who led the country from 2015 to 2025. Having Trump to contend with means it’s even more vital that you think about who should lead us.

To that end, get involved now. Start researching the candidates in your riding and paying attention to their pronouncements. Think about how their promises could affect your life and your family both locally and nationally — but also think about whether they are realistic. Assess potential MPs, not just leaders, over the next five weeks: for character, integrity and backbone. Are they the type who will hold government to account (even if their own party is in power)? Will they fight, intelligently, for Canada? Do they have a solid plan for YOUR community?

At the Ottawa Citizen, our reporters are conscious of the need to relay facts and context without spin. Their cumulative experience, coupled with the fact their names are on their work, holds us to account. They don’t traffic in rumour or gossip. That’s a key difference from the information we often encounter on social media, which isn’t held to a robust editorial process. Assertions made there often are not checked for factual accuracy. Personal attacks slip in. Misinformation abounds. Be conscious of which sources you consult to learn about this (or any) election.

But wait — the Citizen runs opinion too, doesn’t it? Yes; this editorial is an opinion piece, aimed at persuading you to be an active participant in your democracy. But you’ll also see the Citizen publish opinions from informed people who hold a wide variety of political views. We hope a broad spectrum of argument will help you clarify your own thinking about the election. We’ll also ask the main Ottawa candidates themselves if they’d like to contribute to the debate with an op-ed article online. If they participate, you can see in their own words what they plan for your riding.

We want you to vote in this election, and to be informed when you do. We want you to defend the independence of Canada by marking your ballot. You have the power to send a message that you care about the country. And we’ll do whatever we can to help make it happen.

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