Voting is a privilege, and one that we should never take for granted. The Canadian federal election is taking place on Monday, September 20th, so we’re diving into how to educate yourself and make an informed decision. 

So, let’s all put our adulting caps on and head to the polls on Monday, because we all deserve a say in the issues that matter to us!

How Do We Become Politically Engaged?

Honestly, it took us a while to get politically active and to figure out the issues we care about. Here’s a few tips we’ve learned on how to get started:

1.     Consult a Variety of Reputable News Sources

Ensure you’re getting unbiased information or at least rounding out your sources. Make sure you read beyond the headlines for all the context, take responsibility in fact-checking (Snopes.com is a great resource), diversify the outlets you consume, and recognize that biases exist in every news outlet. (Google the Media Bias Chart, or search outlets through Media Bias Factcheck. 

2.     Make a Voting Plan

Social-science experiments have found that people who come up with a specific plan to vote, including when and where they’ll vote, are way more likely to show up and cast a ballot. So come up with a plan and stay accountable. 

3.     Know Your Vote

Choosing which party you’re most aligned with can be tough. Most of us will agree with parts many parties stances across economic and social issues so figuring out how to vote comes down to examining each party’s platform and deciding which issues are the most important to you. Universal healthcare, increasing vs. decreasing taxes, childcare and environmentalism are crucial causes and will inform which party you align yourself with. 

For easy breakdowns and comparisons of each party’s platform check out federal election platforms online, like BNNBloomberg.ca.

Still not sure? Try online questionnaires. You can always find helpful tools and quizzes to simplify the decision-making process. Here are a couple to start with:  

·      https://votecompass.cbc.ca/canada

·      https://canada.isidewith.com/political-quiz

4.     How Does the Canadian Electoral System Work?

Canada uses a system to elect federal and provincial governments called first past the post, also known as single member plurality. So the country is split into electoral districts called constituencies or ridings.

Any Canadian citizen over 18 is allowed to vote for a candidate in the riding in which they reside. The candidate that receives the most votes goes on to represent their party and constituency in the Legislative Assembly House of Commons. Whichever party receives the most constituencies typically forms the government. 

The biggest thing to note is that most voters think they’re voting for the Prime Minister directly, which isn’t the case. So it’s important to educate yourself not only on the political party and its leader, but also on your local riding representative. 

5.     How Do We Vote?

Eligible Canadians should receive a voter information card in the mail prior to the election which tells you when and where to vote in-person and provides information about the accessibility of your polling station. Election Day is Monday, September 20th, and polls will be open for 12 hours.

Remember, you need to bring documentation that proves your identity and address to the polls, so come prepared! 

6.     Who Can We Vote For?

Go to elections.ca and enter your postal code to find your riding, your riding map, where you can vote and your list of candidates to choose from. Then you can visit each candidate's website to get more info on their individual and party platforms.

What are the Major Political Parties in Canada and What are their Platforms?

We’re going to give you a super skimmed version of the major 4 political parties, their platforms, and how they plan on tackling some key issues, like: economy, environment, social issues, and health care. 

Liberal Party

• Leader is Justin Trudeau 

Healthcare

• Hire 7,500 doctors and nurses and provide better care for long-term care patients.

• Work to hire 50,000 personal support workers and raise their wages to $25 an hour.

• Mandatory vaccines on planes, trains, and in the federal public service, support proof-of-vaccination credentials.

• Publicly accessible mental health care and address the opioid crisis

• 10 days of paid sick leave for federally regulated workers.

Economy:

• $10 a day childcare to make life affordable for families.

• A better Employment Insurance system to support gig workers and self-employed people

• Create minimum tax rule so everyone who earns enough to qualify for top bracket pays at least 15 per cent each year, removing ability to “artificially pay no tax through excessive use of deductions and credits”

• They’re going to commit to unlocking home ownership for the middle class and create 1.4 million new homes.

• Introduce tax-free First Home Savings Account, which allows Canadians under 40 to save up to $40,000 toward their first home with no requirement to repay it

• Ban new foreign home ownership for the next two years

Environmentalism  

• Cut pollution in heavy industry and make sure the oil and gas sector is net-zero by 2050.

• Boost clean and renewable power from coast to coast to coast.

• End plastic waste by 2030.

• Protecting more of our nature, including creating ten new National Parks.

Social Issues 

• Eliminate all clean long-term drinking water advisories.

• Action to confront systemic racism against Indigenous Peoples, especially in the justice system and health care.

• Launch an Indigenous Urban, Rural, and Northern Housing Strategy.

• A self-declared “proudly feminist government”. Protecting the rights of minorities in Canada, LGBTQ2 communities and the disabled.

Conservative Party

• Leader is Erin O’Toole 

Health Care

• A big focus on Mental Health with increased funding to provinces for mental health care.

• Provide incentives to employers to offer mental health coverage.

• Create a nation-wide, three-digit suicide prevention hotline.

Economy

• Wind down emergency COVID support programs in a responsible way as Canadians are vaccinated and the economy re-opens.

• Grow the economy and pledging to balance the budget over the next decade.

• Assist small businesses and provide incentives to invest in, rebuild, and start new businesses.

• Restore one million jobs lost due to the pandemic within a year.

Environment

• Enable Canadians to save money every time they fuel up through a low carbon savings account. These savings can go towards buying your first electric car or making your home greener.

• Make Canada a leader in zero emissions vehicles by building them in Canada, upgrading our electricity grid, and investing in new energy technologies like hydrogen-powered vehicles.

• Stand up to major polluters through carbon border tariffs that push major polluters like China to clean up their act

NDP

• Leader is Jagmeet Singh

Health Care

• Medicine for all with a universal pharmacare program - prescription drug coverage for everyone and drug coverage for rare diseases.

• Filling gaps in our public health care to cover dental, vision, mental health.

• Paid sick leave for workers.

• Confronting the opioid public health emergency.

• Better access to quality home care and long-term care.

• Removing barriers for persons living with disabilities.

• Security for all seniors.

Economy

• Affordable rent and 500,000 units of quality, affordable housing in the next ten years.

• 20 per cent tax on homes purchased by foreign buyers.

• Affordable post-secondary education for everyone (forgiving up to $20K in student debt, ending interest charges on student loans).

• Affordable, quality cell phone service and high-speed broadband for all - declaring that as an essential service with price caps.

• Universal $10/day childcare system.

• Supporting small businesses with wage and rent subsidies ad building Canadian industries across the country.

• An income tax hike of two points to 35 per cent for the highest bracket – currently $216,511 and above. 

Environmentalism

• Reduce Canada’s emissions by at least 50% from 2005 levels by 2030, and getting to net-zero by 2050.

• Changing how we get around with smarter community planning, high-frequency railway along the Quebec-Windsor corridor and expand rail service options in other regions.

• Investing in green infrastructure, local industries and small businesses.

Social Issues

• Advancing gender equity through pay equity, battling gender-based violence.

• Upholding LGBTQI2S+ rights.

• Confronting racism (dismantling extremist organizations, banning carding by the RCMP).

• Closing the education gap in indigenous communities and prioritizing clean water, employment, and healthy communities for the Indigenous population.

• Ending homelessness with better mental health, addiction support and affordable housing.

Green Party

• Leader is Annamie Paul  

Health Care:

• Expand public health care to include pharmacare, Include basic dental care in our national coverage.

• Create a national drug reduction strategy and develop more safe injection sites.

• Regulate the distribution of pharmaceuticals prescribed by doctors to track and prevent over-medication and prevent opioid addiction.

• Treat drug addiction as a public health issue, not a felony.

Economy:

• Establish a Guaranteed Livable Income.

• Implement a National Housing Strategy to provide every Canadian with a home.

• Create a culturally sensitive Housing First approach to provide immediate support for those experiencing chronic homelessness.

• Help small businesses by eliminating duplicative tax filings and red tape.

• Ensure all new legislation considers the impact on small businesses and hold taxation at no more than 9 per cent.

• Abolish tuition and cancel student debt that exceeds $10,000.

Environment:

• Slash greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent by 2030 and to zero by 2050.

• Invest in a Canadian Grid Strategy to deliver 100 per cent renewable electricity across Canada.

• Establish a federally funded Green Venture Capital Fund to support viable small local green business start-ups.

• Give incentives to Canadians to retrofit their homes and prompt our entrepreneurs to develop green technologies.

• Retrofit all buildings in Canada – residential, commercial and institutional, to high energy efficiency standards.

• Launch a massive tree-planting initiative.

• Reinvest in national and public transportation infrastructure to make it convenient, safe, comfortable and affordable.

• Increase federal funding for pedestrian, cycling and car-sharing infrastructure in towns and cities.

• Offer rebates for purchasing energy efficient vehicles, and within 10 years ban the purchase of new internal combustion engine vehicles.

Social Issues:

• Close the widening gap between rich and poor.

• Balance the flow of resources from South to North; lift the burden of debt on poor countries which prevents their development.

• Eradication of poverty and illiteracy, as an ethical, social, economic, and ecological imperative.

• End colonialism and oppression of Canada's indigenous peoples. 

Voting is habit-forming: Once a person votes in their first election, they will likely be a life-long voter. So get engaged, come prepared and have your voice heard this election. We’ll see you at the polls!