Editorial: Don't take voting for granted
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Elections Canada reported that a historic number of Canadians turned up at advance polls to cast their ballots over the Easter weekend — a 25 per cent increase in early voting over 2021.
It is heartening in an era of waning civic engagement that a record 7.3 million voters took the time to stand and be counted. The showing was particularly strong in Quebec, where 1.5 million electors came out to polling stations ahead of time.
Let's hope it portends a healthy turnout for election day this Monday.
This is, after all, a consequential contest triggered amid unprecedented economic and existential turmoil for the country. U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and threats of annexation are upending Canada's relationship with its biggest trade partner, ally and friend — and shaking up the political landscape in the process.
But high stakes does not guarantee high participation. Even when facing stark choices, many voters have decided to sit out recent elections.
Last November's U.S. presidential race is an interesting example — although there is nuance.
The 2024 U.S. election had the 'second-largest total voter turnout in U.S. history in absolute terms,' according to an analysis by the Council on Foreign Relations, with 156 million Americans casting ballots. However, the participation rate of 63 per cent was actually lower than in 2020, when it hit 66 per cent.
The University of Florida's Election Lab showed that about 90 million Americans stayed home, or about 36 per cent of eligible voters. In fact, more of the electorate skipped voting than the number that cast a ballot for Trump or the number that voted for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
That's a big pool of non-voters, given the races for the presidency and control of Congress were determined by extremely slim margins.
Some breakdowns have suggested a significant chunk of those who declined to make their marks did so because they were disenchanted with the Biden White House's stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Some Jewish voters were upset that the Democrats weren't staunch enough in their backing of Israel, while some Muslim and Arab voters felt Harris wasn't strong enough in her concern for Palestinians.
This has echoes of 2016, when Hillary Clinton lost to Trump because a majority of the eligible voters who failed to turn up on election day were Democrats, including some who preferred Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the primaries. Trump emerged victorious, defying the predictions of pollsters.
In Canada, turnout can also make or break outcomes. In 2015, the participation rate was 68.3 per cent when the federal Liberals of Justin Trudeau won their first and only majority, in part due to a boost from a cohort of young electors. It was stronger than the 61.1 per cent of eligible voters who cast ballots in 2011 and the paltry 58.8 per cent who did in 2008.
But levels have been sliding ever since 2015. It slipped to 67 per cent in 2019 and 62.6 per cent in 2021 — both elections in which voters were deeply split, resulting in minority Liberal governments (although the pandemic may also have been a factor in 2021).
Election outcomes can, indeed, hinge on no-shows.
So Canadians thinking of abstaining — whether out of apathy, disillusionment or an assumption that the results are a foregone conclusion — may want to think twice.
There are no perfect candidates, platforms or policies. But voting is a sacred right and duty that must not be taken for granted, especially when democracy around the world is proving fragile.
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National Observer
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Carney says Middle East 'highly volatile' after US strikes Iran and calls for calm
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Carney said in his post that Iranian nuclear ambitions pose a threat to international security and reiterated Canada's position that Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. Carney cited a statement from G7 leaders coming out of the summit held in Alberta last week saying the solution to the Iranian crisis should involve a broader de-escalation of conflicts in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza. Addressing the nation from the White House after the strikes, US President Donald Trump asserted Iran's key nuclear sites were 'completely and fully obliterated.' There was no independent damage assessment. It was not clear whether the US would continue attacking Iran alongside its ally Israel, which has been engaged in a nine-day war with Iran. Israel also remains in conflict with Hamas, an ally of the Iranian regime. 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The Canadian Security Intelligence Service said in its 2024 annual report released last week that Iran is liable to use proxies to target perceived enemies living in foreign states — including Canada. "Iranian threat-related activities directed at Canada and its allies are likely to continue in 2025, and may increase depending on developments in the Middle East and the Iranian regime's own threat perceptions," the report reads. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2025.
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Canada News.Net
an hour ago
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"Canadians need to know that the bomb was placed in Canada": Canadian diplomat Bob Rae on Kanishka bombing
Dublin [Ireland], June 23 (ANI): On the 40th anniversary of the Kanishka bombing, Bob Rae, Canada's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, reflected on the painful legacy of the terror attack that killed 329 people aboard Air India Flight 182. Speaking from Cork, Ireland, where the plane's wreckage was recovered after being blown up mid-air on June 23, 1985, by the Canada-based Khalistani terrorist group Babbar Khalsa, Rae urged Canadians to acknowledge the truth behind the incident. '...Canadians need to be aware and know that what happened happened because people living in our country planned and plotted the placing of a bomb and the explosion of that bomb,' Rae said. 'As a Canadian, I feel so strongly that this act of terror must be etched deeply into the texture of the history of our country... It was not something that happened elsewhere; it was not something that was planned in another place; it was planned in our midst,' he added. Rae also praised Ireland's continued support for the victims' families. 'And finally, the lesson that we can learn is to appreciate the strength of the love that we share for each other, the generosity and the welcome that the people of Ireland have shown us over the last 40 years have been extraordinary....,' Canada's Permanent Representative to the UN said. India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar paid tribute as well, calling the bombing 'one of the worst acts of terrorism.' 'On the 40th anniversary of Air India 182 'Kanishka' bombing, we honour the memory of the 329 lives lost in one of the worst acts of terrorism. A stark reminder of why the world must show zero tolerance towards terrorism and violent extremism,' he said in a post on X. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, and Canadian Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree laid wreaths at the Ahakista Memorial in Cork, along with a delegation of Indian leaders. On June 23, 1985, Air India Flight 182 was blown up by the Canada-based Khalistani terrorist group Babbar Khalsa near Cork, resulting in the deaths of all 329 passengers on board. During the event, Mayor of the County of Cork, Councillor Joe Carroll, laid a wreath at the Ahakista Memorial in Cork. People in large numbers were present at the event to pay tribute to the victims of the Kanishka bombing. School students paid musical tribute to victims at the Ahakista Memorial in Cork. Speaking at the event, Irish PM Michael Martin said, 'Very honoured to be here in Ahakista this morning on this 40th anniversary of that terrible day in 1985 that saw the Air India flight cruelly and horrifically brought down off our coastline. It's always a privilege and honour to attend this sober commemoration and to witness the dignity, dedication and care with which you remember your loved ones who died so horrifically 40 years ago today.' '329 innocent people lost their lives over the skies of Ireland that morning, and the passing of time does not dim the scale of loss and this atrocity. We feel the enormity of your loss when we see the faces and read the stories on the memorial here, before us. Especially moving are these simple descriptions: student, child, so many young lives taken far too soon. While the scale of this horrific act is of global significance, we should never forget that it is an intensely personal tragedy. The loss and grief felt by you, the families and loved ones of the people who died that June morning in 1985 is deeply personal. One only needs to come here on any year and listen to you speak, witness you placing flowers into the sea or laying wreaths to understand how powerful that grief endures,' the Irish PM added. (ANI)
