Election day is here. While apathy may have set in with our 4th election in 7 years, I'm still doing my best to try and instill the habit of voting in my sons.
Zacharie has been “lucky,” if you will. With so many minority governments in succession, he's been to the ballot box more than I ever did when I grew up.
I became politically aware in the late 70s, the era of Trudeaumania. Ask me the worst day of my life and I'll tell you of a day in May 1980 when I went to bed crying, terrified I would wake up the next morning and my grandparents would live in a foreign country. The political process has stuck with me ever since, and I'm trying to do the same for my sons.
When I went to the advance polls last week, I didnt have a voters card (we've just recently moved to Alberta). I just brought some picture ID with a bill that had my name and address. They wrote my name down on the voter registry, I filled out a form and swore that I was a Canadian citizen and wouldnt vote anywhere else.
That’s it.
I just said “Yeah, I’m legal” and I was good to go. 

No background check, no fingerprint. I just said “I want to vote” and they let me.
Isn't Canada awesome?
Living in Calgary means my riding is a “guarantee” for the Conservatives. My MP attended only a portion of one of the candidate forums. There are very few lawn signs in the riding jostling for views. In nearly 40 years only Conservative or Reform candidates have won in Calgary (which puzzles me because our Mayor, Naheed Nenshi, was elected on a common sense approach that featured none of the "talking points" type approach coming from Ottawa).
My vote likely “won’t matter,” the incumbent will win whether I offer him support or oppose him - but still I crossed my X on the paper next to my candidate of choice. I brought my sons with me to, once again, create the habit in them that voting is something you “do” - like brushing your teeth.
It doesn't matter who you support, it matters that you're counted. So vote - and bring your kids with you.
"
Printer-friendly version