Comments on: The tide of apathy

By: Bene Diction

Bene Diction — Fri, 25 Jun 2004 10:54:46 +0000

I think that it is the responsibility of the federal government to work on the have/have not perceptions.
The majority of the electorate lives in Ontario and Quebec.
It is a national sport to rail against Ottawa.
I think this election has shown us how small our thinking is. This country is too big to make a national election about personalities.
We know we are going to have a minority government. It’s up for grabs who the king makers will be. If I remember correctly we’ve had 8 minority federal governments. They’ve lasted under two years.
However this country choses to deal with the 21st century, demanding structural changes at the federal level isn’t going to be optional.

By: scott

scott — Thu, 24 Jun 2004 23:45:46 +0000

i totally agree with trish… as usual

By: robbymac

robbymac — Thu, 24 Jun 2004 18:57:49 +0000

It’s hard to get excited about making a difference in voting when Ontario & Quebec control the elections anyway — we sometimes even know who the winner is before the polls close out West.

Makes it hard not to get cynical about “democracy” in Canada when two provinces run the whole show.

But I’ll still vote, because I’ll have no right to bitch if I don’t participate in the process.

By: The Dane

The Dane — Thu, 24 Jun 2004 02:55:52 +0000

I don’t know what it’s like in Canada but in the US many of us don’t vote because our vote doesn’t really accomplish much. There’s only a dime’s worth of difference between the only two parties in American politics that have any chance of winning an election. We tend to feel that its just not worth the effort. Despite what all the political blogs would have you think, the nation won’t collapse OR experience untold prosperity whether Democrats or Republicans are “in charge” of America. Really, the only place where the individual’s vote can count in any way is in local politics. And people wonder why voters are apathetic. Democratic Republics aren’t the modern whizbang wonder they’re cracked up to be.

By: Hamster

Hamster — Thu, 24 Jun 2004 01:38:40 +0000

Hey Bene, they heard you! Advance poll numbers are way up!! (Either that or people are planning to be on vacation when the foolishness ends… oops sorry - I mean election day).

By: Mark Byron

Mark Byron — Tue, 22 Jun 2004 18:46:08 +0000

68%’s not bad, especially when we’re lucky to get 50% in the US. Some other countries, like Australia, fine people who don’t vote, so the deck might be stacked against North Americans.

You could also argue that it may be as much contentment as apathy; the next Canadian election won’t change government that much. The likely Conservative-BQ coalition will probably send some things down to the provincial level, but the core of the Canadian political and economic system will be largely unchanged.

By: Jan

Jan — Tue, 22 Jun 2004 13:42:52 +0000

And we have an election coming up downunder too. No date yet. It doesn’t have to be till April 2005, but my guess is sometime in spring this year. Political parties are already sniping at one another and accusing othrs of stealing their policies. Ho,hum!
Shalom,
Jan

By: Trish

Trish — Mon, 21 Jun 2004 21:06:36 +0000

I’m not voting. I’m fed up. I don’t believe my vote will make a difference. I’m sick and tired of voting for the lesser of two evils. I’m sick and tired of politicians who lie and also the media spin. I’m thankful that whoever gets in there will be a semblance of law and order in Canada. We have no anarchy. We have no military regime. But I don’t think voting really makes any difference anymore. I can’t trust what the movers and shakers say. I’m an agnostic Canadian citizen for the moment.

By: Sherm

Sherm — Mon, 21 Jun 2004 16:27:28 +0000

I have a plan - if we bought all the politicians “It’s all about me” t-shirts and they have to wear them election day do you think they will get the message? Probably not.
Or the T-shirt, “I may not be perfect but I am Canadian.” You’ve got the ‘not perfect’ part down pat candidates!
You are so right about voter apathy. In the long term…….yawn - nap time.

By: Darryl

Darryl — Mon, 21 Jun 2004 16:02:58 +0000

I’m disappointed with the rhetoric as well. I’ve already voted; just waiting for the results now.