You have probably been hearing about the “Fair Elections Act” and the other changes made by the Harper Government to disenfranchise Canadians, disempower Elections Canada and undermine our right to vote. Last week the courts did not stop millions of Canadians from being denied the right to vote according to lawyer and rabble blogger, Priya Sarin. Raksha Vasudevan, a Canadian who is currently in Uganda, argued eloquently for the right of long term expatriates to vote. Unfortunately, the new rules in the “Fair Election Act 2014” still stand, and students, seniors living in retirement homes and nursing homes, people from First Nations communities living on reservations, and Canadians living abroad, all stand to be disenfranchised.
Communities across Canada will not take this lying down. Seniors, First Nations, and youth are organizing to vote and over the coming weeks the toolkit will post stories about their efforts and work to turn out the vote.
Find out if you are still in the same riding here and if you are registered to vote here.
Read more about the current rules governing elections on Election Canada’s Voter Information page.