There is a federal election here in Canada on Monday, September 20, 2021. If you are a Canadian citizen, you can choose who you want to represent you in government by voting!
How do I know where to vote?
Go to the Elections Canada website and type in your postal code. It will tell you the voting location in your area and the hours it is open.
What do I need to bring with me?
Here is a list of accepted ID’s you could bring. If you received a voter card in the mail, bring it with you.
Wait! I have more questions about voting!
Here are answers to frequently asked questions about the voting process.
How do I know who to vote for?
This is a great question and for this you will need to do some research. You may want to read the websites of the different political parties to see what they promise to do if they are elected. Here is an excellent tool, called a Vote Compass, that will help you discover how your own views line up with the different political parties. You may be surprised with the results!
Many candidates go door-to-door to convince people to vote for them. If a candidate comes to your door, ask them about issues that are important to you. Do you wish the government would do things differently when it comes to immigration, housing, poverty, or any other issue? Ask the candidate at your door what they would do if elected. In a democratic election, the voter is the boss!
An important thing to remember is that you do not get to vote for the prime minister directly. Instead, you will vote only for who will represent your neighbourhood as your Member of Parliament. On the Elections Canada website, after you enter your postal code, you can click on the button that says “Who are the candidates in my electoral district?” This will give you a list of all the names that will be on the ballot on voting day. Try Googling their names and see what you can find out about them.
Final thoughts
Voting is important because it is how we decide who is in charge and who gets to make the laws. As voters, we need to take our responsibility seriously and learn about who we are voting for. When we put an ‘x’ next to someone’s name on the ballot, we give power to that person and the party they represent. And we trust they will use that power to make Canada a better place for everyone.
For more information about voting here are some great videos done by the Ethnocultural Council of Manitoba in various languages.