The polls are now open in all parts of Canada and the voting has begun.  In a few hours, we’ll know who is going to be running the country for next while.

Some people vote for the party regardless of who their local candidate is; others cast their vote based on the merits of the candidate; some vote for the person their family/friends are voting for; and some vote for the incumbent because they’re the incumbent.  There are probably people who vote for the first, last or nth person listed on the ballot or vote by closing their eyes and randomly picking someone. And some people spoil their ballot or refuse to accept it when they truly cannot decide how to cast their vote.

I met someone recently who told me they were voting for their NDP candidate because back in 1942 when the government was rounding up Japanese Canadians and putting them in concentration camps, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) — the pre-cursor to the NDP — was the only party to vote against Japanese Canadian internment. (The person is a Japanese Canadian who has served in Canada’s military and is very proud of this fact.) Clearly, a dark period in Canada’s history is still having an impact on the events of today.

Regardless of who you vote for, you should fulfill your responsibility as a Canadian and cast your vote. If you don’t know where to vote you should visit the Elections Canada website where you’ll find all the information you require.  If you don’t know who to vote for, there’s still time to visit the websites for the various parties and learn about what they stand for.

Remember, if you don’t vote, you can’t complain when the government does something you don’t like.