pheloniusfriar | Elections in Canada

I just send the following to Elections Canada and thought I would share:

In discussing the matter with my friends, peers, and colleagues, it has come to my attention that virtually nobody knows about the fact that employers must provide 3 consecutive hours off on election day to allow for employees to vote. I literally had (polite) arguments with friends that this was the case where I had to direct them to the proper official websites before they agreed. Even then, they pointed out that they believed they would have difficulty convincing their employer to let them have the time, and therefore would not be voting for that reason! With voter turnout at an all-time low in the last election, and various statements by some in the party that formed the last government that low voter turnout is part of their election strategy, there is a growing sense among Canadians that voting is not a serious matter.

I was out of the country for the last election (although I did vote by mail), but have been back since 2009. Because of that, I did not have these sorts of conversations with my friends during the last election. I know it's late in the game, but some advertising from Elections Canada to Canadians about this aspect of the election laws would probably go a long way to get more voters out. The fact that employers can face jail time (up to 3 months) for preventing employees from voting or (up to 5 YEARS) for intimidating employees with respect to the election speaks to the critical importance legislators had once assigned to the very act of voting. It's sad that this knowledge has been lost in time to eligible voters and employers alike -- although I'm sure if most employers knew about the laws they would be careful to make accommodation (I believe most aren't aware either, especially with the growing number of small and medium sized employers in Canada versus the historic large employers). While Elections Canada is not the "guardian" of democracy in this country, and it's the government that should be educating people regarding the laws if they have been forgotten, it is the responsibility of Elections Canada to administer the election as independently as possible, and I think this lack of knowledge presents a serious impediment to the running of fair and representative elections in Canada now. Real concern is being expressed in the media and in conversation about the active attempts by the previous governing party to discourage people from going to the polls, and about the fact it is spending a lot of money to help that happen. Given that explicit strategy, there was never a desire on the part of the government to ensure Canadians knew their voting-related rights (one could call it a conflict of interest), so who is left to inform Canadians? I am earnestly hopeful that Elections Canada, in a purely educational non-partisan role (although it has come under attack by said-same party in the past for insisting that election laws be respected and those breaking them be held accountable), could step in to fill at least that informational role until effective democracy is not under direct attack by those in power in Canada. I know there's not a lot of time, but anything that could be done would make a huge difference in people's perceptions and possibly in voter turnout.