Voting
is the most important way to make your voice heard on the issues
that concern you. Decisions
are made on your behalf every day, ranging from what is happening
in local schools and what recreational
facilities you have, to national issues
like healthcare and education, to global
issues like defence and the environment.
In many countries
around the world, including Canada, people have fought to gain the
right to vote. The
right of women to vote was obtained after 50 years of struggle.
But
having the right to vote is not enough. A strong and stable democracy
also relies on people using their votes. By voting, you can hold
your elected representatives accountable.
Voting is
central to the way in which our democracy works. Yet the federal
election in 2000 had the lowest turnout in 75 years. In Ontario,
the 2003 election had one of the lowest rates of any province with
just under 57% of eligible voters. "And turnout is often
worse amongst people who are poor, disadvantaged, and marginalized"
(Community Legal Education Ontario).
There has
been much talk about "voter apathy".
But we believe that the reasons for low rates of participation in
elections are more complicated than this. Research shows that people
do not vote for a number of reasons - including
lack of information, distrust of politicians and inconvenience.
This
site was created to provide information on the Issues
that matter most to our visitors.
Make
Your Vote Count!
By
voting, you participate in a process that determines who will represent
you, your family, and your neighbours in your community, your province
or territory, and your country.
Post
Election Analysis & Election Results
Women
Candidates - Results in Election 2004
Make
Your
Vote Count!
NB: External Links open in a New
Browser Window
Federal
Election 2004 / Élections fédérales 2004
Take
the Equality Rights Survey #5
View
Results from first 100 respondents 
(PDF)
View
Results from most recent Survey
(PDF)
Gender
Based Analysis of Policy Platforms
Voter
Education Campaigns
links
open in new window browser
Stop
Harper Campaign
JOIN
Sarah McLachlan, Chantal Kreviazuk, Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace),
Sum 41,
Avril Lavigne, Treble Charger, Sarah Harmer, Sarah Polley &
other prominent
Canadian artists in opposing Stephen Harper
Straight
Goods Election Section
Browse
the Straight Goods Election Section for the collected wisdom of
the
Canadian internet. You’ll find plenty of information, opinion,
guidance,
and even a few laughs
CSJ
- Vote for a Change.ca
A voter education campaign for peace
and justice
Canadians
for Equal Marriage (CEM)
A
campaign to ensure that MPs who support equal marriage legislation
are elected,
and that those who would deny lesbian and gay couples equality are
defeated
YourVoteCounts.ca
Who will speak up for ordinary working people? Ask yourself: do
the
Paul Martin Liberalsor the “new” Conservatives care about
me and my family?
Child
Care Advocacy Association of Canada
Provides practical and user friendly election tools; information
about
child care issues and our solutions to address the current crisis
Ontario
Coalition for Better Child Care (OCBCC) Election 2004 Kit
Includes
different tools you can use to make a difference
in this election including questions to ask candidates
CLC
- BetterChoice.ca
Spread
the word and one simple message: “The federal government
made
some bad choices. When you vote, you can make a better choice!”
PSAC
- The Rant Room
A
site that encourages its visitors to engage in a number of issues
- target audience is
young people & younger members of the Public Service Alliance
of Canada (PSAC)
EqualVoice.ca
A multi-partisan action committee devoted
to the still-bold idea
that more women must be elected to every level of government in
Canada
Vote
for Affordable Social Housing!
The Toronto Disaster Relief Committee (TDRC)
is working to make sure that
housing & homelessness issues are on the agenda throughout the
upcoming election
2004
Federal Election: CAW Woman to Woman Campaign
Campaign aims to engage and motivate
women to mobilize co-workers, friends,
family and other women to exercise a well informed choice on Election
Day
Canadian
Union of Postal Workers - Election 2004
Site outlines federal party positions on issues of interest to
workers in general and postal workers in particular
CUPE
- Vote for Public Services
CUPE
members are making their voices heard- and not just by voting
McGill
University Observatory on Media and Public Policy
This
university group is tracking and coding news coverage on the federal
election
in 7 daily newspapers to follow trends in election media coverage
and to gaugethe influence of the media on election results
Federation
of Canadian Municipalities (FCM)
The
Federation of Canadian Municipalities' federal election coverage
features the key issues
that the organization has been advocating in the election campaign,
including
a comparison
of party platforms in relation to urban issues
Download
the "Who Speaks for Us" postcard 
(PDF file - 1 page)
National
Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC)'s
election postcard campaign for funding of community groups
Votes
for Women - A Political Guidebook - 2nd edition
(PDF
file - 69 pages)
More women, in all their diversity, running for elected office!
That's the point of Votes for Women, a new guide produced
by the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women
Advisory
Council Recommendations For Electoral Reform
(PDF file)
The flaws of our current democratic
practices contribute to people's estrangement from politics.
Because many of the changes needed for women's equality require
political action, this
estrangement hurts women. The N.B. Advisory Council on the Status
of Women has
recommended changes to address this alienation, increase the number
of women political
candidates and improve the relationship between groups and government.
PlanetVote
- Canadian Election, Politics & Democracy
Comprehensive
election network & portal, with a focus on peace, environment
& social issues
Canadian
Federation of Students - Vote Education
Provides information to voters about
where the parties stand on the
key issues affecting Canada’s colleges and universities
CAUT:
Federal Election Strategy
Raising
awareness of post-secondary education issues and
building local and national alliances
Student
Vote 2004
A
nationwide educational initiative working to inspire the habit of
electoral and community participation among students across Canada
Screw
The Vote-- Planning to vote in the upcoming election?
Why bother?
Don't Vote ...It Doesn't Matter -- SCREW
THE VOTE is an hour-long special with
play host Jian Ghomeshi airing June 17th at 11:30 pm on CBC TV
Rush
the Vote
A
campaign to increase young voter turnout and political awareness
through music and education
Vote
Out Loud
Democracy
for the Young
Apathy
is Boring Project
Project
aims to use art, media and technology to encourage political
and community engagement of young citizens
Fair
Vote Canada
A
multi-partisan citizens’ nationwide campaign for voting system
reform
Campaign
in the Classroom
SO
VOTE
Campaign
that reminds people that elections at all levels of government
can directly affect the things that matter most to them
Affordable
Housing Now - Federal Election Housing Toolkit (PDF
file - 4 pages)
Canadian
Housing and Renewal Association has put together a toolkit
to help you bring the affordable housing message to your local candidates
CSRL
- Political Parties and Elections in Canada/
Les partis politiques et les élections au Canada
A
huge collection of links to anything you want to know pertaining
to Election 2004
Council
of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) Election 2004
Includes Election Monitor, various Party's
responses to CCD's election issues etc
SPARC BC Canada Votes 2004
Provides information on key issues important
to British Columbia citizens
Canada
Votes 2004
Providing Canadian voters with the
opportunity to learn their
candidates position on a wide range of issues of importance to Canadians
Planned
Parenthood Federation of Canada (PPFC) Election 2004
Suggested
Questions for Candidates in the Upcoming Federal Election
Canadian
Centre for Policy Alternatives Election 2004
"Can they pay for what they say? A pre-election
comparison of the Conservative, Liberal, and New Democratic platforms"
Download the PDF file
(PDF) ||
Read the news release
Young
Women Vote 2004
A
campaign to get 20,000 young women to pledge to vote
1,525
Signatures
as at June 28, 2004
Dear
Stephen Harper, Women Demand Better
A non-partisan coalition
dedicated to bringing awareness to Canadians
of any potential threats to women's reproductive rights.
YWCA
Edmonton - One Woman One Vote
A
non-partisan initiative encouraging women to vote
BCCWC:
Women's Votes Count! Canadian Federal Election 2004
BC
Coalition of Women's Centres election site includes Voting Information
on how to register,
what happens on voting day, why it's important for you to vote,
& links to Election Issues
Canadian
Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS) Election Questions
Cybersolidaires:
Élections Canada 2004
Promote
the Vote - Women's Equality Is A Must!
The Coalition for Women's Equality (CWE) is comprised of representatives
from
NAWL, FAFIA, Womenspace, CRIAW, MediaWatch, YWCA, FFQ, NAC, NOIVMWC
DAWN
Canada - Vote for Women's Equality Rights
A
Voter Education & Awareness Campaign featuring key
issues important to Women
Our
aim is to move a critical national problem of Women's
inequality onto the
front burner of Canadian politics and public discourse
DAWN
Ontario's Issues-based Voter Education & Awareness Campaign
Election 2004 - Participate in the Process - Make Your Vote Count!
A
Voter Education and Awareness Campaign for Equality Rights in
Canada
...
Our
aim is to move a critical national problem
of inequality onto the front burner of Canadian politics
and public discourse - within the time frame of the June
28 2004 election and beyond ...
This site was created to share the knowledge, develop the tools,
and build the momentum for a
sustained campaign of popular education and grass-roots adv.
Elections
Canada
Provides information on how to get on
the voter's list, Canada's election laws
and detailed riding-by-riding results of the last general election
