Voters in Powell River-Sunshine Coast can take small comfort in the fact they were the best of the worst on Tuesday night.
Voter turnout on Vancouver Island/Sunshine Coast was 55 per cent, tops in the province. One problem though - the provincial-wide turnout was a little over 52 per cent. The Interior/North turnout was 52 per cent and the Lower Mainland came in at a paltry 49 per cent.
In a time when economic stability, education and health care are all issues of concern you would think that people would care enough to get out to the polls and elect someone capable of addressing those concerns in Victoria, but when it comes to elections, B.C. has a less than stellar record. Here are a few examples to ponder in other elections: voter turnout in Italy, 92. 5 per cent, in Cambodia, 90.5 per cent, Australia, 84.4 per cent, Rwanda, 82 per cent, in federal elections in Canada the average is 68.4 per cent, and in B.C. for Tuesday's provincial election 52.4 per cent. That's pathetic.
Now I know what you are thinking, the countries listed above don't have the same political systems that we do, the same issues, the same governments, but the underlying fact is people in those countries seem to care about the political process and are not taking the right to vote for granted.
So why all the apathy? Is it because voters in this province have had to go to the polls three times in the past seven months with a federal election in October, municipal in November and now provincial in May? That's a plausible excuse, but it still doesn't wash.
On Wednesday night, the Sechelt Legion along with Sunshine Coast RCMP, area cadets and dignitaries held a consecration ceremony of UN and NATO flags. The ceremony is a tradition that dates back thousands of years that blesses the flags that leaders would use to lead their troops in to battle. There was also a remembrance for Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan. It was a stirring ceremony and made us think how lucky we are to have men and women in our military who have fought and died and continue to fight and die to afford us the freedom to vote. It's sad that so many in this province are too lazy or apathetic to vote and celebrate that freedom.
- Ian Jacques
