Matt Page
Let's start with a little history, shall we? The first democracy in Canada, which is being allowed to vote for, in this case, a leader, happened in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1758. The Parliament Assembly of Nova Scotia, which consisted of twenty-two men from as far away as Britain, Germany and New England, met for the first time in a little wooden shack on the corners of Argyle and Buckingham Streets in Halifax on October 2, 1758 to talk about the land on which they lived and to answer questions on the before mentioned land. It was a major stepping stone for democracy even if it wasn't the best government as only males of British Heritage over the age of twenty-one could vote. But it was a start of what is now a flourishing government based on democracy.
Ah, traditions. They are many in the Canadian government, aren't they? For instance, voting for leaders such as the Prime Minister, Premiers, Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA's) and councillors. The councillors then in turn get together and vote for the Warden of the Municipality. A Warden is the leader of the councillors, running the meetings and representing the municipality at conferences. Another tradition is there are Federal elections every three years, or whenever there is a non-confidence vote.
The values of our democratic society include: Individual Rights - in other words the things such as life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness which no one can take from you; Liberty - being politically, economically and personally free; Common Good - working together for the welfare or benefit of the community or all; Justice - all people should be treated fairly, not favouring one group or person over the other; Equality - everyone being treated fairly no matter what their race, religion, gender, heritage or economic status; Diversity - all the differences not being made fun of as a weakness, but celebrated as a strength; Truth - the one thing that is extremely important in government, to me, is always being truthful because you don't want, say, your Prime Minister going out an dspouting lies; Popular Sovereignty - the power of the government comes from the people, the people are the ultimate power over the government; and finally, Patriotism - the people or citizens show the love and devotion of their country, put across as words or actions.
I think people should vote because it helps elect someone who will get the things you want done, done, and in the long run makes you more pleased with the government and on the larger scale a more happy person. That is assuming, of course, the person or party you voted for is elected. If that isn't the case then you have more of a right to complain over the government than someone who didn't vote, in my opinion. If you didn't vote then you didn't try to get what you wanted done so you made no impact whatsoever on the government so you have less right to complain than someone who at least tried to make a difference and get what they wanted to happen, done. So, if you vote it might get the issues you want taken care of, done.
That is my essay on the importance of voting, historic evolution, traditions and the values of our democratic society. I hope you enjoyed it, and maybe just learned something from it.