Stephen Garvey, Leader of Democratic Advancement Party of Canada (DAPC)

The Canadian electorate has a vital role in our democracy in ensuring that Canadians who best represent their constituencies and country get elected. A case can be made that the decline in Canadian democracy may be linked to voter apathy and disengagement, and thereby people getting elected who do not best represent the interests of Canadians and Canada. This is a downward cycle we must break.

Recently, I wrote an article on political opportunists and tribal politics, and how these two phenomenon are hurting the country through self-serving and/or party compliant representatives in the Canadian Parliament.

The flip side of political opportunists and tribal politics is voter disengagement and lack of involvement.

For example, there are some Canadians who vote strictly along party lines or strictly based on ethnicity or religious belief, or do not vote. The problem with these approaches is that they allow political opportunists to get elected.

For the sake of the constituencies and country, I hope the electorate in the upcoming federal election will make sure they know the person they are voting for.

• Research the candidates in terms of their background and motivation for politics.
• Find out how long the candidates have been with a party.
• Research all parties represented in your constituency (not just the parties that the mainstream corporate media talks about) to find out what they stand for and what they supported and did not support in the past.

The Canadian electorate is critical to the shaping of our future.