Hello voters: it’s time to do your job

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/03/2025 (222 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Well, here we go. But this time, perhaps it’s going to be just a little bit different.

Sunday, the federal election began, and political parties immediately jumped across the starting line.

For the next few weeks, until April 28, Canadians will be asked to consider the candidates for Parliament and decide where their votes should go. It’s not a time to sit on the sidelines: Canada is facing a serious threat from the U.S. and its chaotic leader, President Donald Trump.

A serious argument can be made that the very reason we’re facing such a threat is because a significant number of American voters either didn’t vote, or didn’t dig deeply enough into what Trump and the Republican Party were planning for that nation.

So let’s not let that happen here: make sure you’re educated on policies and platforms, and that you cast an informed vote on April 28.

It’s not going to be easy work: it’s probably fair to say that your potential sources of accurate information on who you might want to vote for are thinner on the ground than they have ever been. The Canadian news media has been both hollowed out by a smaller readership and viewership, and has also been challenged for space and bandwidth by online sources on information with absolutely no mechanism to guarantee accuracy or honesty.

At the same time, online and through social media, there is almost certainly going to be a stream of deliberate disinformation, designed to bend your vote towards serving the goals of other nations, whether that disinformation comes from Russian, Chinese or even American sources. Sometimes, it’s not even meant to capture your vote, as much as it is to dissuade you from voting, making you believe that voting is a waste of time.

The problem is that the rot goes to the top: with owners of social media like Elon Musk showing their support of right-wing parties in elections in foreign nations, you probably can’t even trust your own eyes to measure the amount of groundswell of real support — and real information — on the phone in your pocket.

Your job is a difficult one. It is to be thorough, discerning and rigorous: read lots, think lots, and challenge yourself and your sources. Be diligent. Discuss politics with people you don’t agree with, politely and honestly, and ask them to provide you with sources for claims that clash with your own understanding.

Likewise, don’t believe and distribute something just because you agree with it: check it out.

Here’s an example.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said on a U.S. podcast that U.S. President Donald Trump should delay tariffs until after the election, giving Pierre Poilievre a better chance to win, because Poilievre was more aligned with the new American goals.

Some critics have cast that as counselling the American government to interfere in the Canadian election. Danielle Smith’s office, denying that she had said anything of the kind, and saying the characterization was “offensive and false.”

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Election Extra

During Elections

Get campaign news, insight, analysis and commentary delivered to your inbox during civic, provincial and federal elections.

Sign up for Election Extra

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

You can take things one simple step further — listen to the podcast at Breitbart.com, and make up your own mind. It’s a little more than 10 minutes long, and the interview was done the day before Justin Trudeau resigned. You can hear the whole call — right down to Smith asking the host whether he prefers being called Matthew or Matt, and discern the context.

On all things, dig a little deeper.

You might have to be a bit like Santa, making your list and then checking it twice. Or three times. Or more.

But, as a voter, that is your job. Pay attention to the play. Go into the corners.

Elbows up. Brain engaged.