By JOHN HAMM and RUSSELL MacLELLAN

 

Canadians come out in droves to honour our veterans on Remembrance Day. We share the grief of devastated families who prepare to bury their loved ones returning from Afghanistan one last time. We proudly wear the Maple Leaf on our backpacks and T-shirts when travelling abroad.

 

Being Canadian means much more than sharing a common currency, a common flag and a love of hockey. It means an abundance of freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, free enterprise. It means having the rule of law to protect us, and the power of the vote to hold our political leaders accountable.

 

As Canadians, we embrace what others envy. Yet more and more Canadians, particularly young Canadians, are choosing not to exercise the one freedom that guarantees all others: the freedom to vote.

 

The statistics are both stark and startling. Elections Canada reports a steady drop in voter turnout during federal general elections over the past 60 years, from a post-war high of 75 per cent to an all time low of 60.9 per cent in 2004. As a nation, we are inching dangerously close to the day when half of the voting public, many representing singular interests groups, determine the future course of our country and influence the laws under which we all live. A recent study points to declining participation among young Canadians (18-24) as the main reason voter turnout is so low. A similar analysis at the provincial level also shows the majority of 18- to 24-year-olds are shunning the ballot box.

 

Cynicism, distrust and disinterest no doubt top the list of reasons many young Canadians don’t vote. Whatever the reason, today’s political, academic, business, religious and community leaders need to do more to remind them, and Canadians of all ages, that our nation’s freedoms have come at great cost, and must never be taken for granted.

 

Gathering at the local cenotaph is one way to honour those who stood, and continue to stand, firm for democracy and all of the freedoms it provides. Voting is another. Moreover, voting is a tangible way for every eligible Canadian to demonstrate concern for fellow citizens and the future of our nation.

 

By and large, and by nature, young Canadians are concerned about the issues that capture the nation’s attention and dominate the headlines: the environment, the economy, access to post-secondary education, human rights and social justice. So why is it that there is such a disconnect between their concerns and their voting habits? More important, what is it that today’s leaders can do to reach out and bring more young Canadians into the democratic process?

 

The answers to both of these questions need to come from young Canadians, and there’s no better time to ask them than now, as Nova Scotia prepares to celebrate next year’s 250th anniversary of the birth of parliamentary democracy in our country – a proud first for our province.

 

Democracy 250, a non-partisan body unanimously supported by the Nova Scotia legislature, is planning next year’s celebrations. But more than just celebrate this important national milestone, Democracy 250 wants to generate a greater understanding of how democracy positively influences our lives and why voting is so important. Our schools will be a focal point for discussions, but it is a discussion we encourage all Nova Scotians to participate in.

 

We welcome your input: Democracy250@gov.ns.ca

 

Former premiers John Hamm and Russell MacLellan are co-chairs of Democracy 250.