After a whirlwind federal election campaign the votes have been tallied and the victory parties have been held.
Now comes the hard work.
With so much on the line in this election we were pleased to see a decent voter turnout nationally at 68.65 per cent. That compares to the 2021 federal election turnout figure of 62.6 per cent.
For some perspective, Elections Canada tells us that back in 1867 voter turnout was 73.1 per cent, and in our history hit the high-water mark of 79.4 per cent in 1958, followed by 79 per cent in 1962 and 79.2 per cent in 1963. The worst turnout was in 2008 at only 58.8 per cent participation.
The fact that we have never hit even 80 per cent turnout is extremely sad for a working democracy where voting is simple and safe, with plenty of choice on the ballot.
In the Cowichan Valley, the voter turnout numbers are hearteningly higher than the national turnout. In Cowichan-Malahat-Langford 72.71 per cent of voters cast a ballot, and in Nanaimo-Ladysmith 72.57 per cent turned out.
All in all, those numbers are something to celebrate, even though we should continue to strive for better. Should voting be mandatory, as it is in places like Australia? That's a question for another day.
Nationally, the Liberals will form a minority government. This means they will need to work with other parties to advance their agenda, likely leading to some compromises to make the government run. Such an arrangement between the Liberals and the NDP in the last session led to our national dental care plan and the beginnings of a national pharmacare plan, things most voters would consider significant advancements. Canada's universal medical care system was brought in under a minority government.
This is routinely how governments in many European countries with proportional representation systems are run, with parties forming alliances and temporary coalitions to get things done.
Minority governments are not a negative thing, nor is compromise. In fact, it can be seen as a government having to represent more of the voting public than just those who cast their ballots for the winning party (which all governments should strive to do anyway).
Things with our neighbour to the south are too precarious and the issues too serious for the ugly shouting and wrangling that has been increasing in our political institutions and discourse. We need our elected representatives to try to work together for the good of us all.
Canadians do not want to have to go to the polls again in the immediate future because our politicians can't behave like adults.
Cowichan's two new Conservative MPs will help to form the official opposition, an important role. We look forward to seeing what they can accomplish.
