Bigger Than Hockey

There were two NHL Stanley Cup Playoff game being played tonight, but I didn't watch either of them. Neither of the games featured Canadian teams, and that may have been done by design as the entire country of Canada was watching the results of the 2025 Canadian Federal Election. Votes were cast leading up to and during today as Canadians cast their ballots to determine who will represent the 343 ridings across Canada and, ultimately, who will be the next Prime Minister of Canada for the foreseeable future.

I'm not here to endorse or throw my support behind any party or candidate. I'm educated on the political platforms and who is running both in my riding and federally, but my vote is one of many that was cast in this election. Whether or not the party I voted for is elected is irrelevant; rather, I want to make it clear that this election rallied Canadians in a way that hasn't been seen for some time. I'm not saying that polarizing topics should be used to prompt people to vote, but those cards were played in this election.

I'm posting this article before all the votes are counted, so nothing is written in stone at this time. CBC is projecting a specific party as being the ruling party in the country based on trends, but I feel like we won't see anything finalized until the wee hours of the morning. I'm not staying up for that final determination as I have to work tomorrow, but I am here to remind everyone that you, as a voter, should be exercising your right no matter where you live.

According to Elections Canada, the institution says an estimated 7.3 million Canadians cast their ballots during the advance voting period April 18 to 21 - a record for Canadian elections. Comparatively, the 2021 Federal Election saw 5.8 million votes cast at advance voting stations, so the turnout to avoid the lines at ballot boxes today was significant. This is encouraging to see, and it gets even more impressive when you consider that Elections Canada stated that a record number of international electors had applied to vote as well.

It's important that everyone who can vote find a way to vote to ensure proper representation. By not voting, a smaller segment of the population who do vote can determine the direction of the country. Everyone likes to complain about the things we often hear about which policitians wax poetic - healthcare, jobs, minimum wage, and retirement - but voting allows one to participate in helping to shape the future of those discussions. You may feel like your vote doesn't matter, but it certainly does when considering what each of the candidates' platforms present on topics.

My hope is that you went out and voted today. Even if we have different views on how the country should be run, the policies that should be set, and the laws that should be enforced and enacted, having all eligible voters casting a vote makes Canada stronger because the voices from every riding are heard in Ottawa. Canada's individual regions and provinces are better represented, and will give the governing party a better idea on where they may have fallen short in their messaging. Canada is stronger when more of us vote.

It's 11pm Central Time. I need some sleep as I'll be up early for work, so I'll find out if the projected winning party holds a majority or minority government at that time. What I do know is that I'm proud of Canadians tonight for the overwhelming voting numbers shown during this election. We can all look forward and work together to continue making Canada the best country on the planet!

Until next time, thanks for exercising your right!