Can we honestly say it was truly shocking that the referendum didn't pass? As someone who learned about the details approximately two days before the election on a pamphlet that was thrown on my dining table, I'm going to have to respond with a no.
As the article states, there was most definitely not enough information provided to citizens about the referendum. People have a hard enough time trying to keep up with the elections and candidates themselves; not making it clear what this referendum was about just had them not caring. As a poli sci major, I should understand Canadian politics down to a t, but the truth of the matter is that I don't... and I'm sure many Canadians are in the same boat. From what I understood, the referendum was essentially a way of trying to make a complicated system more complicated, and who would really go for that? More important, why would anyone if they don't even know what they'd be going for?
Unlike the 1995 Quebec referendum which most of the population probably knew about and understood, the most that one could have expected for this one is that it had to do with a change in the electoral system, but not even many knew that. Furthermore, in the 1995 Quebec referendum, a budget of $5 million was set for EACH committee. How much was spent for this years referendum? 6.8 million. And what was one of the primary sources of information that was sent out?
...Leaflets through the mail:
There are too many things wrong this scene. It seems like the government simply got lazy in providing information that could have been vital to the MPP electoral system. It could have gone either way if people actually knew what they were voting for, but with the poor campaigning, how could they? Prior to the election, the information I learned about the referendum was through a pathetically laid out commercial that had the words "referendum" in it and a pamphlet I happened to pick up while sitting at my dining table. Even then, the information on it was still confusing. Not that I’m saying I’m the most intelligent person when it comes to Canadian politics, but I do have a decent grasp on it. It was hard enough fully understand the change, let alone understand why there was a need for one.
It doesn’t seem hard to pinpoint why there is so much political apathy occurring in Canada today. With the unfortunate 52.6% of eligible voters that cast a ballot, let’s face it... p
eople are lazy, and in a society like ours, if it’s not on the radio or the t.v., most people aren’t going to know about it. As harsh as it seems, it’s one of my most sincere beliefs. Only those who really care about the cause are going to go out of their way to find out about the election and what’s going on in politics, and by going out of their way, in our society, that just means going as far to do some research, and ask some questions. If it’s not clearly laid out for people, they’re just not going to pay attention or care. The Canadian government needs to really step up its game when it comes to letting citizens know about these things and ensuring that all the information is being provided in a clear way. Also unlike the Quebec referendum in 1995, it’s clear that 12 years from now, Canadians aren’t going to remember what the referendum was about. Instead of asking what it was about, it’s more likely that one will ask
As the article states, there was most definitely not enough information provided to citizens about the referendum. People have a hard enough time trying to keep up with the elections and candidates themselves; not making it clear what this referendum was about just had them not caring. As a poli sci major, I should understand Canadian politics down to a t, but the truth of the matter is that I don't... and I'm sure many Canadians are in the same boat. From what I understood, the referendum was essentially a way of trying to make a complicated system more complicated, and who would really go for that? More important, why would anyone if they don't even know what they'd be going for?
Unlike the 1995 Quebec referendum which most of the population probably knew about and understood, the most that one could have expected for this one is that it had to do with a change in the electoral system, but not even many knew that. Furthermore, in the 1995 Quebec referendum, a budget of $5 million was set for EACH committee. How much was spent for this years referendum? 6.8 million. And what was one of the primary sources of information that was sent out?...Leaflets through the mail:
There are too many things wrong this scene. It seems like the government simply got lazy in providing information that could have been vital to the MPP electoral system. It could have gone either way if people actually knew what they were voting for, but with the poor campaigning, how could they? Prior to the election, the information I learned about the referendum was through a pathetically laid out commercial that had the words "referendum" in it and a pamphlet I happened to pick up while sitting at my dining table. Even then, the information on it was still confusing. Not that I’m saying I’m the most intelligent person when it comes to Canadian politics, but I do have a decent grasp on it. It was hard enough fully understand the change, let alone understand why there was a need for one.
It doesn’t seem hard to pinpoint why there is so much political apathy occurring in Canada today. With the unfortunate 52.6% of eligible voters that cast a ballot, let’s face it... p
eople are lazy, and in a society like ours, if it’s not on the radio or the t.v., most people aren’t going to know about it. As harsh as it seems, it’s one of my most sincere beliefs. Only those who really care about the cause are going to go out of their way to find out about the election and what’s going on in politics, and by going out of their way, in our society, that just means going as far to do some research, and ask some questions. If it’s not clearly laid out for people, they’re just not going to pay attention or care. The Canadian government needs to really step up its game when it comes to letting citizens know about these things and ensuring that all the information is being provided in a clear way. Also unlike the Quebec referendum in 1995, it’s clear that 12 years from now, Canadians aren’t going to remember what the referendum was about. Instead of asking what it was about, it’s more likely that one will ask ...what referendum?
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