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ARTICLE / INFORMATION
Speak Up by Writing
by Karina Ramdath
Recently ‘Budget 2007’ was released and because the Bloc Quebecois supported it, Canadians won’t be going to the
voting stations as media and political analysts had predicted. Not having an election at the moment may be a good
situation, giving Elections Canada, media, and committed voters the opportunity to encourage all eligible voters to
mark their ballots when the time comes. “Turnout in Canadian federal elections, as a percentage of registered
electors, averaged about 75 percent in the years after the Second World War” (Elections Canada).
However, according to Elections Canada, voter turnout in the 2006 election was a low 64.9 percent, little better than the
2004 voter turnout despite the 4.4% increase. In the 2004 Alberta Provincial Elections the voter turnout was only 44.7%
(Elections Alberta). In recent election years, the low voter turnout has been worrying as it denotes apathy,
dissatisfaction in the Canadian political system, resignation that voting doesn’t create change, and that the current
democratic system may not truly represent the voice of the people.
Perhaps many people, voters and non-voters alike, forget that voting is only a part of the democratic system. An
important aspect of the democratic system is that people have the ability, the right and the responsibility to speak up,
as loudly as they need to, about any issue that concerns them. Voting is one way to indicate support or dissatisfaction,
writing letters is another. Letters are powerful tools that tell your Member of Parliament (MP) or Member of Legislative
Assembly (MLA) that you’d like more funds allocated to creating more spaces and programs for art, music, and literary
events. You might be concerned about the amount of industrial pollutants going into our water supply. You may want to
write a letter supporting our troops, but not the war, or perhaps you’d like more programs for victims of abuse or
domestic violence. Write about your concerns and what you would like to see happen to address your concerns. MP’s
and MLA’s write back in response to your letters to clarify their position, to offer help and support, or to answer any
questions you posed. Remember that if your representatives do something you like they also need to hear from you.
An elected MP represents each electoral district or riding in Calgary at the federal level, whereas MLA’s represent
ridings at the provincial level of government. The powers of the Parliament of Canada cover a wide range of issues
such as Public Debt and Property, Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Employment Insurance, raising of Money by
any Mode or System of Taxation, the borrowing of Money on the Public Credit, Postal Service, Census and Statistics,
and Militia, Military and Naval Service, and Defence.
The Parliament also has authority over Currency and Coinage, Banking, Incorporation of Banks, and the Issue of Paper
Money, and Legal Tender. Furthermore, Parliament oversees Patents of Invention and Discovery, Copyrights,
Naturalization and Aliens, Marriage and Divorce, and Criminal Law. Parliament also administers and manages
anything not assigned exclusively to the Legislatures of the Provinces.
Each province has power over Non-Renewable Natural Resources, Forestry Resources, and Electrical Energy,
Education, Old Age Pensions, and Agriculture and Immigration. It is also important to note that the transfer or
delegation of legislative responsibility from the Federal to Provincial and vice versa would require a constitutional
amendment. Writing a letter and speaking up about any political, cultural, or social issue could go to either your MP or
to your MLA since there are increasing overlaps in federal and provincial jurisdictions. And now, with easy access to the
Internet and the ability to e-mail official representatives, participating in the democratic process is as easy as sending
a message to a friend.
Speak Up by Writing
by Karina Ramdath
Recently ‘Budget 2007’ was released and because the Bloc Quebecois supported it, Canadians won’t be going to the
voting stations as media and political analysts had predicted. Not having an election at the moment may be a good
situation, giving Elections Canada, media, and committed voters the opportunity to encourage all eligible voters to
mark their ballots when the time comes. “Turnout in Canadian federal elections, as a percentage of registered
electors, averaged about 75 percent in the years after the Second World War” (Elections Canada).
However, according to Elections Canada, voter turnout in the 2006 election was a low 64.9 percent, little better than the
2004 voter turnout despite the 4.4% increase. In the 2004 Alberta Provincial Elections the voter turnout was only 44.7%
(Elections Alberta). In recent election years, the low voter turnout has been worrying as it denotes apathy,
dissatisfaction in the Canadian political system, resignation that voting doesn’t create change, and that the current
democratic system may not truly represent the voice of the people.
Perhaps many people, voters and non-voters alike, forget that voting is only a part of the democratic system. An
important aspect of the democratic system is that people have the ability, the right and the responsibility to speak up,
as loudly as they need to, about any issue that concerns them. Voting is one way to indicate support or dissatisfaction,
writing letters is another. Letters are powerful tools that tell your Member of Parliament (MP) or Member of Legislative
Assembly (MLA) that you’d like more funds allocated to creating more spaces and programs for art, music, and literary
events. You might be concerned about the amount of industrial pollutants going into our water supply. You may want to
write a letter supporting our troops, but not the war, or perhaps you’d like more programs for victims of abuse or
domestic violence. Write about your concerns and what you would like to see happen to address your concerns. MP’s
and MLA’s write back in response to your letters to clarify their position, to offer help and support, or to answer any
questions you posed. Remember that if your representatives do something you like they also need to hear from you.
An elected MP represents each electoral district or riding in Calgary at the federal level, whereas MLA’s represent
ridings at the provincial level of government. The powers of the Parliament of Canada cover a wide range of issues
such as Public Debt and Property, Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Employment Insurance, raising of Money by
any Mode or System of Taxation, the borrowing of Money on the Public Credit, Postal Service, Census and Statistics,
and Militia, Military and Naval Service, and Defence.
The Parliament also has authority over Currency and Coinage, Banking, Incorporation of Banks, and the Issue of Paper
Money, and Legal Tender. Furthermore, Parliament oversees Patents of Invention and Discovery, Copyrights,
Naturalization and Aliens, Marriage and Divorce, and Criminal Law. Parliament also administers and manages
anything not assigned exclusively to the Legislatures of the Provinces.
Each province has power over Non-Renewable Natural Resources, Forestry Resources, and Electrical Energy,
Education, Old Age Pensions, and Agriculture and Immigration. It is also important to note that the transfer or
delegation of legislative responsibility from the Federal to Provincial and vice versa would require a constitutional
amendment. Writing a letter and speaking up about any political, cultural, or social issue could go to either your MP or
to your MLA since there are increasing overlaps in federal and provincial jurisdictions. And now, with easy access to the
Internet and the ability to e-mail official representatives, participating in the democratic process is as easy as sending
a message to a friend.
|
| MEMBERS OF PARLIMENT |
|
| MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY |
Related Links
http://www.budget.gc.ca/2007/news/newse.html
http://www.elections.ca/content.asp?section=loi&document=trends&dir=tur/tud&lang=e&textonly=false
http://www.sfu.ca/~aheard/elections/2006-ALTA.html
http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainMPsCompleteList.aspx?TimePeriod=Current&Language=E
http://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_home
Biography
Karina Ramdath has written to Members of Parliament about issues like refugees and student loans. She is the
Senior Editor of Eleventh Transmission.
http://www.budget.gc.ca/2007/news/newse.html
http://www.elections.ca/content.asp?section=loi&document=trends&dir=tur/tud&lang=e&textonly=false
http://www.sfu.ca/~aheard/elections/2006-ALTA.html
http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainMPsCompleteList.aspx?TimePeriod=Current&Language=E
http://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_home
Biography
Karina Ramdath has written to Members of Parliament about issues like refugees and student loans. She is the
Senior Editor of Eleventh Transmission.
| April 2007 Issue 11 |
