• Français
FacebookTwitterYoutubeInstagram
Find Your Local Union
Subscribe to E-news
 
Login
Contact

UFCW Canada - Union Logo

Canada's Private Sector Union

  • About Our Union
  • Media & News
  • Resources
  • Issues
  • Action Centre
  • Join the Union

Politics Blog: We need to vote for a government that represents working people

Ottawa – September 3, 2021 – With the snap federal election now upon us, and Election Day less than a month away, many of us are considering voting tactically or engaging in “strategic voting.” There is often disagreement about whether strategic voting influences the outcome of an election. Still, it is a question many of us are pondering, especially as we head towards the polls in the middle of a global pandemic.

Larry Savage, Professor of Labour Studies at Brock University, suggests that “strategic voting occurs when a voter casts a ballot not for their preferred candidate, but for the candidate they think is best positioned to defeat their least desired candidate.”

Those of us who consider ourselves strategic voters form expectations about the possible outcome of an election and make decisions about our vote according to those expectations. This can seem like a logical approach to voting under Canada’s first-past-the-post (FPTP) system, in which the election is won by the party that wins the most seats in Parliament.

Discussions around strategic voting are common, especially among those who consider themselves to be progressive voters, and among voters who are adamant about keeping Conservative politicians from winning seats in Parliament. However, as Professor Savage emphasizes, “strategic voting efforts have not only failed to block the election of Conservative candidates, but counter-productively facilitated their election by confusing voters and further splintering anti-Conservative votes.”

In fact, in the last two federal elections, the concept of strategic voting largely benefited Liberal politicians. Many people therefore argue that engaging in strategic voting is often a costly strategy for voters. This is especially true for those who want to elect a government that will establish public policies and programs which can address the needs of everyday working people.

For this election, it is imperative that we use our opportunity to vote and ensure that it is instrumental in affecting the outcome – that is, in electing a leader and political party that represents workers and their families. Referred to as expressive voting, we should be voting for the candidate and political party of our true preference. That is the best way of ensuring our votes have an important impact in this election.

Want to learn more about the 2021 Federal Election? Visit UFCW Canada’s official election webpage, UFCW Votes 2021, for information on #elxn44 and to learn how you can make a difference in this election. 

  • Media & News
    • News
      • All News
      • Agriculture
      • By the Numbers
      • Campaigns
      • Directions Newsletter
      • Infographics
      • Politics
      • Social Justice
      • Women and Gender Equity
      • Young Workers
      • Health & Safety
    • Media
      • Videos
      • Photo Gallery
      • Posters
    • Subscribe to E-news
  • Join the Union
  • About Our Union
    • About Our Union
      • Find Your Local Union
      • National President
      • National Council
      • Constitution
      • Union History
      • Mission Statement
      • Annual Reports
      • Join UFCW Canada
  • Media & News
    • Media & News
      • News
      • Media
      • Subscribe to E-news
  • Resources
    • Resources
      • Union Training & Scholarships
      • Health & Safety
      • The National Defence Fund
      • Member Discounts
      • Great Canadian Food Products
      • UFCW Canada Equity Grant Program
  • Issues
    • Issues
      • Leukemia Fundraising
      • Political Action
      • Women and Gender Equity
      • Social Justice
      • The Union for Agriculture Workers
      • UFCW Pride – Union Pride!
      • Young Workers
      • Food Justice
      • Global Solidarity
      • Uber Drivers United
      • Conscious Cannabis
  • Action Centre
    • Action Centre
      • Paid Sick Days Now!
      • Stop the Hate! Support an anti-racist COVID-19 recovery
      • Add Your Voice to the Call for Universal Childcare
      • Take Action to Protect Farm Workers and Canada’s Food Supply
      • Show your support for frontline workers
      • Help Food Processing Workers!
      • Economic Security for All
      • What you need to know about COVID-19
      • Support the expansion of EI benefits
      • Help support justice for First Nations children in Canada
      • Support Uber Drivers
      • Tell Sobeys to protect workers and ditch toxic receipts
      • Save The Beer Store
      • #NoMore campaign to end gender-based violence
      • Help close the Gender Wage Gap today
      • Stop Cargill’s union-busting in Turkey
  • Join the Union
    • Join the Union
      • Why UFCW Canada
      • Union Advantage
      • Union Facts
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Everything About Unions
      • Industries We Represent
      • Workplaces We Represent
      • How to Join a Union
      • Join Now

Login

FacebookTwitterYoutubeInstagram

Copyright © 2022 UFCW Canada. All Rights Reserved
United Food and Commercial Workers Union
Canada's private sector union