To Vote or not to vote

Responsibility? Duty? Right?
Sure I’ve managed to find out who I can vote for thanks to Internet and signs on almost every corner. Shouldn’t I know what I am voting for?

It used to be true that an election was an opportunity to talk to candidates. They would go around from house to house or from community to community meeting people and discussing issues, discovering what it is that people hope for in a candidate.

That doesn’t happen any longer, at least not in my neighbourhood. In the over 35 years since I have lived here, not once has a candidate knocked on my door. That may be because I live in a more or less rural area. They call it an LSD, which means local service district. The only reason for having designated it as a district is to justify collecting municipal taxes to support services which some of us cannot afford to use anyway. Still there is hardly much for service unless you are interested in hockey which I am not and an airport which I don’t use because I cannot afford to travel. There is no friendly community hall for people to meet or socialize, at least not where anyone speaks my language. We must provide our own wells and septic service. Even our street signs can be down for months or missing for years without being replaced. Up to a few years ago we had to pay for our own garbage collection. I guess it is not surprising that we might feel we’ve been forgotten by the candidates.

So why don’t I take the initiative and go to the offices of the constituent? I might except I have no idea where their offices are located. The only office I have seen is that of Joel Bernard but that is in Restigouche County and I live in Gloucester County. I suppose I could call but I dread calling anywhere anymore just to be greeted by yet another “your call is important, please hold” message.

So, shall I bother to vote this year? I am not sure.