Fall is in the air. It’s making noses cold, everything is all of a sudden pumpkin-spice flavoured or scented, and we get excited for the elections all around us.
The provincial election is right around the corner, and the Council of the Haida Nation election is speeding towards us. We have been watching our neighbour to the south’s presidential election campaign closely while the Conservatives in Ottawa do their best to force us into a federal election here in Canada.
Newsrooms worldwide are paying closer attention to some elections than others. In this newsroom, we have been paying very close attention to the provincial election and giving our readers every chance to have an educated vote on how they would like our representation to be in Victoria.
We have chosen not to endorse a candidate, but we will endorse the right to vote. Anyone 18 and over may take the right to vote. We have multiple opportunities to vote early or by absentee ballots, or to enjoy the energy of voting on election day.
Vote for your provincial MLA, CHN president and representatives, your federal MP, and your mayor and councillors when those positions come up for election again. All the positions mentioned above represent you and your community to the people who make the more significant decisions on what affects our lives.
Voting is your opportunity to have a say in who represents you and your community. Voting is a way to hold current leaders accountable for their actions while in a position of power.
Accountability is tricky and is something we see less and less in our societies.
Our newsroom is unelected, but we have always expected to be held accountable by our readers. The readers have not disappointed us! Please let us know when we make mistakes — we will always print a correction.
We are excited to see how you vote in the upcoming elections.
—Stacey