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Barring catastrophe, Canadians will head to the polls in 2015. This election will be an exciting one with a potentially unpredictable three-way race. But it will also be interesting from a historical perspective as 2015 is a year marked by numerous democratically significant anniversaries. These include the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta and the 750th anniversary of the first Westminster parliament, the parliament from which our own is directly descended.

Thus, 2015 seems an ideal year to celebrate one of our national treasures, namely parliamentary democracy. Disappointingly, Canadians will almost certainly commemorate these events by disengaging from politics in greater numbers than ever before.

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This is not really news. Everyone knows that voter turnout is low and declining. But the sky hasn’t fallen yet, so who really cares?

Sadly, not many. But more people should care, because low voter turnout actually produces – even encourages – bad government. Here’s why: