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The point is not that Oct. 21, 2019 is a perfect day to hold an election. It’s that Oct. 21, 2019 is a neutral, randomly pre-selected day that is workable for holding an election. (I mean random in the sense that no one cherry picked the date for political advantage or to disenfranchise a person or group.) That’s the best we’re ever going to do. And the more we mess with it, the less neutral the process will become.

The Jewish Advocacy Group B’nai Brith Canada has intervened in the Aryeh-Bain case. Their lawyer argued, “Holding the federal election on a date where a religious minority cannot vote by reason of their beliefs sends a message to that community that it does not count.”

The concern about the message sent is sincere. But also misplaced because there is no innuendo, let alone evidence, that the date was chosen with the intent of inconveniencing a religious minority (which in this case is really a minority of a religious minority).

Aryeh-Bain may not be able to go knocking on doors on election day. But every one of her supporters and campaign workers who do not observe Shemini Atzeret can.

And Aryeh-Bain can spend every other day of the pre-election period (save, presumably, for the first two days of Sukkot) visiting as many voters as she pleases and reminding them that, like members of the military, they can vote even if they can’t drive to a polling station on Oct. 21.

These are not the ideal circumstances for Aryeh-Bain, but it’s not Elections Canada’s job to provide any candidate with the ideal circumstances. And if this is the most difficult challenge her campaign faces, Aryeh-Bain will prove to be an unusually fortunate politician!