Canadian bishops remind Catholics to take politics seriously, vote

Published: 2004-05-24

TORONTO (CNS) -- Four years after nearly 40 percent of Canadians stayed away from the polls, Canada's Catholic bishops have reminded people of their duty to take politics seriously. "Engagement in the political process is a constant civic duty, not only during electoral campaigns," the social affairs commission of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said in its traditional pre-election message to Catholics. In the November 2000 general election, 61.2 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot -- the lowest percentage since Canada became a nation. Though voting remains an ingrained habit of older Canadians -- 83 percent of Canadians over 68 and 80 percent of 58- to 67-year-olds voted in 2000 -- about 25 percent of voters under 25 voted. Elections Canada data shows voter participation has declined each decade since the 1960s, when average federal election participation was 77 percent. In the 1970s that rate declined to 74 percent, in the '80s 73 percent, and in the '90s 66 percent.

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