If you saw the title of this blog post and immediately felt like discontinuing, I understand. Right now, we are being bombarded with politics on the news, from outreach workers and politicians at our doors, from family at the dinner table, and on social media (those YouTube ads much?). There seems to be nowhere left to hide. Well, fear not. This post is not about politics. The public library’s role is always impartial and non-partisan. However, a group of my colleagues and I have come together with the goal of beefing up our resources and information on how to participate in our democracy, as well as providing opportunities to get involved in election-related programming. If you will indulge me, I’m sure there will be something here that will grab your interest. There’s a lot to engage with on this topic. It affects so many facets of our everyday lives, even if those effects are hard to see sometimes. I hope you take a look at the many offerings VPL has this federal election season and that you find something that tethers you to this vital subject.
First and foremost, here is our brand new Federal Election 2025 website.
It includes general voter information (get out the vote!), resources for staying informed amongst the sea of misinformation and disinformation on the internet, descriptions and links for our upcoming election-related programs, federal election district information, parties and candidates, and a list of organizations that are looking for volunteers to help out. If you have the time, it’s a great resource to look through.
I also wanted to talk a little bit here about the aforementioned programs we have dealing with this topic:
Fact Checkers: Elections, Democracy, and the Fight for Truth
Thursday, April 17, 7:00 PM
Online on Zoom
Alex MacIsaac from the Samara Centre for Democracy will be speaking on Zoom about online information in our modern digital landscape, particularly in light of the upcoming election.
Get Out the Vote
Tuesday, May 13, 7:00 PM
Dufferin Clark Library
Electoral reform is a big topic nowadays. Dan Desson from Fair Vote Canada will join us at Dufferin Clark Library to talk about changes that could be made to our system of electing politicians. Their website summarizes Fair Vote as a nationwide “citizens’ campaign for proportional representation.” If you’ve heard the term “first-past-the-post,” but still don’t feel like you’ve got a firm grasp on how it works (I can’t even imagine what that would be like, of course. I know everything about it myself…), this one might be a great refresher.
We wanted to get our customers talking about the election and our systems of governance in general. The following are discussion-based programs where our colleagues have agreed to introduce civic engagement topics for debate or conversation.
- Debate Club
Thursdays, May 15, 22, and 29, 7:00 PM
Civic Centre Resource Library
Improve your critical thinking and public speaking skills while exploring current events and philosophical questions. For grades 8-10. - English Conversation Circle
Mondays, April 14, 28 and May 12, 26, 6:00 PM
Maple Library
Newcomers and ESL learners can meet to practice their English in an informal environment with adult volunteers. - Virtual ESL Café
Tuesdays, April 15 and May 5, 20, 1:30 PM
Online on Zoom
Newcomers and ESL learners can practice their English in an informal online environment with adult volunteers.
Finally, we will be screening an insightful series from TVO called Unrigged at Dufferin Clark Library on election day, April 28th at 1:30pm as part of the Let’s Go to the Movies program there. Though not strictly a “movie” per se, we’re stretching the limits of the program title to bring this well-crafted documentary program to our customers. Hosted by community organizer and writer Dave Meslin, it’s a look at the current state of politics in Canada. The first episode is called “Blood Sport,” delving into the increasingly polarized nature of political discourse online, in the community, and even in parliament. Another episode explores how government could be made more accessible to citizens who would like to change their communities for the better. The real-life example Meslin gives of how he became involved in changing a by-law to allow street murals is inspiring. If you can’t make it on election day (understandably), Unrigged is available for free here. We also have Meslin’s 2019 book Teardown in our collection.
For those interested in seeing the upcoming English-language debate on April 17, it will be shown on a TV in the lobby of the following libraries at 7:00pm:
- Dufferin Clark Library
- Bathurst Clark Library
- Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Library
- Pierre Berton Library
- Mackenzie Health Vaughan Library
Dufferin Clark is also hosting a bilingual exhibit created by the former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario entitled Speaking of Democracy. My colleague Alyssia discussed the themes and content of the exhibit in detail here on our blog when it was up at Civic Centre Resource Library in February. If you missed it then, you’ll be able to visit it all month long at Dufferin Clark Library. The exhibit panels feature quotations from prominent luminaries like Malala Yousafzai, Jennifer Welsh, George Orwell, and Damon Keith. If that last name isn’t familiar to you — as it wasn’t to me — Damon Keith was a federal judge and civil rights advocate, responsible for several major court decisions, including a verdict to stop segregation at some Michigan schools. One well-known saying you may have heard is “democracy dies in the dark.” These words are attributed to Keith. I think it brings to mind several important things to remember about the nature of democracy. It thrives on citizenry engagement. It is made healthier by increasing our participation in it. If it is neglected, if we don’t stay connected to what is happening in our government, it can be fragile, and it is most certainly not guaranteed. Although it is the only system many of us have ever known, that does not mean it can’t change. I had these words in mind when I wrote the title of this blog post.
Happily, Elections Canada will be visiting some of our libraries soon to talk with our customers about the importance of voting and making a plan to vote. There will be tables set up in the lobby of these libraries:
- Pierre Berton Resource Library: Sunday, April 13, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
- Ansley Grove Library: Saturday, April 19, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
- Maple Library: Thursday, April 17, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
- Civic Centre Resource Library: Thursday, April 17, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
The last thing I wanted to mention is the Vote on Campus program that will be in place this year. Several campuses across Ontario and Canada will be providing voting stations for students. If you’re a student or know a student on campus, feel free to check out this link and see whether their campus will have a voting location.
I could go on, and indeed I think I have enough material to write another blog post about this, but I think that’s enough for now. One step at a time and all. Let me just say, however, that when you face these topics head on, you may just find more reasons to be hopeful than you might expect. There are engaged, thoughtful citizens working and volunteering to improve voter turnout, reverse apathy regarding politics, increase government accessibility, and so many other things. You can see it when you look closely, the efforts of so many. I hope you are inspired by one of our offerings to become more active in our democracy, and I also hope you have a plan to vote on or before election day, April 28th. I’ll see you next month. Bye for now.