French election a warning for Canadians

Are elections in democratic countries really all that important?

When elections in Western democracies have low turnouts, there’s a tendency for some to say there wasn’t any compelling reason to go to all the trouble of voting in the first place. In such a mindset, nothing will change if potential voters stay home. Life will go on as usual, even if the politicians elected have different names or political-party allegiances.

But what would happen if everyone assumed that there was no need to express an opinion concerning how a community or entire country should be governed?

Would any sane person want to let other people, including even those with their own self-serving agendas or dubious policies, decide what’s best for an entire society?

Fortunately, most Canadians realize that if they want to live in a society where the rule of law and respect for fellow human beings are protected, they have an obligation to vote in elections to protect all members of society, including those who do not share the same opinions or values.

Those fortunate enough to live in British Columbia have the freedom of choosing whose policies they want to support without having to be fearful. It’s something to think about as voters in B.C. go to their polling stations next month during the provincial election.

But as current developments in France have demonstrated, not all voters in Western democracies are able to contemplate tension- and friction-free elections.

Divisions within French society have become serious threats not only to France’s democratic system, but also to its longstanding traditions and way of life.

Many immigrants in France were never fully integrated into French life, unlike most immigrants and asylum seekers arriving in Canada, where immigration was viewed as a positive means to develop this country’s natural resources and economy.

The dissimilar experiences can play a significant role not solely in each country’s economic and social conditions, but also in its political stability.

This reality is much in evidence in France, which will hold the first round of national elections April 23 and which conceivably could see the rightwing National Front Party of Marine Le Pen make significant gains. She is not only anti-immigrant; she also says she would take France out of the European Union, as Britain is doing.

(A French exit from the EU after Britain would be ironic because it was France’s president Charles de Gaulle who initially blocked Britain’s application to join the EU. He maintained the British had never truly committed themselves to being part of Europe — though one of his key reasons for blocking Britain’s membership was his concern the U.K. would challenge EU solidarity through its close links with the United States.)

Many fear the recent terrorist attacks in France carried out by selfproclaimed Islamic extremists benefit Le Pen’s National Front. However, it remains unclear which political parties stand to gain or lose in the second round of voting on May 7.

Many had viewed François Fillon of the centre-right Republican Party as the front-runner in the presidential race. However, a controversy over his hiring of his wife and family members for government jobs undermined his chances.

The anti-Le Pen side is placing its hopes on Emmanuel Macron, a 39-year-old independent centrist. Macron, who was President François Hollande’s economics minister, apparently impressed German Chancellor Angela Merkel with his handling of economic issues, a sensitive subject given Merkel’s past concerns regarding Hollande’s lack of tough economic policies.

A victory by Macron as president would be viewed favourably by Merkel, especially since closer cooperation between Germany and France has always been a key factor in ensuring the continued success of the European Union. That close and positive relationship is needed even more now when the EU and other countries, including Canada, have to contend with the unpredictable and often questionable policies of U.S. President Donald Trump.

While the outcome of the French election is of unquestioned significance for France, it is also important for all countries that value and respect democracy and human rights for all of a nation’s citizens — regardless of their race, religion or gender.