Don’t let COVID-19 sicken our democracy

Justin Trudeau is absolutely right to reject the calls for him to postpone two federal byelections set for later this month in Toronto.

While the demands coming from Green party leader Annamie Paul and other opposition politicians are supposedly driven by pandemic concerns, their motivation seems more about partisan self-interest than the public interest.

Consider that just eight days after those two Oct. 26 byelections, voters south of the border will go to the polls to decide whether Donald Trump will remain president for another four years. Would anybody seriously argue the presidential election and all the other contests up for grabs in the United States on Nov. 3 should be delayed? Trump himself ignited a firestorm in July when he threatened to postpone the elections because COVID-19 will result in more mail-in votes.

So if wise minds agree an estimated 235 million American voters should still be able to exercise their franchise as planned, why shouldn’t roughly 160,000 Canadians be allowed to do it a few days earlier?

Obviously Paul thinks this shouldn’t happen. “Circumstances for free, fair and, above all safe, byelections simply do not exist,” she said last week.

Yet Paul failed to back up this very serious charge. Nor did the New Democrats or Conservatives explain why, as they insist, the PM should have waited for the second wave of COVID-19 to pass before calling the byelections. Privately, they likely all believe their chances in these byelections would be better in the coming months if Trudeau’s popularity slides.

Yet, absent overwhelming evidence to the contrary, postponing what Elections Canada should be able to make two free and safe byelections would be profoundly unfair. The people living in the two, currently vacant, ridings of Toronto Centre and York Centre deserve to have elected and active MPs representing them in Ottawa as soon as possible. The entire Canadian nation has a lot at stake in these byelections, too. Trudeau’s Liberals govern with a minority, which would be even smaller if on Oct. 26 they lose two ridings they currently hold.

And remember — this minority government could conceivably lose a non-confidence vote in Parliament in the months ahead. Then Canadians would almost certainly face a general election. And like it or not, this country would have to find a way to do it.

These two, upcoming byelections provide the perfect learning opportunity, not only for candidates, political parties and voters but for Elections Canada, which is the non-partisan mechanic that makes Canada’s democratic machinery run smoothly.

As of this moment, Elections Canada is proceeding to run these byelections with the understanding this can be done safely despite COVID-19. There are ample opportunities for residents in the two ridings to vote by mail. This option — and a full explanation of how byelection voting should proceed during the pandemic — should be laid out before the public in a localized, public-information campaign.

Certainly everyone should understand the rules for safe distancing, wearing masks and the limits on the number of voters at a polling station at any one time.

But our law says the byelections must be called by February. And as Trudeau sensibly argued, delaying them could mean voters have to cope with an even more serious second wave of COVID-19.

Canadians have exercised their democratic voting rights during world wars and grinding economic depressions. COVID-19 should not stop them now.

Besides, if the Americans can pull off a pandemic election, Canadians can do it as well — maybe even better.