With the Canadian Federal election on the horizon we wanted to provide resources to encourage Canadians to vote, and to consider their role in the life of community and our nation. You will find links to Salvation Army position statements, articles, and voting resources.
Join our election bloggers as they provide insight on politics, voting, just society as well as biblical perspectives. We aren't going to tell you how to vote, but want you to consider how your vote is another way of participating in the life of Canada.
- Dr. Jim Read - The Salvation Army and the State
- Capt. Mark Braye - Do We Really Care About Politics?
- Dr. Aimee Patterson - Why I Vote
- Dani Shaw - The End is Just the Beginning
- Ben Riche - To Be Like Jesus
Document sur les élections - Français
WHY VOTE?
The Bible doesn’t tell us to vote for our leaders because it was written over a millennium during the rule of Kings and Emperors, but there are many references to our involvement in the life of our communities and countries.
Proverbs 31:8,9 calls us to “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy, and in the example of the prophets to confront injustice. The vision of The Salvation Army commits us to build just communities. Salvationists can work for social justice as we vote. Listen to Salvationists sharing what Social Justice means to them.
Captain Mark Braye writes, “Our very mission statement presents the case that we care about communal life and matters of the communities in which we serve and find ourselves.” God called His people to seek the good of our neighbours and nations. Jeremiah 19:5,6. Read the blog on the Public Affairs site.
As Christians we are invited to influence our leaders by taking up the very important ministry of interceding on their behalf in prayer. 1 Timothy 2:1,2
Dr. Aimee Patterson reminds us, “If we are the salt of the earth, we season our society by engaging it” Matthew 5:13. Read her blog, “Why I Vote” on the Public Affairs site.
Jesus taught us to pray acknowledging this reality “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” Matthew 6:10. He invites us to be part of His kingdom in our world.
WHO SHOULD I VOTE FOR?
Five political parties held seats in Parliament before this election, and if we polled all Faith groups you would find that no single party holds a monopoly on this group as a voting demographic. The Salvation Army is not going to influence your vote, nor will it attempt to sway you to one party over another because we recognize people have diverse perspectives.
Dr. James Read highlights The Army’s position on “The State”; as a denomination we are non-partisan “seeking opportunities to work in cooperation with the State and its agencies whenever their actions promote a just and fair society”. His blog can be found on the Public Affairs site
WHAT IS THE SALVATION ARMY SAYING ABOUT ISSUES AFFECTING CANADIANS?
The Salvation Army has addressed concerns or issued calls to action on issues affecting Canadians including: We serve people who are experiencing homelessness, addictions, and poverty, and we are concerned about creation care as well as being providers of health care in Canada
- Injustices facing Indigenous Communities – Response to Bill C-15
- The Implications of a cash-lite society for low-income Canadians
- Racism
- Poverty
- Homelessness
- Legislative proposals to combat modern slavery and human trafficking.
- Medical Assistance in Dying
- Conversion Therapy – Response to Bill C-6
The Ethics Centre provides articles and resources these and other important topics.As well, The Salvation Army has International Positional Statements on topics affecting our neighbours, our nation, and our world, which can be read here: https://www.salvationarmy.org/isjc/ips.
Resources:
Register to Vote: You can find all the resources and information you need to vote at the Elections Canada site https://www.elections.ca/
Kairos Election Resources: https://www.kairoscanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/KAIROS_2021_FederalElectionResource_FINAL.pdf
Canadian Council of Churches Election Guide:
Canadian Election Guide 2019 – Kristin Ostensen https://salvationist.ca/articles/2019-canadian-federal-election-guide/
Articles:
Election Fever – Jessica McKeachie https://salvationist.ca/articles/2015/10/canada-election-2015/
Beyond Left and Right – Mark Braye https://salvationist.ca/articles/2016/11/beyond-left-and-right/
Power Hungry – Dani Shaw https://salvationist.ca/articles/2011/05/power-hungry/
Election Day – Dion Oxford https://salvationist.ca/articles/2008/10/election-day/
Would Jesus have voted? – Dr. James Read https://salvationist.ca/articles/2011/03/would-jesus-have-voted/
This is a fantastic resource! Nice to see TSA encouraging citizens to vote. Thanks for sharing.