The Canadian Federal Election is coming up on Monday, April 28, 2025, which means we have some important decisions to make. With multiple options to choose from, what can you do to learn more about the candidates, platforms and issues at hand? This blog and EPL's election page will help you learn more about making an informed choice before the big vote.
The Power of an Informed Vote
Why Being Informed Matters
The reality of 2025 is that we all lead busy, distracted and—at times—chaotic lives in the fast-paced, digital world. We are constantly bombarded by a ceaseless flood of information and multimedia messaging designed to manipulate our emotions. Misleading content and disinformation are everywhere and not easy to spot.
Understandably, even the most media-savvy citizens have no choice but to limit their news consumption to mere headlines and soundbites. We form an opinion in little more than an instant, consumed by outrage or awe. We share, “like”, and quote before moving on to the next thing. In doing so, we often skip over the true context of a story making it difficult for us to form a balanced and truly informed opinion.
With all the competing information out there, the simple idea of spending more time to understand even a single subject seems daunting. It is a critical exercise, however, for an informed citizenry, especially at election time. Taking the time to learn about key issues gives you the knowledge you need to make a sound decision and ensure that your vote aligns with your interests and values.
Depending on how you choose to go about it, researching your decision could involve varying levels and manners of engagement:
- Attend an election-related event.
- Watch a debate.
- Visit a candidate’s website to learn more about their platform as well as their personal, professional and political background.
- Take the time to speak to campaigners at your door.
- Follow candidates on social media.
- Read, watch, and listen to reputable news sources.
- Seek out opposing viewpoints to better understand all sides of an argument.
- Be curious, ask questions, and explore the issues with others in an open, respectful dialogue.
- Volunteer to help a candidate with their campaign.
Evaluating Candidates and Policies
Whether dealing with traditional, web-based, or social media, the most fundamental piece of advice for evaluating what you see and hear is to consider the source. Élections Québec has developed a series of probing questions designed to help one determine the trustworthiness of a source:
- Does the news come from a media outlet or website you know? Does it have a good reputation? Did other media report the news?
- If you found it on social media, is it from an official account?
- Does this source have recognized expertise on the topic? Is it a person or organization with a reputation for credibility?
- Is it possible to confirm the facts stated in the text? Does the article contain references? Does it present a variety of viewpoints?
- If it is an excerpt or a screenshot, can you find the full article or story?
- Is the title of the text unnecessarily catchy? Does it reflect the content of the news you read?
- Is the original publication date indicated? Is the information up to date?
If you answered “no” to one of these questions, beware: it could be misinformation.
- Confirm if other official or trusted sources have already refuted the information.
- Ask yourself if the article is intended to inform, persuade, or entertain you. Are the arguments it presents verifiable facts or opinions?
- Does the tone of the article seem overly emotional or provocative? Misleading articles often seek to provoke a strong reaction from their readers.
- Talk to your family, friends, or colleagues. Have they read or heard different information?
The Role of AI in Politics
If you are spending any time searching for information online these days, you are probably aware that generative AI tools (like ChatGPT) are being used to generate text and provide answers to your search terms or questions. However, these AI tools can also give false information, so you should look for other reliable sources to corroborate the AI tool’s claims.
Should you be asking AI for advice on voting in the upcoming federal election? Read this interesting article from Discover Moose Jaw, where they researched the responses from three different AI tools.
Elections Canada Website
Elections Canada has set up an excellent website dedicated to the election with tons of helpful resources:
- Electoral District Postal Code Search
- Elections—Current and Past
- Election Resource Centre
- Media—News Releases and Media Info
Conduct a search using your postal code on the Elections Canada website, or look up your electoral district on the map of Electoral Districts in Edmonton or select from this list. If you select your electoral district on the Elections Canada website and then click the “Candidates” tab, it will list the candidates and their websites if they have one (e.g. Edmonton Griesbach). You can read up on their platforms, ideals and backgrounds.
A very useful resource is the voting records for incumbent MPs. Seeing exactly how each incumbent has voted over the course of their terms can be a great exercise in helping you decide whether a candidate’s actions align with your interests. Member of Parliament voting records can be found on the House of Commons website.
Reliable News
Newspapers
The Edmonton Public Library provides customers with FREE in-house and remote digital access to local, national and international newspapers.
EPL offers the PressReader online database, which features full electronic access to current editions of the local Edmonton Journal and Edmonton Sun newspapers, as well as national newspapers such as the Globe & Mail and the National Post (among many other publications).
Regularly reviewing these reputable news sources will help keep you in the loop and provide reports, insights, opinions and event information relating to the Federal Election leading up to decision day.
News Websites
Edmonton has several major local news sources, including:
- CBC News Website compares the election promises of Canada’s major parties
- CityNews Edmonton
- CTV News Edmonton
- Edmonton CBC News
- Global News Edmonton
- ICI Radio-Canada Alberta (French)
- OMNI Alberta (Cantonese, Mandarin, Punjabi, Italian)
If you are not a television viewer or home Internet subscriber, you can still gain access to local TV news segments and stories by visiting the websites of your preferred broadcasts using the Library’s public computers or accessing our free Wi-Fi.
Radio and Podcasts
If listening to radio broadcasts or podcasts is more your style, you have a few options to choose from:
- CBC Radio One FM 93.9
- CHED AM 630
- CBX AM 740
- CHFA FM 90.1 (French)
- CBC Power and Politics podcasts
- Real Talk Ryan Jespersen
- CTV News Political Podcasts
Live streams of radio broadcasts are available on each station's website.
In the Community
If you would like to be more hands-on, candidates have campaign offices with hours and locations posted on their websites. This is a great opportunity to pick up candidate pamphlets and literature (if they missed you going door-to-door) and bounce your burning questions off members of the campaign team—or perhaps even the candidate themselves.
If you have already decided to support a particular candidate and would like to donate or get directly involved with their campaign, staff at the headquarters would love to help you get started.
Make Your Vote Count
As you can see, there are many resources at your disposal to help get you past the headlines and off towards a much deeper understanding of the options this spring. This post by no means tries to present an exhaustive list of sources that exist to help you learn more and get involved with the current election, but it is a good place to start.
If you decide to commit 20 minutes each day to check in with one or two of the resources listed above, you will be sufficiently prepared by Election Day to make an informed decision and vote with your interests in mind.
The countdown to Election Day is on—make sure your vote counts on Monday, April 28. Find more election resources, including how you can support EPL, on our election webpage.
Add a comment to: Federal Election: How to Be an Informed Voter