Elections Are the Time to Use Our “Outside Voices”

As the country goes to the polls on April 28, this United Church statement urges people of faith to hold our country and our communities to a higher standard, and to rage at the injustices across the country.

We now live in a world where misinformation is used to manipulate, where norms are dismantled and established international bodies willfully discredited. Where things once held as true and right and just in society are now questioned, affronted, and challenged. The progress we’ve made over the past five decades is slipping away with frightening speed, as we witness escalating conflicts, deepening inequalities, resurgent racism, and systemic violations of human rights.

Despite the fear and anxiety this “new normal” raises, we are people of faith. We have hope. And we have a responsibility to hold our country, our communities, to a higher standard. We have a duty to rage at the injustice—of denying the existence of 2SLGBTQIA+ identities. Of closing borders to immigrants and refugees. Of allowing people to go hungry or to sleep in tents or on the streets.

If there ever was a time as disciples to use our outside voice, this is the moment.

Elections are a time for us to hold our country to the highest values. A simple X on a ballot offers us an opportunity to vote for the common good, but, most especially, for those in our midst who are the most vulnerable. As Jesus directed us, we love our neighbour—whether they agree with our political views or not. The choice we make at the ballot box is a reflection of our faith in action, an expression of the hope we have for a better world.

We choose dignity. Respect. Compassion. Kindness. Community. Hospitality. Defending human rights. Leadership with integrity—at home and internationally. Recognizing international law. Protecting the planet.

In a world embedded with injustice, we are called to act justly.

In a world built on denial, we must speak the truth.

In a country where we have safe and secure elections, we have a choice to make at the ballot box. As we weigh our decision, remember the most vulnerable of your neighbours. This is the moment to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).

Take Action

Download this statement and drop it off or email it to the candidates running in your riding. 

Speaking up for justice counts. Join the Succeed for Advocacy webinar on April 8 to learn more.

Visit our Faith and Politics page for resources and more information.

Visit our What We Believe page for an overview of the United Church’s beliefs.