As the longest Federal election campaign in history winds down, Canadians are about to head to the polls to determine who will lead our country for the next four or five years.
Regardless of the outcome, we can assume a few things; none of the parties will employ thugs to prevent people from voting; we will not have riots in the streets when a winner is announced; and the losing parties will concede and allow the winner to lead a government, according to our constitution and the rules of parliament.
The same can¹t be said for many countries, where election fraud and violence is a way of life. While the human rights cost of these situations is tragic, Canadian companies can also face a perilous situation.
In times of political strife, company assets can be seized and nationalized; employees can be put in peril; property can be vandalized and destroyed. Even small Canadian companies with no foreign locations or staff can see shipments of important parts held at foreign ports, suppliers’ manufacturing facilities destroyed or damaged; and commerce with entire regions frozen during political unrest.
Instead of making a pitch to you about the importance of buying political risk and supply chain insurance for your clients, I¹ll instead simply encourage you to vote on Monday and be thankful for our system of government, regardless how flawed it sometimes appears.