Page: 16 [48] […] […] 15. (1) Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability. 15. (1) La loi ne fait acception de personne et s’applique également à tous, et tous ont droit à la même protection et au même bénéfice de la loi, indépendamment de toute discrimination, notamment des discriminations fondées sur la race, l’origine nationale ou ethnique, la couleur, la religion, le sexe, l’âge ou les déficiences mentales ou physiques. In their oral submissions, the parties focused primarily on section 3 of the Charter. Accordingly, for the purposes of these reasons, section 3 Charter rights will be the primary focus. [49] Voting is a fundamental right and a core tenet of our democracy as entrenched in section 3 of the Charter. As stated by the Supreme Court of Canada most recently in Frank v Canada (Attorney General), 2019 SCC 1 at para 26: The central purpose of s. 3 is to ensure the right of each citizen to participate meaningfully in the electoral process (Figueroa v. Canada (Attorney General), 2003 SCC 37, [2003] 1 S.C.R. 912, at paras. 25-26). Civic participation is fundamentally important to the health of a free and democratic society. Democracy demands that each citizen have a genuine opportunity to participate in the governance of the country through the electoral process. If this right were not protected adequately, ours would not be a true democracy (Figueroa, at para. 30). 2019 FC 964 (CanLII) assembly and to be qualified for membership therein.