Introduction
Now that we’ve made it to November, for many of us the 2021 election may feel like ancient history. However, the reasons why the election was called in the first place, how students were involved in the process, and the disparity between official and students’ results are certainly worth considering, especially since most students at Sentinel will be eligible to vote by the next election (yes, we’re all getting old). There were many issues at the heart of this year’s election: COVID-19 was predictably frequently discussed; other key issues included economic recovery, combating climate change, and Truth and Reconciliation. Keep reading to discover why Trudeau called an election, a quick breakdown of the results, and how students got involved in the 2021 Canadian federal election!
Why an election?
The question on many people’s minds when the election was called was simple: why an election, and why now, in the middle of a pandemic? One of the main reasons Trudeau made this decision was because the 2019 election left the Liberals in the uncomfortable position of a minority government, meaning that they had less than 50% of the seats in the House of Commons. This made it difficult for them to pass legislation because they couldn’t win a vote on their own, which was inconvenient and allowed the ruling party to be somewhat manipulated by the opposition parties. If Trudeau could gain enough seats to form a majority government, he and his party would have a much easier time advancing their agenda; however, things didn’t go quite as well as hoped, and the 610-million-dollar election resulted in another Liberal minority government.
Student Engagement
Students in the West Vancouver school district displayed curiosity and critical thinking throughout the All Candidates Meeting as they posed challenging and informative questions to local candidates on the most important issues selected by students at Sentinel and in West Van. Many students also “voted” in the 2021 Student vote; keep on reading to see how different the results were from the official results!
Student Vote Versus Adult Federal Vote
With the Canadian Federal election result being posted we can finally compare the difference between the student votes and the adult election voting results. As it turns out, more than 700 000 thousand schools all over Canada had kids participate in this simulated election in order to provide an opportunity for kids to express their thoughts on our government. Despite the Liberals winning a minority in both the student and adult votes, the NDP was chosen by students as the Official Opposition in lieu of the Conservatives. Interestingly, the Bloc Quebecois was less popular among students than adults, and the Green party won one more seat in the student vote. These disparities are interesting to consider given that the students of today will be the ones deciding the real results in elections to come.
That the NDP is so popular amongst young people suggests that they resonate with young Canadians. The leader of the NDP (Jagmeet Singh) is on social media platforms encouraging young people to vote. The NDP focuses on bringing down prices and making things more affordable. Many believe that we could see an NDP-led government in a few decades considering the current trend of youths voting for the NDP.
CIVIX
As many might not know, the student elections were led by a group called CIVIX. They are a national charity that is dedicated to building the skills and habits of young Canadians to prepare them for voting in the future. What CIVIX does is provide learning opportunities for students in order for them to experiment and get a sense of their responsibilities and rights as they get older. Instead of having kids just study and learn about democracy, they provide first-hand opportunities for kids to experiment and learn. This organization focuses on students from grades 5-12. They first launched in 2003 and have impacted many young Canadians since then by their values and projects. Their goal is supplying credible information; this is very important in the age of false news. Some projects that they focus on are the Student Vote Project, Nunavut Territorial Election, CTRL: Find facts, Student Budget Consultation and Rep Day. This can all be found on their website linked below. They have an amazing team and are consistently trying to get students to learn more about the world they live in and help them engage more in country-wide issues.
Conclusion
Before the 2021 federal election, we had a Liberal minority government. After the 2021 federal election, we still have a Liberal minority government. Although not much seems to have changed, it’s interesting to note the clear differences between the students’ and adults’ results. Within the next five years, many of us will be voting for the first time; through resources such as CIVIX, we should do our best to understand the election process, formulate informed opinions on issues that affect us, and exercise our right to vote. After all, if we look at voter turnout, Boomers have been running the country for way too long.
Works Referenced
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