Unfortunately Bill C-261 was defeated following debate on June 8, 2005. This means it cannot go further in the current Parliament, and cannot be reintroduced until the next Parliament.

Nonetheless, Mark Holland, the Liberal MP who sponsored the bill, saw the outcome as a partial victory. Vote16 has gained considerable attention for the issue of youth engagement in politics, and has built a network of people in all parties who are interested in that objective.

Holland intends to use the momentum that has been generated by this bill to continue pushing for youth engagement. Over the coming days, he will be exploring ideas with other partners from the Vote16 initiative.