Engaging Canada's Youth in Politics
Vote16 was started in December 2004 as an initiative involving members of each of Canada's four political parties with two principal aims:
- Lowering the federal voting age to 16
- Encouraging young people to become more engaged in politics
Following the defeat of Bill C-261 in the House of Commons on June 8, 2005, participants will be refocusing their efforts on the broader issue of youth engagement.
Please follow the link buttons below for more information on this issue.
What's new?
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.
