Canada should follow U.K.‘s move to lower voting age to 16, says senator

[shockedcanadian]

America, know which nations are full of creeps and do NOT follow our lead. These are kids they want to vote and it is for good reason, it's good for them politically. There is a reason that car insurance for people this age is exponentially more expensive than other age groups, they are insuring irresponsible kids. I find it amazing that everytime they want to push a creepy decision, it is to "strengthen democracy". Sure, by allowing kids to vote, just as we all should have followed Greta when they used her to promote climate policies. The same who are too young to smoke and drink because the aren't fully developed. They like them young and poor in Canada... Canada should follow U.K.‘s move to lower voting age to 16, says senator.

OTTAWA - Now that the British government has vowed to lower its voting age to 16 by the next general election, one Canadian senator says it’s past time for Canada to do the same.
The U.K. announced last week that it would lower its voting age from 18 to 16 in a bid to strengthen British democracy and restore trust in politics.

Sen. Marilou McPhedran said the issue has been her “top parliamentary priority” since she joined the Red Chamber. She said lowering the voting age to 16 would be good for democracy and that the only arguments against it are “based on stereotypes.”
McPhedran said decisions being made in Canada now will affect younger generations and that extending voting rights to younger people is “logical” and “about fairness.” She added that about a third of 16-year-olds in Canada have some form of employment and are already taxpayers.
Sixteen-year-old Jaden Braves and the organization he leads, Young Politicians of Canada, want to see the federal voting age lowered to 16. He told The Canadian Press that Canada “has to stop living in the shadow of other countries’ innovation that’s progressing faster than ours.”
“I think we need to stop being the country that waits for somebody else to take leadership on something we clearly have the chance to progress forward on,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll learn some lessons soon.”
Braves lamented the many bills that have been introduced in Canada over the past 20 years to lower the voting age that ultimately failed to pass.
McPhedran’s most recent bill to lower the federal voting age to 16 was introduced at the end of May. She said it’s her priority to get it to second reading and into committee when Parliament resumes in September.
“What happened last time was prorogation and an election,” she said.
Prorogation killed the bill after it reached second reading in the Senate.
“But this time our push is to ensure that young voices, young leaders are heard directly by senators, and I feel quite confident that when that happens, skeptics will turn around,
McPhedran said she thinks what’s happening in the U.K. will “make a difference” for a number of senators as she continues to push the bill forward.
During debates on previous bills, some senators and MPs have pushed back against arguments in favour of lowering the voting age, such as the suggestion that it would increase voter turnout. Some have also questioned the maturity of youth to cast an informed ballot and debated what standards should be used to justify whether to lower the voting age.
Britain’s voting age last fell in 1969, when the U.K. became one of the first major democracies to lower it from 21 to 18. Many other countries quickly followed suit; Canada lowered its voting age to 18 in 1970.
Several countries already have a voting age of 16, including Austria, Brazil and Ecuador. Scotland and Wales allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in local and regional elections.
Michael Wigginton, a post-doctoral fellow in political science at Carleton University, said the U.K. government’s decision represents a “fairly natural progression,” coming a decade after Scotland started allowing 16-year-olds to vote for members of the Scottish Parliament and in municipal elections.
“Having that sort of local example to point to makes it easier for both politicians and the public at large to feel comfortable that the reform can work for the U.K. Parliament and not have negative effects,” said Wigginton.


Efforts are being made across Canada to lower the voting age.
In 2021, young Canadians filed an application at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to challenge the voting age, arguing that the Canada Elections Act is in violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and is unconstitutional.
Toronto recently passed a motion allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in polls at the neighbourhood level on planning and policy issues. And a provincial committee looking at ways to boost democratic ​

​

 

[Mack The Finger]

Are you kidding...they oughta raise the age.

 

[shockedcanadian]

Are you kidding...they oughta raise the age.

I agree. Kids are becoming LESS mature, not more, even though they are learning technology at a younger age. I was a complete moron at that age. Wasn't really mature until much later in life.

 

[frigidweirdo]

America, know which nations are full of creeps and do NOT follow our lead. These are kids they want to vote and it is for good reason, it's good for them politically. There is a reason that car insurance for people this age is exponentially more expensive than other age groups, they are insuring irresponsible kids. I find it amazing that everytime they want to push a creepy decision, it is to "strengthen democracy". Sure, by allowing kids to vote, just as we all should have followed Greta when they used her to promote climate policies. The same who are too young to smoke and drink because the aren't fully developed. They like them young and poor in Canada... Canada should follow U.K.‘s move to lower voting age to 16, says senator.

OTTAWA - Now that the British government has vowed to lower its voting age to 16 by the next general election, one Canadian senator says it’s past time for Canada to do the same.
The U.K. announced last week that it would lower its voting age from 18 to 16 in a bid to strengthen British democracy and restore trust in politics.

Sen. Marilou McPhedran said the issue has been her “top parliamentary priority” since she joined the Red Chamber. She said lowering the voting age to 16 would be good for democracy and that the only arguments against it are “based on stereotypes.”
McPhedran said decisions being made in Canada now will affect younger generations and that extending voting rights to younger people is “logical” and “about fairness.” She added that about a third of 16-year-olds in Canada have some form of employment and are already taxpayers.
Sixteen-year-old Jaden Braves and the organization he leads, Young Politicians of Canada, want to see the federal voting age lowered to 16. He told The Canadian Press that Canada “has to stop living in the shadow of other countries’ innovation that’s progressing faster than ours.”
“I think we need to stop being the country that waits for somebody else to take leadership on something we clearly have the chance to progress forward on,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll learn some lessons soon.”
Braves lamented the many bills that have been introduced in Canada over the past 20 years to lower the voting age that ultimately failed to pass.
McPhedran’s most recent bill to lower the federal voting age to 16 was introduced at the end of May. She said it’s her priority to get it to second reading and into committee when Parliament resumes in September.
“What happened last time was prorogation and an election,” she said.
Prorogation killed the bill after it reached second reading in the Senate.
“But this time our push is to ensure that young voices, young leaders are heard directly by senators, and I feel quite confident that when that happens, skeptics will turn around,
McPhedran said she thinks what’s happening in the U.K. will “make a difference” for a number of senators as she continues to push the bill forward.
During debates on previous bills, some senators and MPs have pushed back against arguments in favour of lowering the voting age, such as the suggestion that it would increase voter turnout. Some have also questioned the maturity of youth to cast an informed ballot and debated what standards should be used to justify whether to lower the voting age.
Britain’s voting age last fell in 1969, when the U.K. became one of the first major democracies to lower it from 21 to 18. Many other countries quickly followed suit; Canada lowered its voting age to 18 in 1970.
Several countries already have a voting age of 16, including Austria, Brazil and Ecuador. Scotland and Wales allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in local and regional elections.
Michael Wigginton, a post-doctoral fellow in political science at Carleton University, said the U.K. government’s decision represents a “fairly natural progression,” coming a decade after Scotland started allowing 16-year-olds to vote for members of the Scottish Parliament and in municipal elections.
“Having that sort of local example to point to makes it easier for both politicians and the public at large to feel comfortable that the reform can work for the U.K. Parliament and not have negative effects,” said Wigginton.


Efforts are being made across Canada to lower the voting age.
In 2021, young Canadians filed an application at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to challenge the voting age, arguing that the Canada Elections Act is in violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and is unconstitutional.
Toronto recently passed a motion allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in polls at the neighbourhood level on planning and policy issues. And a provincial committee looking at ways to boost democratic ​

​

I think Labour are doing the wrong thing.
Austria did it and a lot of the 16 year olds just voted without even thinking or knowing what they were voting for. Because they're 16 year olds, they don't often care about politics. I knew NOTHING about politics at that age. Social media will grow stronger in elections.

 

[The Sage of Main Street]

America, know which nations are full of creeps and do NOT follow our lead. These are kids they want to vote and it is for good reason, it's good for them politically. There is a reason that car insurance for people this age is exponentially more expensive than other age groups, they are insuring irresponsible kids. I find it amazing that everytime they want to push a creepy decision, it is to "strengthen democracy". Sure, by allowing kids to vote, just as we all should have followed Greta when they used her to promote climate policies. The same who are too young to smoke and drink because the aren't fully developed. They like them young and poor in Canada... Canada should follow U.K.‘s move to lower voting age to 16, says senator.

OTTAWA - Now that the British government has vowed to lower its voting age to 16 by the next general election, one Canadian senator says it’s past time for Canada to do the same.
The U.K. announced last week that it would lower its voting age from 18 to 16 in a bid to strengthen British democracy and restore trust in politics.

Sen. Marilou McPhedran said the issue has been her “top parliamentary priority” since she joined the Red Chamber. She said lowering the voting age to 16 would be good for democracy and that the only arguments against it are “based on stereotypes.”
McPhedran said decisions being made in Canada now will affect younger generations and that extending voting rights to younger people is “logical” and “about fairness.” She added that about a third of 16-year-olds in Canada have some form of employment and are already taxpayers.
Sixteen-year-old Jaden Braves and the organization he leads, Young Politicians of Canada, want to see the federal voting age lowered to 16. He told The Canadian Press that Canada “has to stop living in the shadow of other countries’ innovation that’s progressing faster than ours.”
“I think we need to stop being the country that waits for somebody else to take leadership on something we clearly have the chance to progress forward on,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll learn some lessons soon.”
Braves lamented the many bills that have been introduced in Canada over the past 20 years to lower the voting age that ultimately failed to pass.
McPhedran’s most recent bill to lower the federal voting age to 16 was introduced at the end of May. She said it’s her priority to get it to second reading and into committee when Parliament resumes in September.
“What happened last time was prorogation and an election,” she said.
Prorogation killed the bill after it reached second reading in the Senate.
“But this time our push is to ensure that young voices, young leaders are heard directly by senators, and I feel quite confident that when that happens, skeptics will turn around,
McPhedran said she thinks what’s happening in the U.K. will “make a difference” for a number of senators as she continues to push the bill forward.
During debates on previous bills, some senators and MPs have pushed back against arguments in favour of lowering the voting age, such as the suggestion that it would increase voter turnout. Some have also questioned the maturity of youth to cast an informed ballot and debated what standards should be used to justify whether to lower the voting age.
Britain’s voting age last fell in 1969, when the U.K. became one of the first major democracies to lower it from 21 to 18. Many other countries quickly followed suit; Canada lowered its voting age to 18 in 1970.
Several countries already have a voting age of 16, including Austria, Brazil and Ecuador. Scotland and Wales allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in local and regional elections.
Michael Wigginton, a post-doctoral fellow in political science at Carleton University, said the U.K. government’s decision represents a “fairly natural progression,” coming a decade after Scotland started allowing 16-year-olds to vote for members of the Scottish Parliament and in municipal elections.
“Having that sort of local example to point to makes it easier for both politicians and the public at large to feel comfortable that the reform can work for the U.K. Parliament and not have negative effects,” said Wigginton.


Efforts are being made across Canada to lower the voting age.
In 2021, young Canadians filed an application at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to challenge the voting age, arguing that the Canada Elections Act is in violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and is unconstitutional.
Toronto recently passed a motion allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in polls at the neighbourhood level on planning and policy issues. And a provincial committee looking at ways to boost democratic ​

​

Life Experience Is the Best Common Denominator

Our voting age should be raised to what qualifies to become President: 35 years old and born to an American citizen.

Always reverse the trend suggested by the decadent doom-bringers; don't just demand that things stay the way they are. Wherever they want to lead us is a sign to get up and go the exact opposite way, not to just sit still.

 

[Captain Caveman]

America, know which nations are full of creeps and do NOT follow our lead. These are kids they want to vote and it is for good reason, it's good for them politically. There is a reason that car insurance for people this age is exponentially more expensive than other age groups, they are insuring irresponsible kids. I find it amazing that everytime they want to push a creepy decision, it is to "strengthen democracy". Sure, by allowing kids to vote, just as we all should have followed Greta when they used her to promote climate policies. The same who are too young to smoke and drink because the aren't fully developed. They like them young and poor in Canada... Canada should follow U.K.‘s move to lower voting age to 16, says senator.

OTTAWA - Now that the British government has vowed to lower its voting age to 16 by the next general election, one Canadian senator says it’s past time for Canada to do the same.
The U.K. announced last week that it would lower its voting age from 18 to 16 in a bid to strengthen British democracy and restore trust in politics.

Sen. Marilou McPhedran said the issue has been her “top parliamentary priority” since she joined the Red Chamber. She said lowering the voting age to 16 would be good for democracy and that the only arguments against it are “based on stereotypes.”
McPhedran said decisions being made in Canada now will affect younger generations and that extending voting rights to younger people is “logical” and “about fairness.” She added that about a third of 16-year-olds in Canada have some form of employment and are already taxpayers.
Sixteen-year-old Jaden Braves and the organization he leads, Young Politicians of Canada, want to see the federal voting age lowered to 16. He told The Canadian Press that Canada “has to stop living in the shadow of other countries’ innovation that’s progressing faster than ours.”
“I think we need to stop being the country that waits for somebody else to take leadership on something we clearly have the chance to progress forward on,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll learn some lessons soon.”
Braves lamented the many bills that have been introduced in Canada over the past 20 years to lower the voting age that ultimately failed to pass.
McPhedran’s most recent bill to lower the federal voting age to 16 was introduced at the end of May. She said it’s her priority to get it to second reading and into committee when Parliament resumes in September.
“What happened last time was prorogation and an election,” she said.
Prorogation killed the bill after it reached second reading in the Senate.
“But this time our push is to ensure that young voices, young leaders are heard directly by senators, and I feel quite confident that when that happens, skeptics will turn around,
McPhedran said she thinks what’s happening in the U.K. will “make a difference” for a number of senators as she continues to push the bill forward.
During debates on previous bills, some senators and MPs have pushed back against arguments in favour of lowering the voting age, such as the suggestion that it would increase voter turnout. Some have also questioned the maturity of youth to cast an informed ballot and debated what standards should be used to justify whether to lower the voting age.
Britain’s voting age last fell in 1969, when the U.K. became one of the first major democracies to lower it from 21 to 18. Many other countries quickly followed suit; Canada lowered its voting age to 18 in 1970.
Several countries already have a voting age of 16, including Austria, Brazil and Ecuador. Scotland and Wales allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in local and regional elections.
Michael Wigginton, a post-doctoral fellow in political science at Carleton University, said the U.K. government’s decision represents a “fairly natural progression,” coming a decade after Scotland started allowing 16-year-olds to vote for members of the Scottish Parliament and in municipal elections.
“Having that sort of local example to point to makes it easier for both politicians and the public at large to feel comfortable that the reform can work for the U.K. Parliament and not have negative effects,” said Wigginton.


Efforts are being made across Canada to lower the voting age.
In 2021, young Canadians filed an application at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to challenge the voting age, arguing that the Canada Elections Act is in violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and is unconstitutional.
Toronto recently passed a motion allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in polls at the neighbourhood level on planning and policy issues. And a provincial committee looking at ways to boost democratic ​

​

Dreadful idea, they've only done it because they know the immature will vote Left. It should have been raised to 21.

 

[longly]

Dreadful idea, they've only done it because they know the immature will vote Left. It should have been raised to 21.

I try not to use offensive language, but that is one of the Stupidest ideas I’ve ever heard. The younger a person is, the more easily they can be manipulated. Very few, and I mean very few, 16-year-olds are capable of consistently making sound decisions. That’s why God gave people parents.

Even many 18-year-olds struggle with decision-making. Most people don’t truly mature until their late 20s, and some never do. That’s one of the reasons the age requirement to become President of the United States is 35. The Founders wanted to ensure that a reasonably mature and stable individual would be entrusted with that responsibility.

 

[Captain Caveman]

I try not to use offensive language, but that is one of the Stupidest ideas I’ve ever heard. The younger a person is, the more easily they can be manipulated. Very few, and I mean very few, 16-year-olds are capable of consistently making sound decisions. That’s why God gave people parents.

Even many 18-year-olds struggle with decision-making. Most people don’t truly mature until their late 20s, and some never do. That’s one of the reasons the age requirement to become President of the United States is 35. The Founders wanted to ensure that a reasonably mature and stable individual would be entrusted with that responsibility.

I do, so what a load of ******* shite.

You have innate instincts (natural behaviours) and nurture (parental influences). Some 40-60% of someone's political beliefs are innate, and youngsters generally want everything for nothing. One party tends to pamper to their delusions, the Left (Democrat, Labour etc..). At 16, dangerous age, raise it to 21 as a minimum. My eldest, he's 27 now, went through the same thing, he voted Labour. Then when he got a job and paid tax, he soon realised what a fool he had been. He votes Right Wing now. Maturity comes with experience and you need to get to 21 plus to have at least some maturity to handle voting.

 

[Michael1985]

No, it shouldn't. The youngest voters are already the ones with the lowest participation rates. Further lowering the voting age would only further reduce the percentage of the population casting a ballot. It wouldn't raise it.

 

[BothWings]

They know young people tend to vote more left and liberal. That's the only reason..