At just 20 years old, Cameron Rose Jette is running for city councillor in Ottawa’s 2018 municipal elections. They are the youngest candidate running for councillor in Ward 19: Cumberland this year.
For the third-year human rights and social justice student, getting involved in local politics was a natural progression.
“I come from a very politically involved family, and I still remember cold-calling when I was eight years old, reminding people to vote,” they said.
Jette is also currently a faculty of arts and social sciences councillor with the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA). They said the experience helped prepare them to run for city councillor by giving them an idea of what a city council is actually like.
“A lot of the times, people running for council find the behind-the-scenes to have a lot of mystery to it,” Jette said. “Being a student councillor helped me understand how a council functions.”
According to Jette, the role of a city councillor is significant because a city as big as Ottawa should have people who are invested in the local community.
“Having an individual represent each location is very important, because more of the voices will be heard than if only the mayor represented the entire city,” they said.
Jette’s campaign focuses on four main areas: accessibility, diversity, education, and health and safety.
“I think one of the things that made me decide to run as city councillor is not being able to see the voices of people like me being represented in city council,” Jette said. “Out of 24 slots, there’s only four women and only one person who identifies as LGBTQ+.”
Jette plans on improving education by gaining the support of the school board on sex-ed curriculum.
“I don’t think a curriculum that came out the year I was born is an accurate representation of sex-ed,” they said.
As part of their health and safety initiative, one of the things Jette also hopes to provide is safe-injection sites.
“Advocating for the safety of drug users is very important,” Jette said. “It saves lives.”
Jette said they believe that along with everyone else, eligible Carleton students should vote in the municipal elections because it is the only way to change the system.
“If you haven’t voted for change, you can’t complain about not having change,” they said.
Jette is competing against two other candidates in their ward.
Voting for the Ontario municipal elections will take place on Oct. 22
File photo
