Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae and NDP federal leadership candidate Paul Dewar reached out to students in the last two weeks at meet-and-greet events at Carleton’s campus pubs.
Personal politics aside, the Conservatives should step up and do the same for the sake of balanced democracy.
These kinds of meet-and-greets with politicians bring students — as members of the community — closer to politics. These events make politics more personal and can help get youth involved.
Meet-and-greets with politicians can also work to parties’ advantage. They can introduce youth to party values and policies, and they allow members of Parliament to establish a presence for themselves and their parties among potential voters.
The Carleton Conservatives or Conservative MPs haven’t held such an event this year. This sends the message that the Conservatives don’t care about what youth have to say. If they truly do, it’s time for them to show it.
The Conservatives won’t have a majority government forever. It would work in their favour to at least try to secure a group of younger voters for the future. It’s no secret that voter turnout is on the decline. The younger generation of non-voters will age, become older non-voters, and this decline will continue.
Although their leadership isn’t in question like that of the Liberals and the NDP, the Conservatives should still reach out to youth in the same way Rae and Dewar have — if for no other reason then to establish supporters for elections in the near and distant future.