As Canadians take to the polls on Oct. 21, among them will be students, not only there as voters but as candidates themselves. This year’s federal election has seen a number of university students from coast to coast entering as candidates in their ridings, having to balance their schooling with a political schedule.
In recent years, Elections Canada has seen a rise in youth voters, with turnout among youth voters aged 18-24 jumping to 57.1 per cent in the 2015 elections, compared to 39 per cent in 2011.
With election campaigns now in full swing, the Charlatan spoke to three current university students who are running as candidates in the federal election about youth voices, climate change, and their hopes for the upcoming election.
Maia Knight, Green Party candidate from Ajax, Ont.
A first-year journalism and political science student at Carleton University, Knight, 18, is currently running as a Green Party candidate in her home riding, Ajax, for the 2019 federal election.
Knight said her interest in politics stems from her passion for climate action and intervention.
“When I was about eight or nine, I found out about climate change, and that was very jarring for me as a very young person,” she said. “Up until that point, I had sort of assumed that the world was a really lovely place, and politicians were all good, and there was no corruption in the world.
“Finding out about climate change started my interest into politics, because of the power that people in government have to change the issue,” Knight added.
As a first-time student voter herself, Knight said she wants to increase voter turnout and youth involvement in politics.
“I really want to encourage people in my riding to get out and vote. Not even just for me, but voting, in general, is a huge thing for me,” she said.
She also is advocating for immediate action on climate change, such as implementing a ban on single-use plastics sooner, as well as looking into ways to provide affordable housing.
Knight said she was extremely happy with the support she has received from her community, adding that it has been “eye-opening” for people who underestimate youth’s involvement in politics.
“The response has typically been very positive, they’re really impressed that such a young person is running,” she said. “For them to see a young person not only getting involved in politics but actually running, I think that’s really eye-opening and I think they’re really impressed.”
Despite the support back home, balancing schoolwork and a political campaign hasn’t been easy for Knight.
“It’s quite difficult,” she said, adding that she’s been able to stay connected by making phone calls and replying to emails, as well as relying on her parents to speak on her behalf, with the biggest challenge being her overall absence.
“For a long part of the campaign period, I’m not there. I’m doing as much as I can, my parents are doing as much as they can on my behalf, but not being there full-time is really difficult,” she said. “I’m not meeting as many constituents and I’m not attending as many events as the other candidates.”
Although she hasn’t been back to Ajax since her campaign started, starting this weekend, Knight plans on returning every weekend until the election. “I’m going to be going and meeting people, holding events, meeting constituents, and canvassing a lot.”
Aaron Brown, NDP candidate for Aurora —Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, Ont.
When he was in Grade 3 learning about politics, Aaron Brown said he remembers running as class prime minister and winning. Now, as a third-year international development student at the University of Toronto, Brown is running as a federal candidate in the Aurora-Oak Ridges-Richmond Hill riding for the New Democratic Party.
“As I grew up, I obviously wanted to get involved, but I didn’t really know which party aligned with me,” he said.
It wasn’t until doing his own research and soul-searching that Brown said he found himself “really fitting into” the NDP and what they stood for.
“Looking at the past four years I feel like we need a more progressive, left government,” he said. “My area is sort of a swing between liberal and conservative, so I really wanted to step up and be a new voice in the community and give people an option, other than the status quo.”
Brown’s main areas of focus include climate change, affordable housing, and healthcare coverage.
As a self-described “advocate for systemic change,” Brown said more action needs to be taken to address climate change, such as taking action to curb fossil fuel emissions by getting rid of fossil fuel subsidies.
“Obviously, we shouldn’t be building a pipeline and we shouldn’t be investing in these industries that are unsustainable,” he said.
Brown said he also stands behind the NDP’s proposed health plan, which would cover eye care, dental care, mental health care, and prescription drugs.
“When you go to the doctor, you should be pulling out your health card, not your credit card,” he said. “You shouldn’t have to think about how you can afford to go to a doctor if you actually need it.”
According to Brown, the current state of the government and the decisions being made are a crucial time for youth’s voices to be heard.
“Being a student, being a young person, the stakes are high,” he said. “We’re going to have to live with these policies being made now, so we should have our voices being heard.”
So far, Brown said his experience hasn’t been the easiest.
“It’s definitely an uphill battle,” he said.
“It’s been sort of a mixed response,” Brown added. “It’s been nice talking to people and just hearing what they have to say. Generally, people are happy that a young person is running and [I’m] putting myself out there.”
On the day of the election, Brown said he hopes to see students voting and making an informed decision.
“I think students play a huge role even if they don’t think they do,” he said. “We do have a say and we do have power.”
“I just hope that all students take a little bit of time out of their day, read all the different policies, make an educated decision for yourself, and go out and vote,” Brown added.
Natasha Tremblay, Conservative candidate for Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia, Que.
When Natasha Tremblay voted for the first time in the 2015 federal election, as someone passionate about politics, she said she felt like it was a big deal.
“I was like, wow, I’m actually going to have my voice heard,” she said.
Currently a law student at the University of Laval in Quebec City, Tremblay is now running as a federal candidate for the Conservative Party in the Avignon—La Mitis—Matane—Matapédia riding of Eastern Quebec.
For Tremblay, being a student candidate is like being on the other side of a student voter.
“In both ways, you’re contributing to democracy. But being a candidate, now you’re not so much the one listening and deciding, you’re the one trying to convince people to vote for you,” she said.
Tremblay said she first became interested in politics while studying journalism at Carleton University, and was working as a page for the House of Commons.
After returning to Quebec to pursue law, Tremblay said she became more involved with her local Conservative Party group and was eventually offered the position to run as a candidate.
“Honestly, I really didn’t expect to be running in this election, I thought I would be more helping out local candidates in Quebec City,” she said, adding, “I figured it would be a really good way of learning how to campaign, so here I am now.”
Balancing school work and running a campaign hasn’t been the easiest for Tremblay.
“It’s definitely a lot at once,” she said. “I think most candidates, they stop working, they stop everything, they’re just full time on their campaign.”
One of Tremblay’s main platform points is the environment, specifically green technology.
“I really believe the future is green technology, and part of the Conservative platform is to invest in green tech, so for me, that’s super, super important,” she said.
While taking part in the climate march in Montreal last Friday, Tremblay said she was impressed by the sheer amount of young people fighting for change.
“Imagine if we had more young people in parliament pressing for these things. I think we would really see some stuff happen,” she said.
Tremblay said she also wants to focus on Quebec’s autonomy.
“I consider myself a Quebecois nationalist,” she said.
According to Tremblay, a lot of thought is put into achieving gender parity and representation in political assemblies, but not age diversity, which is why youth participation is important in every election.
“We think a lot about that kind of representation, but we don’t think a lot about necessarily age group representation,” she said. “If we could have more youth in our parliaments, it would just make the political debates more interesting, and we could see more perspective.”
But Tremblay said there are other ways for youth to affect change without having to run for the position of MP.
“The more youth are involved in politics, one way or another, the better we’ll be represented by our government,” she said. “Obviously that starts with the vote, young people have to get out and vote.”
Voters can cast their ballot at their local polling station on Oct. 21 or at any time prior to the Tuesday before election day at an Elections Canada office. Any registered voters, including those living abroad, can also vote by mail.
At Carleton, students can cast their ballot on advanced polling days that will take place from Oct. 5-7 in Fenn Lounge in Residence Commons.
