The House of Commons yesterday by vote of 245 to 77 rejected a New Democrat bill to permit Grade 10 students to cast ballots in federal elections. Twenty Liberal MPs supported the measure..“Right now, young voices I believe are particularly important because they have such a stake in the future, especially now, especially on issues like climate change,” said New Democrat MP Taylor Bachrach (Skeena-Bulkley Valley, B.C.), sponsor of the bill. Younger teenagers “want to be part of our electoral process,” he added..Bill C-210 An Act To Amend The Canada Elections Act would have lowered the minimum voting age from 18 to 16. Parliament last lowered the federal voting age in 1970 from 21 to 18. Two identical New Democrat and Green Party bills lapsed in the last Parliament..“The story of the franchise in Canada is one of continual expansion,” said Bachrach. “At one time only landowning male British subjects could vote in our elections. Over time Canada broadened the tent.”.According to Blacklock's Reporter, supporters of the bill included New Democrat, Bloc Québécois and Green MPs, as well as 20 Liberals including a former cabinet minister, two committee chairs and two parliamentary secretaries. “Members are free to vote as they wish,” said Chief Government Whip Steven MacKinnon..Passage of the bill would have seen more than a million new voters added to Elections Canada rolls, said Conservative MP Tom Kmiec (Calgary Shepard). The MP in Second Reading debate said he feared lowering the voting age to Grade 10 would have politicized high schools..“Should Members of Parliament and candidates choosing to run for public office ensure we have equal access to high schools to campaign there?” said Kmiec. “Is that something we want? Is that a place where we want to be able to campaign? How would that work?”.Social Development Minister Karina Gould, elected an MP at 28, yesterday opposed the bill. “Eighteen is a voting age,” Gould told reporters..“Do you think 16-year-olds are probably more NDP?” asked a reporter. “I don’t think it has that big of a difference,” replied Gould.
