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Youth vote in trouble, expert says Millennials in danger of becoming democracy’s lost generation
BRENT RICHTER brichter@nsnews.com
They’ve got the power to swing this tight election race and the fate of the country but the majority of Canada’s 18 to 24 demographic, if past trends hold up, will likely stay home on Oct. 19.
That’s the bleak prediction of political scientists who worry the Millennials are becoming democracy’s lost generation. Less than 39 per cent voted in 2011. “Young people are coming of age. They’re not voting and they’re never starting to vote,” said David Moscrop, a UBC political
VOTE 2015 scientist. It’s something there are a number of efforts to turn the tide on – student groups have get-out-thevote campaigns, lobby groups are pushing for
more youth-friendly policies and Canadian satirist Rick Mercer has pursued the issue on his show, The Mercer Report. Apathy, isn’t the reason for the dwindling turnout, all agree. Research shows young people are in some ways more engaged than their older cohorts – they just don’t engage with politics in the same way, Moscrop said. Their activism takes other forms.
Political parties too share some of the blame for leaving young people behind, Moscrop said. Rather than seeing them as untapped votes, parties tend to target their scarce resources and platforms to demographics that are more likely to show up when it counts. “I do know that the parties, when they’re knocking on doors, aren’t talking to young people. When a young person
answers the door, they’ll say ‘Are your parents home?’ It’s a pretty common problem,” Moscrop said. The trend should be worrying for Canadians of all generations Moscrop said, when you ponder the “false majority” governments that will be produced with future low voter turnout. “How legitimate is a government that has 100 per See Cap page 5
Police investigate targeted hit near Princess Park JANE SEYD jseyd@nsnews.com
WATER WARRIORS Zoe George emerges from the chilly waters of Burrard Inlet after swimming across from Barnet Marine Park to Whey-ahWichen/Cates Park on Sunday. Swimmers supported by paddlers from seven Coast Salish nations participated in the fourth-annual Salish Sea Gathering to bring community awareness to the Tsleil-Waututh-led fight against Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. PHOTO CINDY GOODMAN
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Police investigators were on the scene of a homicide in North Vancouver Tuesday, believed to be a targeted killing. One man has been confirmed dead, but few other details – including the identity of the man or how he died – have been released by investigators so far. “We believe this was a targeted incident. It was not a random act,” said Sgt. Stephanie Ashton, media spokeswoman for the RCMP’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team. “We’re still in the early stages of this investigation.” Police were called out in the very early hours of See Chevy page 3
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