Canadians are going to cast a vote in a crucial federal election on April 28.
This election offers a great chance for students to shape the future of the country. Elections Canada has taken steps to make voting easier for students, including on campus advance polls, because it understands how important young involvement is. This year’s election is at a time when the housing prices have increased. People are having a tough time managing their finances. The average home currently costs almost ten times the average household’s annual income. Young voters between the ages of 18 and 24 have historically had lower turnout rates; in the 2019 election, just 57.1% of them cast ballots. Recently there has been a surge on social media which shows students are quite concerned and keeping an eye on this year’s election issues “So when I look at a candidate, I’m kind of looking at their platform and what they will do for our economy first and foremost” says Amanda Arron who is an Advertising student at Seneca Polytechnic.
Housing a top issue for students
Housing is one of the most important concerns influencing students’ voting behavior this year. College students are severely burdened by the skyrocketing cost of rent in major cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. To pay for housing, students are frequently compelled to work many part-time jobs, live far from university, or share cramped flats. Due to a lack of reasonably priced options, some even claim to live in dangerous or badly kept apartments.
“The number one thing I’m looking at is affordability. That’s kind of been a hot topic in Canada as well as housing and housing affordability” says Mike Hasting who is a medical student at Humber College.
Talking about the interest of students in this year’s election, in previous election years students felt very disassociated with Canadian politics. There have also been some common myths or misunderstanding students have about voting “Mostly students feel their vote doesn’t matter’. And that’s just not true. In many ridings, the margin of victory is just a few hundred votes–sometimes even less. Young voters make up a huge portion of this population” says Ali Sajid, a reporter from OMNI News.
Even while there are still obstacles that prevent students from voting, such as hectic schedules or a lack of knowledge about the procedure, initiatives like online resources and on-campus voting are making a difference. Huge number of students are prepared to voice their voice through the ballet. They may influence the future on the issues that are most important to them by casting their votes.
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