Monday, August 15, 2016
How Justin Trudeau Is Winning the Battle For The Future
Well there he was yesterday, marching in Montreal's gay pride parade, just like he did in Toronto and Vancouver.
And no doubt winning tens of thousands of new supporters.
But what's just as significant is the way Trudeau is going after the votes of young Canadians.
And the way they are answering the call to join his youth council.
Newly released figures show that more than 9,000 young Canadians have applied to sit on a youth advisory board that will meet regularly with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
As of Friday morning, there were 9,929 applicants to be on Trudeau’s youth council, according to data provided to The Canadian Press. A further 22,027 started the application process, but had yet to finish it before Friday’s deadline.
For in a country where the young have been criticized for being apathetic about the political process those numbers are extraordinary, and it is a very smart move.
It’s at once a shrewd political and policy development move for the government, says David Coletto of Abacus Research, who has conducted research on the views of young voters during last year’s election.
Political, he says, because it’s a way for the Liberals to keep the young voters they won over in the last election in the fold for the next trip to the ballot box in 2019.
For those young voters are the future.
In the last election they turned out in large numbers, and helped win Justin Trudeau his majority.
Droves of young voters showed up to the polls last October, leading to the biggest gains in youth voter turnout since the new millennium.
The biggest gains were amongst youth between the ages of 18-24, which grew from 38.8 per cent in 2011 to 56.2 in 2015.
And since even more young Canadians will be eligible to vote in the next election, they will have an even greater role in determining the winner.
And their priorities will ensure that the Liberal platform will be more progressive.
The applicants are more interested in human rights and social justice than policies about infrastructure, families and social programs, which lay at the heart of the Liberals’ election platform. There is an interest in jobs and the economy, but a larger focus on health and mental health as well as the environment.
Just like Bernie Sanders' followers will make sure that the Democratic Party's platform in the 2020 U.S. election is a lot more progressive than it is now.
Which will be good for people of ALL ages in that country, as it will be in Canada.
And as it is in Scotland...
Where the decision to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote is putting pressure on the SNP government they helped elect, to come up with a more progressive agenda.
And is something we need to push for in this country.
Especially since studies show that the sooner the young get involved in the political process, the more likely they are to keep voting as they get older.
And the best news?
The Cons don't stand a chance of attracting many young voters with their reactionary policies, and their appalling record.
Or these kind of leadership candidates...
None of whom can appeal to young Canadians like Justin Trudeau can.
So not only will the new generation ensure that the future belongs to us.
They will help bury the Cons forever...
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