The Federal Election is fast approaching. Local MP’s are knocking on doors, debates are being broadcast across the country and scandals are featured on nearly every newspaper cover. On October 21st, 2019 Canada will elect its next leader. Though students may not have an official right to vote, we do have a voice. This year, over a million of students across Canada are expected to cast ballots in the 2019 Student Vote. On October 15th, every student at STA will have the opportunity to vote for a local candidate running in our school’s riding. Here is everything you need to know.
When Is The Student Vote?
- The student vote will be held throughout the day on Tuesday, October 15th.
- Classes will be called down to cast their ballot at student-run polling stations.
When Is The Official Election?
- The official election is Monday, October 21st.
- The parliament was dissolved on September 11th, 2019, by Governor General Julie Payette, marking the beginning of a campaign trail lasting 40-days.
- The election will see the Liberals trying to retain their majority government.
Why Is It Important?
- We are the next generation of voters and it will soon be our civic duty to vote.
- Though our vote may not be officially recognized, the results of the vote will be published and our voice as youth will be heard.
- We must familiarize ourselves with the electoral process and realize that a vote has a real impact on our lives.
How Does The Election Work?
- Citizens vote to fill seats in the House Of Commons.
- There are 338 seats in the House Of Commons each representing an electoral district.
- Canada’s electoral system is commonly referred to as a “first-past-the-post” system. This means that in every electoral district the candidate with the most votes wins a seat in the House Of Commons and represents it’s riding as a member of parliament.
- Most candidates are endorsed or registered under a party and the name of their party will appear under their name on the ballot, however, some candidates run as independents.
- 170 seats are needed to win a majority government
- The leader of the party with the highest number of seats will assume the Prime Minister’s Office.
What Are The Parties?
Six main parties are running in this year’s election:
- The Liberal Party
- The Conservative Party
- The New Democratic Party
- The Bloc Quebecois
- The Green Party
- The People’s Party
Who Are The Candidates?
Local candidates:
- Anita Anand- Liberal Party
- Terence Young- Conservative Party
- Jerome Adamo- New Democratic Party
- James Elwick- Green Party
- JD Meaney- People’s Party
- Sushila Pereira- Christian Heritage Party
Anita Anand JD Meaney Sushila Pereira Terence Young Jerome Adamo James Elwick
Leaders of each party and potential candidates for the Prime Minister’s Office:
- Justin Trudeau (Liberal Party): Current Prime-Minister of Canada. MP for the riding of Papineau.
- Andrew Scheer (Conservative Party): Former Speaker of the House of Commons. MP for the riding of Regina-Qu’Appelle.
- Jagmeet Singh (New Democratic Party): Lawyer and politician. MP for the riding of Burnaby South.
- Yves-François Blanchet (Bloc Quebecois): Politician. A former member of the National Assembly Of Quebec.
- Elizabeth May (Green Party): Environmentalist, activist, author, lawyer, politician. MP for the riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands.
- Maxime Bernier (People’s Party): Businessman, lawyer, politician. MP for the riding of Beauce.
Justin Trudeau Andrew Scheer Jagmeet Singh Elizabeth May Maxime Bernier Yves-François Blanchet
How To Get Informed
- The Student Votes team will be providing information to students ahead of October 15th and organizing events in upcoming weeks.
- Raider Weekly will be offering weekly updates regarding the election and campaign trail.
- The next English debate will be held on Monday Oct.7, 2019, available on major Canadian T.V networks. (CBC, CTV etc.)