Youth in Politics: How Young Canadians Shape Democracy

Youth in Politics examines how young Canadians engage with democratic institutions, political processes, and civic life. Learners will explore the rights, barriers, and structures that shape political participation among citizens aged 1824, connecting this topic to broader themes of Civic Engagement Beyond Voting and Electoral Participation.

Under the Canada Elections Act, Canadian citizens must be at least 18 years old to vote in federal elections. Section 3 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms explicitly guarantees every eligible citizen the right to vote, while sections protecting freedom of expression and peaceful assembly enable broader political participation.

Historically, Canadians aged 1824 vote at considerably lower rates than older citizens. Research consistently identifies political disengagement the feeling that one's vote does not meaningfully change outcomes as a leading factor, alongside lack of civic education and voter registration complexity.

The 2015 federal election saw a notable surge in youth turnout, with estimates suggesting participation among 1824-year-olds rose from approximately 39% in 2011 to around 57% in 2015. This increase was linked to heightened engagement around climate change, electoral reform, and Indigenous reconciliation.

Implementing automatic voter registration upon turning 18 is frequently proposed as a structural reform to directly remove registration complexity. Elections Canada, the independent non-partisan agency responsible for administering federal elections, runs specific outreach programmes targeting youth voter registration and participation.

Political participation takes both electoral and non-electoral forms. Direct electoral participation includes voting, joining a registered political party, volunteering for a candidate's campaign, and attending town hall meetings hosted by a Member of Parliament (MP). Non-electoral participation includes signing petitions, joining advocacy groups, attending protests, and community organising.

The House of Commons operates an official e-petition system allowing Canadian citizens, including youth, to raise issues for parliamentary debate. Once an e-petition reaches 500 signatures, the government is obligated to respond. Students can also explore Interest Groups and Advocacy and Social Movements as complementary pathways for political influence.

Youth wings of major federal parties such as the Young Liberals of Canada and the NDP Youth allow young people as young as 14 to join, campaign, and vote on party policy, developing future political leaders at the grassroots level.

Several institutions and programmes support youth civic engagement in Canada. The Forum for Young Canadians brings students to Ottawa to experience Parliament firsthand. Student Vote Canada runs parallel elections in schools during official federal and provincial elections, giving students hands-on democratic experience.

Youth Parliament programmes in provinces such as Ontario and British Columbia allow students to simulate the legislative process in actual legislature chambers. Apathy is Boring is a well-known non-partisan organisation dedicated to increasing youth civic participation through education, arts, and digital media.

Samara Canada is a non-partisan charity that runs programmes to engage youth in democracy, including mentorship for those interested in running for public office. Social media platforms have also become powerful tools for Canadian youth to organise politically, as explored further in Digital Citizenship and Media and Political Communication.

Canada uses a first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system, meaning the candidate with the most votes in a riding wins that seat, even without a majority. Critics argue this system creates "safe seats" and "wasted votes," discouraging youth from voting when their preferred candidate has little chance of winning.

A riding (also called an electoral district or constituency) is the geographic area that elects one MP to the House of Commons. Following the 2023 federal redistribution, Canada has 343 federal ridings. Proportional representation is an alternative electoral model frequently debated in Canada, particularly by youth-led electoral reform advocates.

Any Canadian citizen who is at least 18 years old and eligible to vote may also run as a candidate for the House of Commons, making it theoretically possible for an 18-year-old to be elected as an MP.

Prior to 1960, status First Nations people were required to give up their Indian status to vote in federal elections. The 1960 Canadian Bill of Rights under Prime Minister John Diefenbaker extended the unconditional right to vote to all status First Nations people, marking a landmark moment in Canadian democratic history.

Idle No More, founded in 2012, became a major grassroots movement involving Indigenous youth across Canada, raising awareness of Indigenous sovereignty, treaty rights, and environmental protection. Indigenous youth councils affiliated with the Assembly of First Nations, the Métis National Council, and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami amplify the voices of young First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people on policy issues.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action (particularly Calls 6265) urge governments and schools to educate youth about Indigenous history, fostering informed and inclusive civic engagement. This connects directly to Contemporary Social Justice Issues and Recognition and Analysis of Inequity.

Civic Engagement: Broad participation in democratic life, encompassing voting, community involvement, advocacy, and other activities that contribute to the functioning of a democratic society.

Political Apathy: A general lack of interest or concern about political processes among young people, frequently cited as a key reason for lower youth voter turnout in Canada.

Grassroots Activism: Community-level political mobilisation in which ordinary citizens, often youth, organise around shared issues to influence policy from the bottom up.

Lobbying: The practice of directly targeting and attempting to influence decision-makers, such as MPs or government officials, on behalf of a specific cause or interest group.

Electoral Participation: The act of voting and engaging in related formal electoral processes, such as registering to vote, donating to parties, or running as a candidate.

Candidate: An individual who seeks elected office, such as a seat in the House of Commons, by running in a federal or provincial election.

Riding: A geographic electoral district in Canada that elects one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons; also called a constituency or electoral district.

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms: A constitutional document entrenched in the Constitution Act, 1982, that guarantees fundamental rights including the right to vote (Section 3), freedom of expression, and freedom of peaceful assembly for all Canadians.

Youth Caucus: A group within a political party that channels the voices and policy priorities of young members, providing a formal structure for youth political engagement within party politics.

Proportional Representation: An electoral model in which the share of seats a party receives in a legislature reflects its share of the popular vote, debated in Canada as an alternative to the first-past-the-post system.

Political Socialisation: The lifelong process through which individuals, especially young people, learn political values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours from agents such as family, schools, peers, and media.

Civic Responsibility: The moral and social obligations of citizens in a democracy, including voting, staying informed, respecting the law, and participating in political and community processes.

Civic Literacy: Knowledge of how democratic institutions, electoral systems, rights, and responsibilities function, enabling citizens to participate meaningfully and effectively in political life.

First-Past-the-Post (FPTP): Canada's primary electoral system in which the candidate with the most votes in a riding wins the seat, regardless of whether they achieve a majority of votes cast.

Youth Outreach: Targeted efforts by political parties, candidates, and organisations like Elections Canada to engage, inform, and mobilise young voters during and between election campaigns.

Minority Government: A government in which the ruling party holds fewer than half the seats in the House of Commons, making it dependent on support from other parties to pass legislation.

Representative Democracy: A system of government in which citizens elect representatives such as MPs to make laws and decisions on their behalf in Parliament and provincial legislatures.

Notwithstanding Clause (Section 33): A provision of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that allows Parliament or a provincial legislature to temporarily override certain Charter rights for a renewable five-year period.

Students can deepen their understanding of youth political participation by analyzing Elections Canada data on voter turnout trends across age groups and identifying structural barriers to youth engagement. Comparing the first-past-the-post system with proportional representation models helps learners evaluate arguments for electoral reform.

Researching organisations such as Apathy is Boring, Samara Canada, and Student Vote Canada allows students to connect theoretical concepts to real-world civic engagement initiatives. Learners can also examine how Digital Advocacy, Educational Activism and Conflict Resolution in Schools intersects with youth political mobilisation in the digital age.

Exploring the TRC Calls to Action and the history of Indigenous voting rights connects this topic to Civil Rights Movements and Human Rights Challenges, encouraging students to think critically about democratic inclusion.

Before engaging with Youth in Politics, students should be familiar with foundational concepts from Political Action and Political Systems and Civic Engagement, which establish the structures within which youth participation occurs. Understanding Advocacy and Social Change provides essential context for grassroots activism and lobbying strategies used by young Canadians.

Knowledge of Contemporary Political Challenges and Current Political Issues helps students understand why youth engagement is particularly significant in today's political climate. Familiarity with Media Ethics in Politics, Fake News, Press Freedom and the Post-Truth Era is also valuable, as social media plays an increasingly central role in youth political mobilisation.

This topic also builds on Cultural Diversity and Identity and Recognition and Analysis of Inequity, which inform discussions of Indigenous youth participation and the historical exclusion of marginalised groups from Canadian democratic processes.

Youth in Politics is closely connected to Civic Engagement Beyond Voting, which explores the full range of democratic participation available to Canadians beyond the ballot box. Electoral Participation provides detailed analysis of voting behaviour and electoral systems that directly shape youth engagement.

Social Movements and Interest Groups and Advocacy examine how collective action and organised lobbying complement individual political participation, particularly for youth who may not yet be eligible to vote. Digital Citizenship and Media and Political Communication address how digital platforms have transformed youth political expression and mobilisation.

Understanding Democracy and Democratic Values, Rights, Freedoms and Responsibilities, and Political Ideologies provides the theoretical foundation for analysing why and how youth engage politically. Political Spectrum and Contemporary Political Thought help students situate youth political movements within broader ideological frameworks.

Topics such as Communicating Political Ideas, Political Research Methods, and Political Thinking Concepts equip students with the analytical tools needed to evaluate youth political participation critically. Analyzing Political Data, Evaluating Political Sources, Gathering Political Information, and Formulating Political Questions develop the research skills essential for understanding voter turnout data and civic engagement trends.

Finally, Power, Influence and Authority, Social Contract Theory, and Political Polarization provide essential conceptual lenses for understanding why youth political participation matters in a functioning democracy. Social Movements for Equality: Women's Rights, Civil Rights, Anti-Apartheid and Digital Advocacy, Educational Activism and Conflict Resolution in Schools further contextualise youth activism within historical and contemporary struggles for democratic inclusion.