Thread by @HoodHaikus

THREAD: Today, the PEI Legislative Assembly voted down the Election Age Act, which would have granted the right to vote to 16 & 17 year olds in provincial and municipal elections. Some thoughts… #peipoli
cbc.ca/news/canada/pr…

2. PEI was already a bit of a leader when it came to lowering the voting age—it was the first province to allow 16 & 17 year olds to vote through its Plebiscite on Democratic Renewal. The justification provided then applies today. docs.assembly.pe.ca/download/dms?o…

3. (...nevermind Island political parties, which already allow members younger than 18 to participate and vote in party affairs. In some cases, one could theoretically vote for the next Premier but not for their local MLA. Democracy!)

4. Child advocacy groups are quite clear that the inability of young people to express their views leads to their needs being neglected and ignored. Consider this from UNICEF Canada:

5. Or, consider this from the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights:

6. Even locally, the Child and Youth Advisory Committee of the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate has asked all parties to support lowering the voting age to 16! These are local young people advocating for the rights they deserve!

7. And yet—while this bill was about expanding youth rights, w/o impairment to others— debate re: consultation seemed to focus on everyone BUT young people! (Isn’t that wild? Would you prioritize rich people for their poverty solutions? Joe Facebook for public health policy?)

8. Isn’t this the exact concern children's rights advocacy groups have been raising? That adults, governments and legislators are unable to center the best interests of the child in policy discussions?

9. Isn’t that largely why we established a Child & Youth Advocate—because we can’t confidently rely on elected representatives to act in the best interests of children?

10. Whenever you prepare any legislation, you come across a lot of material that informs your eventual position on an issue. There's more than what I've shared here, but I'm not sure how a person could consider the research and evidence and ~not~ be compelled and persuaded.

11. People underappreciate the message this sends to young Islanders. It reinforces the notion that their voice isn’t valued, that they aren’t good enough—all on the basis of age! But what recourse do these young folk have when "elected" officials disregard them? 🤔

12. Anyway, kudos to @karlabernardmla for sponsoring the bill and doing substantial public engagement and outreach, particularly with youth. And kudos to the advocates who continue to fight for the best interests of youth. As Karla said, it's not a question of "if" but "when"!

13. Finally, for those interested, the David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights at UofT (@aspercentre) is preparing a constitutional challenge to the voting age of 18. I hope they are successful—the kids are alright! #peipoli utoronto.ca/news/u-t-s-dav…