IDEA: Get Politically Aware this Election Season

October 19th is a very important day in Canadian politics: it is election day!

Although many students won’t be able to vote in this election, the youth voice can have an incredible influence through social media, demonstrations, letter writing and through calls to action. What issues are important to young people and how can the leader of our country work to address those issues? Tweet these calls to action and your questions to the candidates running for federal election in your riding. Even tweet the party leaders running for Prime Minister: Steven Harper (@pmHarper), Thomas Mulcair (@ThomasMulcair), Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau), Elizabeth May (@ElizabethMay) and Gilles Duceppe (@GillesDuceppe).

Each of the parties have released platforms explaining their positions on topics such as the environment, healthcare, childcare, military, foreign aid, Aboriginal relations, immigration and more. Take the time to acquaint yourself with where they stand. One of these platforms will become Canada’s reality!

Once you feel informed and possibly have picked who you would vote for if you could, check out Vote Compass*, a fun and educational tool to see where you might fit into the bigger political picture in Canada.

*”Vote Compass was developed by Vox Pop Labs, an independent, non-partisan group of social researchers and data scientists. Neither Vote Compass nor Vox Pop Labs are affiliated with any political organization or interest group.

The aim of Vote Compass is to stimulate voter engagement and encourage discussion on public policy. Results are not intended and should not be interpreted as voting advice, nor as a prediction as to which party a given user intends to vote for. It is rather an entry point into a discussion of party positions on a suite of issues relevant to the election.” — CBC