Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am bringing this motion forward after much discussion with young people in my constituency and in the Western Arctic. The intent of the motion is to give more young people a voice in the important political decisions that will be made over the next few years; decisions that will define the very nature of the Territories we live in.
I must stress to Members that lowering the voting age is not a radical suggestion. It would merely bring our legislation into line with most other jurisdictions in Canada that have already recognized the important contribution that young people can make in a political process.
Changes in legislation proposed in the motion will allow persons 18 years of age to vote in municipal and territorial elections and to run for office in these elections. It would also allow them the opportunity to cast their vote on the issue of division should a plebiscite ever occur.
We have heard often in this House about the important contributions that our youth can make. I have heard the Government Leader and many Members of the Executive Council tell this House how they consulted with young people on important issues. The current constitutional commission has recognized the contribution young people can make by going to high schools across the Territories to get their views on the constitutional development process in the Western Arctic. Young people have more to contribute than ever before.
As Mr. Lewis has stated in the House, young people have an understanding of the complexities of the modern world. They want satisfying jobs; some of them want to be businessmen; some of them want to build things; they are not happy with just getting a job; they want to make accomplishments; they want to make a contribution; they want another level of satisfaction that is far beyond what the elders were looking for many years ago.
Political Awareness Increases With Educational Level
The motion would go further than consultation. It would allow more young people to have a direct voice on these important issues by exercising their right to vote. Mr. Speaker, our youth are attending and graduating from high school at an ever increasing rate. As the Minister of Education has stated, our schools can hardly keep up with the demand. Increasing numbers of Dene, Metis and Inuit youth are graduating from high school and going on to post-secondary education programs at Arctic College, universities, college and trade schools. As the level of education increases for our youth, the level of political awareness increases proportionately. Young people are increasingly becoming involved in the political process through presentations to and meeting with constitutional commissions, participating in youth forums and serving on youth justice committees, and they are actively participating in aboriginal organizations.
I know that many of the people that have served in this House became politically active at a very young age. For example, Mr. Morin has told us that he was the president of the first Metis local at Pine Point at the age of 17.
The decisions we make over the next several years are decisions that will shape the lives of many of our youth. One way to ensure that more of our youth have a greater say in these decisions is by lowering the voting age to 18, as most other jurisdictions have done. I should note that I was concerned when I was considering this motion about the effect of changing the voting age on other age requirements in territorial legislation. I was particularly concerned with the effect it may have on the legal drinking age. The research I have done shows that amendments to the election legislation would not affect this requirement. In fact, in most other jurisdictions the voting age is lower than the drinking age, and that is how it would be here.
The fact is that the youth of our Territories are better educated, more politically aware and active and have a larger stake in the political decisions that shape our future than ever before. It is for these reasons that I am proposing this motion to give them a larger voice in the future.
Mr. Speaker, I would also like to mention that before the conclusion of the 11th Assembly, I did discuss the matter of changing the voting age at that time, before the election, but I did not think it would have been supported. The reason I would like to bring it up at this time is that there are people that are 15, 16 or 17 years of age that are listening to us probably right now with regard to this. They will be 18 years of age when the election comes in 1994, so perhaps if the Members care for their political years, they might consider supporting it. Thank you.