Winnipeg North candidates get schooled

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This article was published 29/09/2015 (3889 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The majority can’t vote, but Sisler High School students are still preparing to go to the polls.  

Sisler student group Sisler’s Political Youth (SPY) hosted a Winnipeg North federal election candidates forum in the school’s Taras Korol Theatre on Sept. 24.

Participating in the forum were Harpreet Turka (Con), Levy Abad (NDP), John Redekopp (Green) and current MP Kevin Lamoureux (Lib). Winnipeg North candidate Frank Komarniski (Communist) was not invited.

SPY member Thomas Penner, 17, said even though the majority of Sisler’s student population isn’t of voting age, it’s important to partake in the political process as early as possible.

“The decisions made now are going to be implemented in the future. Just because we don’t exactly have a say in things now, does not mean we won’t contribute in the future,” Penner said.

Stick to the script

The candidates were provided the questions in advance of the forum. The five questions SPY asked the candidates covered post-secondary education, unemployment, voter turnout, environment and health.

The scripted approach didn’t seem to hinder Redekopp or Lamoureux, neither of whom referred to their notes during the event. However, Turka and Abad resorted to their notes throughout the forum, except for impassioned off-the-cuff responses on youth voter engagement (Turka) and Bill C-51 (Abad).

Vote Tory, save a lawn

Perhaps the most unusual response was Turka’s answer to the environmental question “What does your party plan to do to keep Canada’s ecosystems clean and healthy? What kind of world will you leave behind for us?”

“I’m not sure how many of you have seen my lawn signs but we’re using reusable metal spokes that we can reuse after. They cause absolutely no damage to your lawn, just tiny holes, helping the lawn breathe a little bit,” Turka said.

“I’d like to contrast that with another candidate up here. The Liberal candidate, most of the signs he’s putting up, he’s using wooden stakes, which is literally driving a giant hole into your front lawn. Come next summer I promise you there will be crab grass there and that part of the lawn will start to die.”

SPY member Ashley Victoria said while all the candidates provided at least one answer that connected with her, she wasn’t that impressed with Turka’s response to the environmental question.

“I feel like aside from the signs there are obviously more drastic problems that impact the environment,” said Victoria, 17.   

Bringing the heat

While nobody called anyone names, the forum wasn’t without a little fire.

In his closing statement, Lamoureux delivered the line “the greatest thing we have is the abilities and the minds of the constituents we represent, and if we can tap into that, we will be the greatest country in the world.”

Turka, next to speak, said “I want to start by saying Canada is the greatest country in the world.”
Following that, Turka said “I’m not trying to talk down to Kevin at all. He’s served here for 25 plus years. I just think it’s time for some new ideas. You’ve (Lamoureux) worked hard, now you can retire.”

Turka’s comment on Lamoureux elicited an audible and very mixed response, but the biggest cheer of the afternoon definitely went to the sitting Winnipeg North MP.

“All those commercials you hear about Justin Trudeau not being ready, that’s just not true. Justin Trudeau is ready to be the Prime Minister of Canada,” said Lamoureux to a huge ovation from the audience.

SPY teacher advisor and English teacher Andrew Crawford said the Conservatives’ Justin Trudeau “just not ready” attack ads don’t work on young people.

“They’re (Sisler students) the digital generation and they have special cognitive qualities being that they came of an influential age with the internet in place,” Crawford said.  “It’s not that they’re cynical, they’re just wise to gimmicks. They’re sophisticated and an unsophisticated political ploy isn’t going to work.

“Young people are used to being discarded or being not taken seriously by people in their parents’ generation, so when they hear somebody in an older generation speak down to somebody of a younger generation, they don’t respond well to it.”

Youth gone mild?

According to Elections Canada, voter turnout amongst the ages of 18 to 24 was 38.8 per cent in the 2011 federal general election, compared to 75.1 per cent of those aged 65 to 74.
Redekopp seems to take youth seriously. The Green candidate spoke in favour of lowering the voting age to 16.

“I think that would be incredibly effective in getting teachers and schools involved. If there’s an election while you’re high school, you’d be eligible to participate in it,” Redekopp said.

Victoria said lowering the voting age would only make a difference if youth were properly engaged in the political process.

“I think it’s just a matter of involving youth and making it appear that politics is interesting,” Victoria said. “Yes, you can lower the voting age but it doesn’t mean they will vote. It’s just a matter of how you advertise how one vote can actually make a difference.”