NDP Leadership hopefuls say voting age should be 16

According to an article by iPolitics, all five hopefuls for the federal NDP Leadership agree lowering the voting age to 16 should be looked at.

“I think we really need to find ways to get young people to vote,” candidate and Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus told Rogers Media Friday morning.

“I think it’s really important in the north, where so many young people turn 18 and move south to go to school and they’re not registered to vote and then they don’t vote.”

Angus says if the suggestion is up to lower the voting age, “let’s look at it.”

“The more young people we engage in the voting process, the stronger our democracy’s going to be.”

This was part of a labour-focused debate held at the University of Toronto, put on by the United Steelworkers.

Angus says he’s just received support from steelworkers from “right across Northern Ontario.”

He adds he focused on the issues related to jobs, pensions and “the fact that more and more people are getting downsized to contract work.”

“What’s the plan for the economy? To me, that’s one of the fundamental questions the New Democrats have to be talking about because people are not getting their fair share.”