OTTAWA, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) — Liberals are petitioning for high schoolers to be allowed to vote in federal elections.
In a July petition introduced to the House of Commons by Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberals are pushing for the voting age for federal elections to be reduced from 18 years old to 16 years old, arguing that youth need a voice in society.
“Sixteen and seventeen-year-olds across Canada are already taking on real responsibilities, from working part-time jobs and paying taxes, to driving, volunteering, and taking on family responsibilities,” the petition stated.
“Young Canadians are informed, thoughtful, and actively involved in their schools, communities, and movements that shape our country’s future,” it continued.
“Extending the voting age to 16 would empower a new generation to participate in democracy while still in school, where habits of civic engagement are more easily built and supported,” the petition declared.
Interestingly, the Liberals’ push to decrease the voting age in Canada comes at a time when young Canadians are increasingly voting Conservative.
In 2015, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was wildly popular with Canadian youth, receiving the majority of the young vote and visiting high schools across the country.
However, in the 2025 election, young Canadians favored the Conservative party, which received 41 percent of the votes from Canadians aged 18-34, while Liberals only received 37 percent from the same demographic.
The political shift is largely attributed to rising costs of living, including food and housing, under the Liberal administration.
Trudeau’s carbon tax, framed as a way to reduce carbon emissions, has cost Canadian households hundreds of dollars annually despite rebates. According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, this year, the tax will cost the average Canadians family up to $911 more this year than they get back in rebates.
Additionally, in 2024, Food Banks Canada reported that 2 million visit food banks each month, a 90% increase from 2019.
Furthermore, directly following a report that Canada’s poverty rate increased for the first time in years due to high inflation spurred by government spending, polls showed that nearly half of Canadians are only $200 from complete financial ruin, and yet Liberals refused to change their policies.
