All Posts Tagged With: "election"

It’s not the first time a president has praised a politician

Photo by waferboard on Flickr

A University of Saskatchewan professor says President Peter MacKinnon’s endorsement of a Saskatchewan Party minister is unprecedented and constitutes an “abuse of power.”

MacKinnon is quoted in a brochure saying: “Rob Norris is the finest minister responsible for post-secondary education that I have been privileged to work with in my (13) years as (president).”

Len Findlay, Director of the Humanities Research Unit at the university, said presidents are required to stay neutral. “It’s a publicly funded institution and it’s a provincial responsibility,” Findlay told the StarPhoeix. “Provincial governments change and the interests of the institution and the public interest is best served by the university not being seen to align itself with one party…”

MacKinnon said there’s nothing wrong with the comment. He said that it’s important to be careful during election campaigns, but the comment was made in a speech before the writ was dropped.

But are such endorsements, even during elections, really unprecedented as Findlay suggests?

Here are some recent examples of how university and college presidents have praised political parties. You be the judge.

In March, University of Guelph President Alastair Summerlee endorsed federal Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff’s “Learning Passport,” calling it “absolutely amazing” and “a very, very positive contribution,” reported the Guelph Mercury.

In September, York University President Mamdouh Shoukri said in response to the Dalton McGuinty’s Liberal platform that: ”the goals of having the highest postsecondary attainment rate and most educated workforce in the world are the right ones.”

That same week, Sheldon Levy, President of Ryerson University, said that the Ontario Liberal’s platform included “the most progressive change in tuition policy I have seen in 40 years.”

And while their words came after the election in October, both University of Manitoba President David Barnard and Red River College President Stephanie Forsyth offered their gratitude to the NDP for promises of new funding that came in Manitoba’s Throne Speech, according to CKNW.

MacKinnon’s comments may be controversial, but such endorsements aren’t unprecedented.

To read more about what the Nov. 7 Saskatchewan election means for you, click here and here.

Three Ontario Votes educates voters on alternative systems

Photo by of a.drian on Flickr

In the Ontario election on Oct. 6, Premier Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals won far more seats than their foes. The Liberals got 53, Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives landed 37, and Andrea Horwath’s New Democrats took only 17.

But McGuinty only beat Hudak by a few percentage points, 38 to 35, and Horwath received only a sixth of the seats for her 23 per cent of the votes. The seat count didn’t come close to matching the popular vote.

Likewise in Manitoba on Oct. 4. Premier Greg Selinger’s NDP won double the number of seats as Hugh McFadyen’s PCs, (37 to 19), despite the fact that he only got about two per cent more votes.

With results like these, it’s no surprise that people are once again asking whether first-past-the-post (FPTP), where the winner takes all in each seat, is the best electoral system.

A group of political scientists anticipated this debate and created Three Ontario Votes. They asked 9,000 website visitorsto “vote three ways” before the Ontario election, to see if the results of their hypothetical elections would be different from the real thing. They were, in fact, different.

Participants voted three times: once as if they were voting in a traditional FPTP system, once in an Alternative Vote (AV) system and once as if their province had Proportional Representation (PR).

Continue reading What the election results might have been…

More people are pushing youth to vote. Will they listen?

Photo courtesy of a.drian on Flickr

Much like during the run up to federal election that happened in May, campaigns to encourage youth to vote in the five provincial elections happening this fall are popping up everywhere students look.

The question is—will they work?

Elections Canada has not yet released details on voter turnout by age from the 2011 federal election, but overall voter turnout was up just two per cent in 2011 over 2008 (from 59.1 per cent to 61.4 per cent). In other words, it looks like the rock-the-student-vote campaigns failed to get the big results they aimed for. The 2008 turnout for youth aged 18 to 24, by the way, was 37 per cent.

The failure to boost turnout much in May hasn’t stopped political scientists from creating campaigns like U2011: Understanding the Manitoba Election project. U2011 has tried to spur interest with several events that connect the public with experts on issues including women in politics and politics in Northern Manitoba. The team also created VoteAnyWay, a social media campaign aimed at 18- to 24-year-olds, which enlisted several Manitoban celebrities for video pleas asking youth to vote.

But will cringe-inducing PSAs like this riviting “poem” by Gail Asper really motivate youth? ”Even if you got small pox / you can still go check that box / If politics gets you dejected / maybe you should get elected,” Asper enthusiastically rapped on the steps of the Manitoba legislature. She deserves credit for having courted 2,500 views on YouTube. But other celebrities’ videos, like Fred Penner and Rosanna Dearchild’s joint plea, haven’t exactly gone viral with only a couple hundred views.

Bartley Kives, a reporter with the Winnipeg Free Press, offers a more convincing argument as part of the paper’s Democracy Project: ”People all over the world do not have the opportunity to vote because they live under dystopic, tyrannical regimes. They are dying attempting to vote. Therefore, if you do not exercise your right to vote, you’re kind of spitting in their faces and telling them they’re dying for no reason,” says Kives in his video. He admits he was inspired by Rick Mercer, whose video during the federal election got 58,000 views. But few youth could have heard Kives’ video. So far a grand total of zero people have shared his video on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.

Nationwide, the Vote With Me project similarly proves that making your message available for sharing on social media doesn’t mean people will necessarily bother to share it. The campaign asks voters to not only get themselves to polling stations, but to bring one friend—and to take the Vote With Me Pledge promising they’ll drag that person along. As of publication, only two Manitobans, one voter from P.E.I., one from Nfld. and 15 from Ontario had taken the pledge.

Student Vote tries to interest elementary, middle and secondary students across the country in the electoral process.  Too bad they haven’t reached voting age yet.

And no round of campaigns could be complete without a flurry of student advocacy groups making videos. The Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance created this vote rap video, which may rival Gail Asper’s for artistic merit, though it has an even smaller viewership so far.

So, why aren’t students paying attention?

Jennifer Black, a University of Manitoba arts student, thinks voting is important and that’s why she took part in a Vote Mob at the University of Winnipeg in the spring. But even she doubts the effectiveness of such campaigns. The vote mob got a lot of attention from the media, but she felt it was preaching to the converted. “We all got together and made each other feel good that we’re voting,” she said. But shouting “just go vote” doesn’t really motivate anyone, she says.

When student unions do create more specific campaigns, it’s almost always about tuition fees, says Black. “Everyone has to pay tuition fees, generations before us had to pay tuition fees,” she explains. “It’s a little patronizing—it’s as if we don’t have the capacity to grasp larger issues.”

She’s not the only one who feels that way. A survey by the Historica Dominion Institute ahead of the federal election found that education is surprisingly low on the list of students’ political priorities.

Ethan Cabel, a fourth-year political science student at the University of Winnipeg, is similarly cynical about get-out-the-vote efforts. He also believes that student-led campaigns fail to enumerate the many issues students should care about. Besides, he says, if students don’t know the issues, do we really want them to vote? So far, the get-out-the-vote campaigners haven’t convinced Cabel.

But, as we’ve seen this fall, that doesn’t mean they won’t keep trying.

Candidates promise tuition freezes, bursaries and grants

Photo courtesy of a.drian on Flickr

Newfoundland and Labrador’s provincial NDP Leader Lorraine Michael says her party would phase-in needs-based grants to replace student loans in its first year of government.

It’s the latest — and arguably the boldest — election promise made to students by a party leader in the last two weeks. With five provincial elections this fall, leaders are busy courting student voters.

Under Michael’s plan, 8,000 students would have their tuition subsidized entirely. The program would cost $4.7-million in year one, they say.

But the NDP isn’t likely to win on Oct. 11. Corporate Research Associates (CRA), a polling firm, puts the Newfoundland Progressive Conservatives under premier Kathy Dunderdale at 54 per cent support, with the NDP a distant second at 24 per cent and the Liberals in third at 22 per cent.

The province already has the lowest university tuition fees in Canada — $2,624 in 2010-11, compared to $6,307 in Ontario. And tuition fees are a perennial issue in provincial campaigns.

In Ontario, where the Liberal party under Premier Dalton McGuinty is facing a serious challenge from the Progressive Conservatives under Tim Hudak,  the Liberals are promising tuition grants to reduce the cost of post-secondary by 30 per cent. Hudak is promising more access to student loans for students from middle class families. Ontarians will vote on Oct. 6.

In Manitoba, where there is a two-way race between the Progressive Conservatives led by Hugh McFadyen and the New Democrats under Premier Greg Selinger, the NDP promises more funding for universities and to maintain a tuition freeze. Voters there cast ballots on Oct. 4.

In Prince Edward Island, where voters go to the polls Oct. 3, Liberal leader Robert Ghiz has proposed elimination of the interest from the provincial portion of student loans, plus a boost to bursaries. Ghiz leads Progressive Conservative Olive Crane 59 to 31 per cent, says a CRA poll.

Students in Saskatchewan can expect election promises there soon. That election is on Nov. 7.

Ontario and Manitoba to vote in October

Photo courtesy of Benson Kua on Flickr

Students will go to the polls a month from now in two provinces: on Oct. 6 in Ontario and on Oct. 4 in Manitoba.

The Ontario Liberal Party made post-secondary students a big part of their plan, which was released today. If reelected, Dalton McGuinty says his Liberals would give 86 per cent of students substantial new tuition grants next year. University students would get $1,600 and college students would get $730. The grants only apply to those who come from households that make less than $160,000 per year. The promise would cost taxpayers $486-million per year. Ontario’s average annual university tuition fees are $6,000, according to Statistics Canada.

The Ontario PC Party, under Tim Hudak, says it would eliminate a $30-million scholarship program that McGuinty created to attract foreign students. They would also change the Ontario Student Assistance Program to allow more students from middle class families to qualify. “A student whose parents earn $39,000 and $46,000 would get about $2,500 in provincial OSAP support,” they said in a press release, adding: ”Dalton McGuinty gives that family no OSAP.”

The Ontario New Democrat platform does not specifically mention post-secondary students.

The Liberals promised earlier to extend the interest-free period on student loans from six months to one year for those working in the non-profit sector and to double the length of teacher’s college.

In Manitoba, New Democrat Premier Greg Selinger says that his government would freeze tuition, give universities a five per cent annual boost and triple annual student award funding to $20-million.

Manitoba Progressive Conservative candidate Hugh McFadyen’s government would boost training for northerners and aboriginals and also help to fund a new stadium at the University of Manitoba.

The races are tight in both provinces are tight.

In Ontario, the PC Party is leading with 35 per cent support while the Liberals have 30 per cent and the New Democrats have 26 per cent, according to a Forum Research poll released Sept. 1.

In Mantioba, the New Democrats and Progressive Conservatives were tied with 44 per cent support, according to the most recent poll, which was released by Probe Research on June 29.

Both polls had a three per cent margin of error.

Vote mobs could bring them out, but summer could keep them in

The question on everyone’s mind going into Monday’s federal election day is just how much recent attempts to galvanize young Canadians will translate into votes on polling day.
It’s no secret that youth participation is a high priority in this election with vote mobs, youth debates, special ballots and more occurring in ridings across the country.

Late last week, a Calgary man rented a bus to drive young voters to the Easter weekend advance polls. Students in Victoria also organized shuttles to local polling stations last weekend.

“We are excited there is so much energy around this election. This weekend we will translate that energy into votes,” Victoria organizer James Coccola said in a press release.

But, according to the Calgary Herald, efforts in the Alberta city went largely unnoticed. Only six students took advantage of Michael Wilson’s offer to provide them with transportation to polling stations. Wilson spent $800 to rent the bus.

The Herald article hypothesizes that exams, the long weekend, end of the academic year or a poorly organized event could have been to blame for low turnout for Wilson’s shuttle bus. But in reality most of these reasons will remain on May 2, leading me to believe that things may not change between the advance polls and Election Day proper.

But recent research by the Canadian University Press has shown how much an impact young people can have on the outcome of almost every riding in the country if they come out to vote. That kind of awareness can quickly drive voter participation. It amounts to hope. Hope that their voice may actually be heard — the same kind of hope that led to Obama’s historic victory three years ago.

While the country saw a record turnout in the advance polls this weekend, with over two million Canadians voting, we won’t know for sure if that turnout is a trend indicative of increasing voter involvement or if the holiday weekend made it easier for Canadians to cast their ballots.

I, for one, hope it’s the former. Young people have a right to vote, a strong voice, and the opportunity to make a difference. They should seize it.

UWO student ejected from Harper rally for Facebook picture with Ignatieff

All you F-35 Joint Strike Fighter naysayers—this’ll make you bite your tongues.  After all, the proof is in the pudding, and just this past weekend, Stephen Harper’s Conservatives proved the need to stay vigilant against enemies, many of whom can appear in even the most innocuous of forms.

Of course, I’m talking about 19-year-old University of Western Ontario student Awish Aslam, who managed to infiltrate a Harper rally in London on Sunday despite having a Facebook picture of her with Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff. The audacity, I know. How the undecided voter managed to get in, I’m not sure; but she and a friend were escorted out of the rally shortly after signing in.

According to Aslam, a man led them to a back room, tore up their name tags, and told them they weren’t welcome at the event. “We were confused,” Aslam told the London Free Press. “He said, ‘We know you guys have ties to the Liberal party through Facebook.’”

I don’t know how many times we must drill this message home, but students: Please exercise discretion when posting things online!  Yes, you may have a night where you down too many beers with friends and decide to ‘Like’ the Canadian Learning Passport on the Liberal Facebook page, but others will notice your actions! And it goes further than that. Every time you sign onto Farmville and don’t post a comment about the long-gun registry, know you’re making a political statement. For every occasion you send a ‘Poke,’ you should be requesting a fitness tax credit. And finally, never, ever, ever, refer to a group message as a “Coalition.” Vague insinuations are fine, though.

All parties want to encourage the youth vote, of course, but they can’t help it if young people disenfranchise themselves through mistakes like these. Young people should know better than to explore their political options before casting a vote –and worse yet–posting a totally meaningless picture online. Remember: don’t chew Big Red on Harper’s turf, unless you plan to stick it on the bottom of your shoe.

Potential federal election just a distraction from wider issues

The 2011 budget proposed by the Conservative government contained a bevy of good news for students, but due to the increasing likelihood of a federal election being called by the end of the month, or even the week, students won’t see these new initiatives come to life.

In the likely event that the budget is voted down, or a motion of non-confidence passes in the House of Commons, all bills that have not received royal assent die on the spot. That includes the budget and all its student-friendly gains.

The interest-free study-period for part-time students? Gone. The $40,000 tuition credit for doctors and nurses who work in rural Canada? Gone. The boost to Canada Student Loans? Gone.

This also includes the recently introduced private member’s bill proposing the creation of a post-secondary act, put forth by NDP MP Niki Ashton. It’s a bill that seeks to streamline post-secondary funding from the federal government to the provinces and add criteria and conditions to the funds.

The Conservatives could be found in contempt of parliament — a Canadian first. The Carlton Carson scandal is a smear on their leadership and the Oda scandal reeks of entitlement. But Ignatieff’s Liberals aren’t likely to make gains as much as 10 points, nor can spunky Jack Layton hope to unseat the Conservative power house.

Canadians are likely to elect another minority Conservative government because, to be honest, they don’t have much else to choose from: Conservative entitlement, Liberal flacidness or … the NDP. With such an outcome likely, the election is a stunt that is a mere distraction to wider issues. And it’s going to hurt students.

Elections are important aspects of democracy. But with so few options, and so little in the way of game-changers that are likely to oust a government, I can’t help but think how futile an exercise this is. When no major shift in power is likely, an election is little but an exercise in futility that hurts the average Canadian and, this time around, especially students.

‘If you get the grades, you get to go,’ Ignatieff

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff is preparing to campaign on education, Postmedia is reporting. With a “pan-Canadian learning strategy” and a slogan that states “if you get the grades, you get to go,” the Liberal leader appears to be testing to see if Canadians will be receptive to a platform that includes addressing the cost of education, investing in early childhood education, training programs and aboriginal education.

Speaking to his caucus recently, Ignatieff said: “We’ve got to be there for them when they’re saying, ‘How am I possibly going to afford post-secondary education?’ Especially in Aboriginal communities, especially in immigrant communities, especially in those working-class families that have never had any member of their family go to college or university before.” However, the Liberals have been vague on the specifics of any education platform.

John Wright, a senior vice-president for pollster Ipsos Reid, told Postmedia that if the Liberals pair education policies with a job creation plan, it could be successful.”It’s a provincial matter, so it’s not top of mind that Canadians associate the federal government with the funding of post-secondary education,” he said. “It might be one of the things that they put together as part of their platform but in and of itself, it’s not something that lights a fire under people.”

Extending franchise to 16-year-olds won’t create ‘culture of engagement’

Imagine a world where provincial election campaigns are blithe to promises of tax reform or health care amendments. In this fantasyland, the Liberals are running on a strong platform of increased Justin Bieber performances, while the Conservatives are trailing with their “More School Dances” five-year-plan. The NDP’s “We’ll Talk to your Mom about Extending your Curfew” promise, however, hasn’t really taken off.

A disturbing thought experiment? Thank B.C. Liberal leadership candidate Mike de Jong who has come out saying that 16-year-olds should be able to vote in provincial elections. De Jong has said that we need to create a “culture of engagement” by getting young people to the polls earlier, and that means lowering the voting age. The move, according to de Jong, would also help tackle poor voter turnout numbers.

Handing out free popsicles at polling stations would likely also improve turnout, though I don’t think that recommendation will receive support from some Liberal frontrunners as de Jong’s did.

Of course, it is by no means breaking news that the 18-24 age group is underrepresented at the polls. The reason often comes down to chicken-or-egg explanations; young eligible voters don’t vote because they feel disenfranchised by politicians who ignore their interests, or—inversely—politicians don’t lobby for the youth vote because they show poorly at the polls. Whatever the case, lowering the voting age ignores the root cause (a Band-Aid solution, you say? Naw, it couldn’t be!). While extending the vote to 16- and 17-year-olds would spectacularly increase turnout in the newly-formed “Under 18” category, the relative numbers will be just as abysmal as for those aged 18-24. In fact, they would probably be worse. Statistics show that voter turnout increases with age, even within the 18-24 category. So if those trends are any indication, 16-year-olds would likely have the worst showing of all.

But let’s say, by some stroke of luck or bribery from their parents, these kids did show up to the polls. What would the implications be? Maclean’s columnist Colby Cosh argues that there is “no substitute for living through history.” “The older I get,” he writes, “the less qualified I feel to have secure opinions about horserace politics.” And indeed, Cosh has a point. With few more than 14 years out of diapers, the newly-authorized voters would have little life experience from which to draw political conclusions or cast an informed vote. On the other hand though, being uninformed does not negate one’s right to vote. Even when individuals are back in diapers, they can still cast a ballot, despite their perhaps eroding reasoning abilities. Of course, not all 90-year-olds have lost their wits, whereas no 16-year-old can remember, for example, the tax-happy premier that hijacked the province two terms ago.

Perhaps more problematic with a teeny-bopper electorate is its vulnerability to pressure. There have been countless studies affirming just how susceptible high school students are to outside influence– and just count the number of Canada Goose brand winter jackets you see on teens next time you’re in a mall if you have any doubts. Imagine, then, the political power of a homeroom high school teacher. Or the cool kids in class who happen to be voting NDP. Or Conservative mom promising a Canada Goose parka! When you’re 16 years old and thirsting for affirmation, you’ll get it in any way you can. Politics would become an even dirtier game.

Lastly, it’s important to note that most 16-year-olds have never shopped for a daycare facility for their children. The fortunate majority has never set foot in a palliative care unit, nor waited weeks to see a specialist. Few have tried to start a business, or even paid taxes, for that matter. Sixteen-year-olds should not be voting on that in which they have little stake, particularly during those formative years when “relativism” is just a word on an English pop quiz.