During each election campaign there is considerable discussion around how to engage young people. They have an even lower percentage of turnout than other age categories. Young people who think they are not able to make a difference or have their voices heard should look to some Canadian political history. In 1968 at the age of 22, Lorne Nystrom was the youngest person ever elected as a member of parliament. He was re-elected eight times and served a total of 29 years. Younger still was MP Claude Andre Lachance who was first elected in 1974. He was 20 years and three months old at the time. On October 14, 2008 Nicolas Dufour, 21, was elected as the youngest member of the 40th parliament.
None of the people above thought they were too young to become involved with the political process. They found a party that most reflected their beliefs, then joined it and became part of the process.
It’s not just young people, though. We all need to become informed about issues and take steps to make the change we want to see for our country.
