Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 23, 2004, Winnipeg, Manitoba A15 Winnipeg free press focus wednesday june 23, 2004. Voter turnout changes needed to attract Young improved electoral system focus on youth issues needed the current Canadian system discourages potential Young voters by diminishing the Impact of our votes. By Sarah Amyot and Amanda Aziz t Here has been a lot of talk in the past months about the Low voter turnout among Canadas youth. According to elections Canada Only 25 per cent of 18-20 year Olds cast their bal lot in the last Federal election. To remedy this situation millions of dollars Are being spent by elections Canada and Public Media outlets to try and engage Young people and to get them excited about the election. Is this herculean Effort Worth it Are Young canadians really going to come out to the polls on june 28th? the answer is still very much up in the air. Perhaps All the work trying to engage youth to vote will work though it May take More than voting is sexy slogans to actually get Young people out to the polls. Impression party leaders love voter turnout drives because of the impression they give that something is being done to remedy the disenfranchisement of certain groups in this Case youth while at the same time leaving the leaders hands free to do what they please. Despite All the attention they receive however voter turnout drives do very Little to actually engage the Popula Tion with the electoral process. So what can be done to improve youth voter turn out As student leaders we work with talk to and represent students and youth on a Day to Day basis. While we Don to claim to have All the answers we think there Are two important matters that have not become part of this election and Are not things that can be addressed by voter turnout drives. First of All when we tune into the elections coverage we hear very Little about the issues that really matter to us. How Many politicians have talked about cleaner air rising student debt and tuition fees aboriginal rights or the Job Security of those just entering the labour Market the Issue that has dominated this elec Tion is predictably health care. While the future of health care is undoubtedly an important one it is not the Issue that most directly affects Canadian youth. Those most concerned about the health care Issue Are people who Are accessing the system on a More regular basis people of our parents and grandparents Genera Tion. And while health care is an important Issue that deserves debate it should not squeeze out discussion of All other issues. The second Point that a largely unmentioned thus far is the current electoral system commonly known As first past the Post where the popular vote counts for very Little. This system is built to avoid issues and limit a diversity of Opin ions and is one reason Why Young people Are so turned off of the with this system the issues that matter letters to the editor the free press welcomes letters from readers. They must include the authors name address and Telephone number. Letters May be edited. Letters to the editor 1355 Mountain Avenue Winnipeg r2x 3b6. Fax 697-7412. Email greens deserve to be heard it is bad enough that the Green party is being excluded from the National debates but to exclude them from a local debate on poverty is ridiculous. The debate was held in Winnipeg Centre. Pat Martin and David North Cott were invited but not Green Candi Date Robin Faye. In this Riding the poorest in Canada the greens might have something useful to say but were not allowed to say it. The conserva Tives sent someone from Winnipeg South. An area where poverty is less of an Issue Why would you leave the greens out you Don to have to be a Green sup Porter to see that the exclusion of the Green party from the debate both locally and nationally is completely undemocratic. They have been around longer than the new conservative party and deserve to be heard. Alexander Svenne Winnipeg things to consider when voting much has been made lately of voter apathy but scant attention has been paid to voter however voting for anyone but them does us All a disservice. If you feel unrepresented angry overtaxed or under serviced ? do something effective about it write a letter to the editor. Call or write to your elected representatives. Circulate a petition. Organize a rally. Join a political party or citizens group. Run for office yourself nobody wins from reactionary Vot ing except those who pander to it find a candidate that Best represents your views and values. Don to just show up to vote against someone or something. You might think you Are punishing the govern ment or a party but ultimately All of us May Well suffer for it. Decisions Are made by those who show up and Well All have to live with those decisions. You owe it to yourself your neigh Bours and your family to make sure the one you make is Wise. Voting is solemn serious and a privilege ? Don to waste it. I for one will consider All of this when voting. Angela Rickman Ottawa Don to Gamble on our future As cliche As it May sound Paul Martin in to so far off when he says choose your at this critical stage in our nation s history i find it horrifying that so Many people Are willing to Gamble on Canadas future by voting conservative just to make a Point. Canadians need to consider the important differences in ideology Between a Martin government and one run by Harper the former Alliance Leader who forged the conservative Compromise in order to gain strategic Power. Based on what we know of Harper As the Leader of the opposition i urge every Canadian to carefully consider the possible ramifications of voting conservative on june 28. A partial list might include the progressive decentralization of Canada an american style military massive cuts to social programs privatization of health care loss of rights for minor Ity groups minimal support for cities anti abortion Laws. And the list goes on. Despite his attempts at appearing moderate during this Campaign Harper is a threat to much of what we identify with As canadians. I urge All canadians who do not con Sider themselves right of Centre to Harper government. Tyler Rudolph Winnipeg dauphins Barker most decorated the june 19 article hundreds bid sol Diers goodbye mistakenly credits sgt. Tommy Prince of the . As Canadas most decorated sgt. Prince was awarded the military medal and the United states Silver Star for gallantly in action. Both of these very prestigious awards Are ranked As the third highest gallantry medals of their respective countries. The title of most decorated Canadian Soldier does belong to another Manito ban. Lieutenant colonel William bark Eric of Dauphin holds the record for gallantry awards having won the Vic Toria Cross the distinguished service order twice the military Cross the equivalent of the military medal three times in addition to the French legion of honour. This is to take nothing away from sergeant Prince who richly deserves doonesbury his honoured place on the Short list of Gallant and heroic members of Canada a proud military. Pat Mcnorgan sergeant assistant air Force historian office of air Force heritage and history 1 Canadian air division Winnipeg defeating liberals a priority As the former Federal pc candidate in St. Boniface i am supporting the conservative party. While some of my former colleagues have chosen to Back the liberals i believe that the fight for a fiscally responsible government overshadows the personal bitterness one May feel Over the merger. For years the pcs said that the lib eral Way of taxing and spending and spreading Money to party friends was wrong for Canada. Nothing has changed to suddenly make Paul Martins Way of doing poli tics right. If its a matter of principle then defeating the liberals must still be the priority of every conservative. To Young people Are often swept off the Agenda by the constant chatter about who will Cut More taxes while putting More Money into health care As parties because of the system move to satisfy the key median voter. Even worse however is the steady game of pitting parties against each other in order to keep Juicy Media stories flowing. And unfortunately its not Only the Media that is responsible for this the parties and leaders Are just As much to blame. A solution to this is a shift to proportional representation or. For those unfamiliar with this Structure or is an electoral system that is based on the pop ular vote. In countries that employ a or system for example most european countries the diversity of vote deciding issues Are numerous As every vote counts. The current Canadian system discourages potential Young voters by diminish ing the Impact of our votes. A proportional representation system on the other hand would encourage voting for parties and ideas and discourage strategic voting by Riding. A or system also encourages those that Are often left out of the political process to put their names Forward in a race. Minority groups aboriginal parties and women Are More engaged under a system of proportional representation providing a Stark difference to the current system in which the vast majority of candidates Are members of a specific demographic category. In the end Young people Are energetic optimistic and contrary to what most people think Are not apathetic ? we Are just waiting for a time when putting that piece of paper into a cardboard Box Means that our issues will be heard. For a time when the parties and leaders Are talking about issues that Are relevant to All segments of the populous and where elections Are about actively engaging in debates about the future of this country. Vote but to Young people who Are Reading this article ? vote anyways this election. Youth comprise a considerable Block and voting in Masse can affect change in this country. And though the parties May not be discussing issues that Are pertinent to us they will most certainly be making decisions that affect us. Getting out to the polls on june 28 is important and so is working to create a better system and putting the issues that matter to us Back on the table. Sarah Amyot is president of the University of Winnipeg students association. Amanda Aziz is president of the University of Manitoba students Union. I support Access to abortions same sex marriage a nation of two languages All social issues which Are not at Odds with the conservative party a commitment to tax Reform defence and the environment. Paul Martin will not use the squabble Over How the merger occurred to turn me from my objective of a stronger Canada. Mike Reilly Winnipeg shame on or. Harper the recent attack by Stephen Harper on Paul Martin using child pornography As an Issue was both dirty and totally disgusting. He refuses to apolo Gize. One expects a certain level of Deco rum from our political leaders. Shame on or. Harper for using twisted information and such Low brow tactics in an election Campaign. He has taken political mud slinging to a new level. Do we really want someone of that calibre in the office of prime minister Valerie Goodman Selkirk by Garry Trudeau ;