More debates, less emotion among young candidates
Youthful politicians show promise and civility, write Craig and Marc Kielburger.
Politics today can be poisonous. Just look at the Ontario election this past summer, where party leaders called each other names like “bully,” and even made comparisons to Adolf Hitler.
While party leaders traded insults, candidates in the province’s Niagara West riding traded campaign lawn signs — like hockey players exchanging jerseys with the opposing team after a friendly game. Niagara West bucked the vicious trend by keeping it civil. That riding was unique for another reason: all four of the major party candidates were under 30 years old.
Pundits are already talking about the 2020 federal election, and parties are recruiting candidates. Maybe they should scout a younger demographic, one that could help stem the tide of partisan nastiness. We contacted the candidates from Niagara West for their views on how the youth factor changed the dynamics of their local election.
“The young people running in this past election set a much higher standard of civility and respect for one another than many other races did,” says Curtis Fric, 20, who ran for the NDP.
Former Green party candidate Jessica Tillmanns, 18, agrees: “Our debates were more civil and respectful. When I saw the party leaders debating, they were childish, always talking over each other.”
The difference in tone had a direct impact on discussions. Niagara West candidates told us that, on divisive issues like legalized marijuana, which can get emotional, their debates were rational, focused on workable solutions for their riding. In other areas, the debate was just a battle of ideologies and rigid party lines.
“I think young minds are more open to creative solutions. We have a lot more flexibility,” says former Liberal candidate Joe Kanee who, at 27, was the oldest of the quartet.
The Niagara West campaign is not the first time we’ve seen this impact of youth on civic debate. During Scotland’s 2014 independence referendum, the voting age was temporarily lowered to 16. After the referendum, observers told us they found youth debates were more informative and thoughtful, and far less partisan, than the adult debates.
Conservative candidate and election winner Sam Oosterhoff, 21, wasn’t able to comment by print deadline. However, Kanee told us that he and his former opponent have had a good relationship since the campaign. Kanee says Oosterhoff even gave him a letter of recommendation for his law school application. (It’s hard to imagine other big-name political figures today doing this for one another.)
Of course, youth aren’t totally immune to political nastiness. Kanee notes that he’s experienced hyper-partisanship among his university classmates. Yet these two experiments in Scotland and Niagara West, where youth were given a strong voice in the debate, produced fascinating results. Why? We don’t know. Perhaps because young people have not yet become cynical and jaded, or locked into one partisan ideology.
Whatever the cause, as parties build their rosters for the next national election, it’s an experiment worth pursuing with even more young candidates. At the very least, the broader diversity of viewpoints at the table can only strengthen the debates. And if it helps put a chill on overheated partisanship, so much the better.
Craig and Marc Kielburger are the co-founders of the WE movement, which includes WE Charity, ME to WE Social Enterprise and WE Day. For more dispatches from WE, check out WE Stories at we.org.
Our debates were more civil and respectful. When I saw the party leaders debating, they were childish, always talking over each other.