MLAs’ answers were embarrassing
Peter Bevan-Baker recently introduced a bill to lower the voting age to 16 years old and it was voted down, which is no surprise, but the rationale given for why many MLAs voted it down are embarrassingly hilarious (which sums up most of P.E.I. politics for the most part).
Let’s go through a few of the reasons:
Jamie Fox stated: “What happens if, we’ll say, a young offender, 13 years of age, gets convicted of a serious violent crime. At age 16 he decides to run for public office and gets elected with a criminal record that’s sealed.”
Yes, no doubt a child who at the age of 13 commits a “very serious violent crime” will three years later say “I think I want to be an MLA,” run a successful campaign (you know, with all the experience, resources and connections a 16-year-old child has) and then we will have a criminal in public office. That would be absolutely terrible because we all know the only people we have in office now are the most ethical and law-abiding of citizens.
Richard Brown justified his vote with: “Would there be a Charter issue for 16-year-olds to say look, I can vote, that sets a benchmark, so I should be allowed to drink? I’m being discriminated against because of my age.”
Mr. Brown, I really hate to break this news to you, but the current age required to vote is 18 and the legal age for consuming alcohol is 19, so if this case hasn’t been made yet, I don’t think an ambitious legal savvy teenager will be the one to do it.
Paula Biggar: “Do you feel 16-year-olds should be able to enlist in the military then, if they are responsible for everything else?”
This one is my favourite because she takes two things that are not at all related and just pretends that they are. The argument doesn’t even make any logical sense, but very little of what Ms. Biggar does is logical. Look at her most recent purchase of land for 650 per cent above assessment for the Cornwall bypass. Well done, as per usual.
Doug Currie also had a compelling argument: “I am the parent of a 16-year-old and sometimes have a time getting her to clean her room.”
Well, there you have it — Doug Currie’s daughter is messy, so no 16-year-olds should vote. Case closed.
These are small examples of reasons why I am actually embarrassed to say where I’m from and where I live, because the above is the norm on P.E.I. How can someone stand up and say these things without thinking to themselves how ridiculous they are?
It’s terrifying that these are the people in charge of all the money we pay for taxes.
Adam Thomas,
Tarantum