Youth Rights or Lack Thereof

My first post on this blog was about the HST. This issue made my blood boil a little bit, prompting me to participate in my first Burma Shave, and join in a rally downtown at the Legislature. I found the HST harmful; not just for seniors, or adults, but everyone including youth. We all buy things, thus we will all pay the tax. I determined last month that I would participate in Mr. Vander Zalm's initiative to end the HST, starting on April 6th and ending on July 5th. Today, I received word from my local "captain" in the region that I cannot canvass. Why? Because I am not a registered voter.

By now, I should inform you that I have yet to reach the age of majority; I've got another year and a half to go until I achieve enfranchisement. If you're below 18 years old, you cannot be accepted on the Registered Voters List. So in essence what this means is that everyone below the age of 18 must remain silent on this issue. The youth of this great province have no voice on one of the biggest issues in British Columbia politics.

Elections BC, I hope you realize: I pay taxes too. On my receipt I see the little acronyms scrolled across reading both "PST" and "GST". I know this tax will cost me more, it affects me, and it hurts me. But it's not just me, you failure of a non-partisan election organization, everyone in this province from when you are born to your death bed has a right, guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms to criticize the government, and get involved in the democratic process. Your attempts to silence the Y Generation will end in complete and utter failure. Great change is coming; it is only a matter of time...

Democracy isn't simply about every four years crossing an "X" by your favoured candidate; it encompasses volunteering during elections to help a candidate, holding rallies down at the work place of all Members of the Legislative Assembly, and even canvassing to gain enough signatures for an initiative to force a draft bill to be in introduced in the chamber. For an organization that urges parents to bring youth and children to their voting place to get them engaged in the process, it is incredibly hypocritical of them to deny the few of those that do show an interest in the topic the right to change the province for the better.

This issue goes beyond simply allowing youth to participate in initiatives and other democratic opportunities, the voting age should be lowered as well. Elections BC can call it whatever they want, but at the end of the day this is just another attempt by the majority to silence the minority. That is discrimination.