Eligible voters may have picked Conservative Kerry-Lynne Findlay to represent South Surrey-White Rock in Ottawa, but the riding’s up-and-coming voters had other ideas.
According to results shared by Student Vote Canada – which aims to “provide students with the opportunity to experience the voting process firsthand and practice the habits of active and informed citizenship” – children and youth on the Semiahmoo Peninsula felt Liberal candidate Gordie Hogg should have the seat.
Through mock elections held at 18 of the riding’s elementary and secondary schools, Hogg (as of 9 p.m. Sept. 20) received 1,118 votes, or 34.03 per cent. The tally put him 169 votes ahead of Findlay, who finished in third place with 949 votes, or 28.89 per cent.
The results are a stark contrast to the Elections Canada results, which saw Findlay receive 22,528 votes in the riding (42.7 per cent), followed by Hogg with 20,299 (38.5 per cent).
READ MORE: Conservative Findlay on track to maintain hold of South Surrey-White Rock seat
The NDP’s June Liu was the students’ second choice. She received 990 votes, or 30.14 per cent, while People’s Party of Canada candidate Gary Jensen finished fourth, with 228 votes (6.94 per cent).
Nationwide results – a total of 5,478 schools participated across all 338 federal districts – show the students concurred with the majority of eligible voters, who returned the Liberals to a minority government. The younger generation gave the party 117 seats, or 24 per cent of the popular vote.
But unlike eligible voters, who picked Conservatives next, the students’ second choice was the NDP, with 107 seats (29 per cent), followed by Conservatives, with 91 (25 per cent), Bloc Quebecois with 20 (two per cent) and Greens with three (10 per cent).
Ahead of their vote, students learned about democracy and elections, researched the parties and their platforms and debated Canada’s future, a news release states.
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