Get the facts – 2004 federal election in Peterborough
According to Elections Canada, only 60.7 per cent of eligible voters in this riding voted in the last federal election in November 2000. Nationally, only 61.2 per cent turned out to vote in the same election, the lowest level of voter turnout since Confederation.

Local electoral officer Amy Millburn recalls, “In my first election as returning officer in 1988, we had a turnout of 75 per cent.” Amy, like Jean Pierre Kingsley, chief electoral officer for Elections Canada, is doing whatever she can to increase young people's interest in voting in the June 28 election.

Research has shown that one of the key issues in low voter turnout is low level of political knowledge. To that end Peaceful Communities has presented, over the past number of weeks, profiles of each of the local candidates running for office in the current federal election campaign.

In our profiles, candidates were asked to offer their throughts about the key issues facing Canadians and Peterborough residents in this election. In alphabetical order by party, here are what our local candidates had to say:

Conservative Party of Canada: James Jackson
James Jackson believes the birth of the new Conservative Party of Canada provides a unique opportunity to get involved at a grassroots level to effect change. According to James, the idea of civic engagement “absolutely must involve young people.” He goes on to state that “We must get through to (the young people). We’ve got to help them see the need to vote.”

According to James, the Conservative Party of Canada provides a unique opportunity to young people. “This new Conservative party is an absolute grassroots party. There is no hierarchy from the top down. It’s the one party that can be driven from the bottom up. So (younger voters) can have the things they want if they’ll join.”

When asked about the important issues for the Peterborough region, James lists health care (specifically getting more doctors), farm families and their needs (especially getting the Canada-U.S. border open to Canadian beef again) and getting VIA rail to Peterborough again.

Continued in next column...

The Green Party:
Brent Wood
Brent Wood, an English professor at Trent University, believes although Peterborough is demographically dominated by the middle-aged and older, young people are increasing their civic engagement by throwing their support behind the Green Party. “We’re a pragmatic, solutions-focused party. Younger voters appreciate that,” says Brent.

Brent says a great deal of The Green Party’s platform is focused on the environment because so many other issues tier down from there. For instance, he notes, health is a huge concern for Canadians but too much attention is placed on piecemeal, fragmented issues that don’t address root causes. Cutting back on fossil fuel consumption, for example, would reduce respiratory problems and would therefore reduce the strain on the health care system, says Brent.

Key issues for the Green Party include democratic reform, environmental issues and health care.

The Liberal Party:
Peter Adams
Peter Adams, the local incumbent, also stresses the importance of getting younger voters engaged. Peter, who introduced a private member's bill guiding Elections Canada to work actively with groups that are directly connected with children, says the bill “appears to be working very well.” The motion was passed unanimously during this last term in office.

When asked what he sees as key issues for the Peterborough area, Peter lists rural and urban health care at the top of his agenda, particularly implementing the key components of the Romanow Commission.

Other issues that Peter Adams sees as important in our riding are rural economic development and dealing with the BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) crisis.

New Democratic Party: Linda Slavin
Linda Slavin believes one way to promote civic engagement is through democratic reform. She fully supports the NDP position of proportional representation. “I sense a lot of alienation out there. People need to be given a way for their vote to count.” In addition, Linda believes there is “a greater need to look to our own community for solutions.”

She says that our area needs a meaningful exchange of ideas through a “citizens’ forum” which would occur on a regular basis.

Other key issues for the NDP in the Peterborough area include poverty, Ontario Disability Support Program rates, and Ontario Works rates.