LAKELAND - Students across Canada were given the opportunity to take part in a mock federal election, coinciding with the actual federal election, and mimicking some of the same overall results.
After learning about democracy and elections in the classroom, students researched the parties and platforms, and debated the future of the country. Then, students cast their ballots for the official candidates running in their schools' electoral districts.
As of 9 p.m. on Sept. 20, 740,515 votes had been reported from 5,478 schools, representing results from all 338 federal electoral districts across the nation.
In the Lakeland riding, students elected incumbent Conservative Shannon Stubbs, which paralleled actual results. Stubbs received nearly 50 per cent of the student vote. Stubbs was re-elected with 69 per cent of the actual vote on Monday.
But, not all schools voted in the same way. For example, Ashmont School students voted in favour of NDP candidate Des Bissonnette, with Stubbs coming in second at that school. Ashmont is located within the County of St. Paul.
Elk Point Elementary School students voted similarly, showing slightly more support for the NDP candidate over the Conservative candidate. But, just across the street at FG Miller Jr./Sr. High, the older students voted in favour of Stubbs.
Vilna School students were clearly split in their choices, with Green Party candidate Kira Brunner getting the highest percentage of votes at 28 per cent, and the NDP and Liberal candidates each getting 20 per cent of the vote, with Stubbs coming in fourth.
The majority of schools across the Lakeland riding however, voted in favour of Stubbs. Complete results can be viewed online through the Student Vote website.
Overall results
Overall, the Liberal Party won 117 seats and 24 per cent of the popular student vote, forming a minority government. Justin Trudeau won in his seat in the riding of Papineau, QC.
Unlike the actual election, the NDP came in as the official opposition, winning 107 seats and taking 29 per cent of the popular student vote. Jagmeet Singh won his seat in the riding of Burnaby South, BC.
The Conservative Party won 91 seats and 25 per cent of the popular student vote. Erin O’Toole won his seat in the riding of Durham, ON.
The Bloc Québecois won 20 seats and took two per cent of the popular vote. Yves-François Blanchet lost his seat in the riding of Beloeil—Chambly, QC.
The Green Party won three seats and 10 per cent of the popular vote. Annamie Paul lost her seat in the riding of Toronto Centre, ON.
“When we started the campaign, we were unsure how many schools would participate given the limited time. Teachers have exceeded our expectations. We would like to thank teachers for dedicating time to the program and for helping educate future voters. Our democracy will be stronger because of you,” said Taylor Gunn, President and CEO of CIVIX Canada, in a statement from Student Vote.
Student Vote is a program of CIVIX. CIVIX is a non-partisan registered charity dedicated to building the skills and habits of active and informed citizenship among school-aged youth.
