Reports have surfaced that Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith’s new e-petition (E-6629) urges Ottawa to extend the federal franchise to 16- and 17-year-olds, arguing that teenagers already shoulder real responsibilities and deserve an equal voice at the ballot box.
“Extending the voting age to 16 would empower a new generation to participate in democracy while still in school, where habits of civic engagement are more easily built,” Erskine-Smith says, repeating language he used when he backed an identical private bill in 2022.
This comes days after London confirmed that 16-year-olds will vote in all UK elections, a reform Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner called a “seismic” step toward modernising democracy.
Youth advocates see the British move as validation. “It’s a step that should have been done a long time ago,” observes Jaden Braves, CEO of Young Politicians of Canada. Amelia Penney-Crocker, one of 13 plaintiffs challenging the current age limit in Ontario Superior Court, adds that the UK decision “bodes really well for Canada.”
Penney-Crocker’s court case argues the Canada Elections Act violates Sections 3 and 15 of the Charter by denying citizens under 18 an equal right to vote. Meanwhile, parliamentary avenues have so far stalled: NDP MP Taylor Bachrach’s Bill C-210, the “Right to Vote at 16 Act,” was defeated 245-77 in 2022 despite support from the Bloc, Greens, and some Liberals.
READ: Advocates Push For Lowering Voting Age to 16: “The Science Is Clear”
For now, e-petitions offer symbolism more than leverage; the government must file a written reply within 45 days but need not act.
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