e-3968 (Democratic process)

The Government of Canada is pleased to respond to this petition.

The Government of Canada is committed to improving and strengthening our democracy. Our electoral system (i.e., the fundamental rules determining how votes are translated into seats in the House of Commons) is one of the most foundational pieces of our democracy – at its core is a question of how we, as Canadians, govern ourselves. The Government’s view has been clear: major reforms to the electoral system should not be made if they lack the broad support of Canadians.

Although the federal voting age remains at 18, calls to lower the voting age to 16 have been made by both past and present parliaments. One such effort, Bill C-210, was defeated at second reading in the House of Commons, on September 28, 2022, while another, Bill S-201, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and the Regulation Adapting the Canada Elections Act for the Purposes of a Referendum, is at second reading in the Senate.

The Government has taken notable steps to improve federal electoral processes, including through the Elections Modernization Act, which made significant changes to the Canada Elections Act to make it easier for Canadians to participate in elections. It also further bolstered Canadians’ trust and confidence in Canada’s world class electoral system.

Notably, the Elections Modernization Act provided young Canadians with the ability to participate in the federal electoral process in several ways outside of voting. For example, Canadians aged 14 to 17 can pre-register to vote in federal elections by requesting that Elections Canada add them to the Register of Future Electors which will automatically register them to vote once they turn 18. Furthermore, Canadians who are at least 16 years old on election day may apply to work at polling stations, providing them with a firsthand experience on how the election process works and an opportunity to deliver an important service to Canadians.

In a healthy democracy, there is always more work to do, but Canadians have many reasons to be proud of their electoral system. The Government of Canada will continue to work to strengthen and protect our democratic practices and institutions to ensure they uphold Canadian values.