HUMBOLDT — If students in Humboldt were able to vote in the federal election, they would have returned Conservative candidate Kelly Block to Parliament.
Humboldt Collegiate and Humboldt Public were among the schools nationwide that participated in Student Vote, a national parallel election that provides students under the voting age with an opportunity to experience the voting process firsthand.
At Humboldt Collegiate, 247 students voted. Of those 70 per cent voted for the Conservatives. Shannon O'Toole of the New Democrats placed second, with 13 per cent of the vote.
The result at Humboldt Public was less overwhelming for Block. Of the 104 that voted, 48 per cent voted Conservative. O’Toole was again in second place, with 26 per cent of the vote.
Across the riding of Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, with 2,614 students voting, 48 per cent voted for Block and 26 per cent voted for O’Toole. In the actual election, Block got 68 per cent of the vote and O’Toole got 14 per cent.
The vote was organized by CIVIX, a non-partisan registered Canadian charity dedicated to building the skills and habits of active and informed citizenship among school-aged youth. They collaborated with Elections Canada.
“We are proud to invest in Student Vote Canada so that schools across the country can offer this hands-on learning experience to their students, said Stéphane Perrault, the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada.
“Research has shown that the program increases students’ knowledge of politics and elections, promotes political discussion, enhances their sense of civic duty, and strengthens their future intentions to vote.”
Nationwide, students would have given the Liberals a 118-seat minority government. The New Democrats would have been the Official Opposition, with 106 seats. The Conservatives would have had 88 seats, the Bloc Québécois 21 and the Greens 3.
