Election 2017:

The impact of Douglas College and youth in provincial politics

By Mercedes Deutscher, News Editor

Re orange, green, and blue signs are starting to find their places
on front lawns. Campaign busses are being spotted throughout the
Lower Mainland. Headlines are increasingly featuring names like Clark
and Horgan. Everyone (who votes) in BC is about to make an important
decision, one which they will need to make by May 9.

The results of this election will determine which direction the
provincial government will take on a variety of issues, from child care
to pipelines. However, what makes this election unique is that the
issues at stake are seemingly ones that will greatly affect students

and young adults. How will students fund their education? Will
disadvantaged adults be able to easily access a basic education? What
will be the minimum wage that a job is allowed to pay to its entry-

level workers? Where are the job opportunities going to be? Will it be
anything more than a pipe dream for young people to be able to own
their homes? The questions are endless.

Many of the issues concerning students hit close to home. Douglas
students may remember DSU volunteers and staff coming to their
classes back in November 2016, asking for signed postcards in
exchange for free water bottles. It was a movement that the DSU
lovingly called its Week of Action. In the second two weeks of
November, the DSU managed to collect over 4,000 signatures in
support of Squash the Squeeze, a campaign that advocates for
increasing the public funding of post-secondary institutions, reducing
tuition fees, freezing the interest on student loans, and reinstating
provincial grants for students—as BC students can currently only
receive grants from the federal government.

While the DSU had a big part of pushing this campaign forward, so did
other student unions across the province. As of today, there have been
12,581 people who have petitioned in support of Squash the Squeeze.

The DSU didn’t stop their action at signatures. Following their Weeks
of Action, the DSU met with MLAs Kathy Corrigan of Burnaby-Deer
Lake and Judy Darcy of New Westminster to voice their concerns over
how the provincial government has been dealing with post-secondary
education, in a presentation that they titled “Pathways to Prosperity.”

Another notable campaign for students has been Don't Close

the Doors. Don't Close the Doors developed after the BC Liberal
government cut funding to adult basic education—which includes
essential courses for those with low literacy or upgrading for high
school courses—in 2014. Previously, these courses would be free and
accessible, but, since the cuts, they are now subject to tuition fees.

The student campaigns haven't slowed their momentum since late
2016. They have taken to amplifying awareness to the public. For
example, students going to Langara may find during their commutes
that Open the Doors—a campaign similar to Squash the Squeeze—
has taken up some advertising spaces. Student associations across the
province have realized that now is the time to pressure prospective
governments to adopt policies for students.

The surge of action among students, alongside the results of the
2015 federal election, is notable enough to get the attention of
politicians. While only 479 per cent of people aged 18-24, or about
112,918 people, voted in the last provincial election—only half of
those who had registered to vote, according to Elections BC—2015
saw a surge of young voters. According to Elections Canada, the 2015
tederal election saw an 18.3 per cent increase of voters in the 18-24
age group. While only 38.8 per cent of people in this demographic
voted in 2011, 57.1 per cent of them voted in 2015. Add an increase
in campaigns and protests—such as the demonstrations against
pipelines and high housing prices—and it would seem like BC's
political parties would be foolish not to put more thought into the
demands of its younger demographics.

Aside from education campaigns, students and young adults share
some overarching issues with the general public.

 

or the young,
y the young?

One hand represents 100 signatures
in support of Squash the Squeeze

 

 

the 18-24 age group

ATAU O EH CERN

According to Elections Canada,
the 2015 federal election saw an
18.3 per cent increase of voters in