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Student voices are heard in federal election

Hana Delaney , , ,

 

Students eat pizza provided by student’s union at election night viewing party.

There was an air of excitement in the James Dunn student lounge, as students began to gather for an election Night viewing party on October 21st.  Students settled into chairs that had been set up for the event and munched on pizza provided by the Student Union. The Students Union hosted the party in partnership with

Students watch computer screens and TV for local and federal results.

CASA, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations. Both groups were also responsible for the Get Out the Vote Campaign, which was a non-partisan initiative that encouraged students to vote. Jason O’Hearn is a St. Thomas University Student who is originally from Campbellton.

“In the past, we have seen the student vote get surpassed, so it’s important that we get our voices heard.” According to the Students Union, St. Thomas University, actually did see an increase in voting pledges previous to the election.
As the night went on, students watched as results rolled in from local ridings. Many students also kept a close eye on Fredericton’s riding as well as their home ridings. In Fredericton, the Green Party Candidate Jenica Atwin Green made history as the first green party candidate to be elected east of British Columbia. Cheers went up in the room as she was declared the winner.

STU student Jason O’Hearn says he knew Green Party candidate would win.

Students eat pizza as they watch the resultsO’Hearn said he was surprised at the number of seats won by the Bloc Quebecois.

“A sweeper, more than they have seen in a decade,” he said. He also expressed that the NDP had not done as well as he had expected but that Jenica Atwin’s win was not that much of a surprise.

“I knew she was gonna win the first time I saw her at the debate, just from the way she presented herself,” says O’Hearn.

Third parties did see a swell of support, as many Canadians seem disillusioned with the two ruling parties. However, Trudeau was able to keep his place as Prime Minister even though the Liberals will have to form a minority government.

For many students, this was their first time participating in an election and also their first time seeing a minority government on the federal level. New Brunswick elected a minority government last year, so New Brunswick residents  will now have to adjust to a minority government on both the provincial and federal levels.

Manvi Walter says she is interested in watching the election even though she is not a Canadian citizen.

Manvi Walter, an international student from India, said that while she does not fully understand minority governments, she is familiar with the coalition form of government.

“He (Trudeau) will probably have to take opinions from other parties involved since he didn’t get a majority,” says Walter.

Even as an international student who cannot vote, Walter felt that it was important to watch the results come in alongside her Canadian classmates. “I have seen how exciting voting is at home, and it’s actually good to see how interesting the votes are here too.”