As many Canadians were enjoying the final days of the summer, 20,000 teachers from across the country were making plans to engage their students in our democracy.
In collaboration with Elections Canada, CIVIX delivered its Student Vote program free to elementary and high schools during the federal election held on September 20, 2021.
“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. 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,” said Stéphane Perrault, Chief Electoral Officer of Canada.
Despite the challenging timeline, more than 7,500 schools registered to participate across the country.
Participating schools were provided with learning resources to teach about democracy, government and the election process, as well as a variety of tools to explore issues and parties, including a political spectrum tool designed for students (Youth Vote Compass), a breakdown of the party platforms (Pollenize) and video Q&As with the party leaders.
The activities led up to Student Vote Day, when students voted for the candidates running in their riding. In total, 809,312 students cast ballots and results were received from all 338 federal electoral districts.
Students elected a Liberal minority government with the NDP as official opposition.
- The Liberal Party won 118 seats and took 24% of the vote.
- The NDP won 108 seats and took 28% of the vote.
- The Conservative Party won 88 seats and took 25% of the vote.
- The Bloc Québecois won 21 seats and took 2% of the vote.
- The Green Party won 3 seats and took 10% of the vote.
View the complete national results, results by district, and results by school by visiting: https://studentvote.ca/results/canada2021
“The biggest impact it has had on me as a teacher, and as a first-time teacher of Student Vote is that I am able to see the progress my students have made and the interest they have. Without this program, I don’t know if I would have been talking about elections and issues as much as I have been. It has been amazing. I’m now a Student Vote teacher for life!” (Anoushka, Toronto teacher)
