More than ever before, Canada乌鸦传媒檚 political parties need to be able to speak to the millennial generation.

The B.C. Federation of Students launched its 乌鸦传媒極ur Time is Now乌鸦传媒� campaign last week on Vancouver Island in an effort to get students registered and engaged in the lead-up to the Oct. 21 federal election.

According to a report by the BCFS, the 2019 election marks 乌鸦传媒渢he first time in 40 years that Canadians under 35 will form the largest age cohort,乌鸦传媒� with millennials representing 37 per cent of the electorate.

乌鸦传媒淲hich is historic,乌鸦传媒� said Tanysha Klassen, chairperson of the B.C. Federation of Students. 乌鸦传媒淭hat乌鸦传媒檚 a huge number of young people that are going to really be able to shift the vote.乌鸦传媒�

In the 2015 federal election, voter turnout among Canadians aged 18-24 spiked to 57.1 per cent, from 38.8 per cent in 2011 and even lower than that in 2008. Klassen said people who vote for a first time are more likely to vote a second time, and so on, 乌鸦传媒渟o it turns into a lifelong pattern.乌鸦传媒�

She said it乌鸦传媒檚 exciting when she乌鸦传媒檚 approached by students who have just turned 18 and want to know the process for registering and finding out information about the parties and candidates.

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乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 like a privilege you gain when you become that age and suddenly you can help make decisions,乌鸦传媒� said Anouk Borris, chairperson of the Vancouver Island University Students乌鸦传媒� Union.

VIUSU launched its get-out-the-vote efforts last Tuesday in Nanaimo as a part of a club information event at the university乌鸦传媒檚 cafeteria, and campus young Greens and young Conservatives attended.

Klassen said young people basically care about the 乌鸦传媒渆xact same issues乌鸦传媒� as other voter groups, with affordability and climate high on the list.

乌鸦传媒淲e don乌鸦传媒檛 have niche issues but we乌鸦传媒檙e also not a homogeneous group,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淓verybody has these similar issues, like the rest of the population does, but the ways that young people want to go about handling those issues varies greatly.乌鸦传媒�

The BCFS report notes that there are 乌鸦传媒渞eal struggles乌鸦传媒� facing millennials including affordability, climate change, human rights and limited access to stable economic opportunities.

乌鸦传媒淢illennials will be galvanized to seek solutions,乌鸦传媒� the report notes, including at the ballot box.

The report also comments that 乌鸦传媒渘egative tropes about youth apathy perpetuated by the media and by pundits are a form of voter suppression乌鸦传媒� by suggesting to young people that their vote won乌鸦传媒檛 matter because not enough of their peers are voting. The 乌鸦传媒極ur Time is Now乌鸦传媒� campaign, said Klassen, is meant to empower young people this election.

乌鸦传媒淲e know that we get out and vote and that we乌鸦传媒檙e activists and that we乌鸦传媒檙e engaged,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淭here乌鸦传媒檚 just always been a negative narrative through media and older generations saying the young people don乌鸦传媒檛 vote, which we all know is wrong, but we need to make sure we get out there and prove that to people.乌鸦传媒�

For more information about the campaign, visit .

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