Voting age should be lowered to 16 because of climate change, former minister argues

Canada's age requirement for voting is facing a constitutional challenge after a legal organization and a group of children launched a claim in the Ontario Superior court, and it is drawing support from a notable former minister.

The clinic Justice for Children and Youth of Toronto said that the age limit under the Canada elections act should be struck, according to Blacklock's Reporter. This occurred on Tuesday.

The children named as plaintiffs, in this case, are aged from 12 to 17.

Former cabinet minister Catherine McKenna also raised this issue on Twitter on Wednesday. "Imagine if 16-year-olds could vote about the future they want," she said.

"They'll be 45 in 2050 when we need to be net-zero. I'll be 80," she added. "I want to hear their voices now about what we need to do to get there. They'll live far longer with the consequences of our action or inaction."

This is a similar argument to the one that the legal group is making. "Denying Canadian citizens under the age of 18 the right to vote is unconstitutional," said the clinic Justice for Children and Youth of Toronto.

Canada's Charter of Rights guarantees that every citizen should have the vote, but makes no mention of age limits. In the 1970s, politicians lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.

"Using age as a proxy for cognitive capacity, political competency, political access and responsibility must be grounded in evidence and accord with the actual capacities of citizens under the age of 18," wrote the legal group.