More than ever before, Canadasa国际传媒檚 political parties need to be able to speak to the millennial generation.

The B.C. Federation of Students launched its sa国际传媒極ur Time is Nowsa国际传媒� 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 sa国际传媒渢he first time in 40 years that Canadians under 35 will form the largest age cohort,sa国际传媒� with millennials representing 37 per cent of the electorate.

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

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, sa国际传媒渟o it turns into a lifelong pattern.sa国际传媒�

She said itsa国际传媒檚 exciting when shesa国际传媒檚 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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sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 like a privilege you gain when you become that age and suddenly you can help make decisions,sa国际传媒� said Anouk Borris, chairperson of the Vancouver Island University Studentssa国际传媒� Union.

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

Klassen said young people basically care about the sa国际传媒渆xact same issuessa国际传媒� as other voter groups, with affordability and climate high on the list.

sa国际传媒淲e donsa国际传媒檛 have niche issues but wesa国际传媒檙e also not a homogeneous group,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淓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.sa国际传媒�

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

sa国际传媒淢illennials will be galvanized to seek solutions,sa国际传媒� the report notes, including at the ballot box.

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

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

For more information about the campaign, visit .

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