Secondary students grill their candidates in Vancouver Quilchena riding

Most of the audience isn’t even old enough to vote yet, but hundreds of students packed the auditorium at Magee Secondary School in Vancouver on Tuesday morning to find out about the candidates running for a seat in their riding.

Organized by the Student Vote Initiative at their school, the students are given a chance to ask the candidates questions, and become more informed about where they live before they can go and cast a ballot.

Walking into the auditorium, students were excited to hear what the candidates had to say and they enthusiastically applauded the candidates and their responses.

“They got their views across, their platforms,” said one of the organizers, Carol Lee. “I feel like it went really well and next time we’d like more time.”

The candidates seemed pleased to be given the chance to talk to some future voters.

“You are the voters and leaders of tomorrow,” Green candidate Damian Kettlewell, told the group.

NDP candidate Matt Toner, who was filling in for candidate Nicholas Scapittati, started the session with a laugh by telling the students “I sometimes swear inadvertently when I’m talking.” He kept it very clean however.

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Joining Toner and Kettlewell was Liberal candidate Andrew Wilkinson and Conservative candidate Bill Clarke.

The students had prepared questions ahead of time and then they were able to ask the candidates questions and put them on the spot.

Questions about student debt, housing costs, job creation healthcare, and the legalization of marijuana.

Candidates got into a heated debate about the BC NDP saying they would sell BC Place if they are elected, and the student moderators had to reign them in for time.

“The fact that you’re here, the fact that you’re paying attention, is great,” added Wilkinson.

One of the organizers, Grade 11 student Carol Lee, spoke to Global BC about the debate and how it went:

Created in 1991 from the Vancouver-Point Grey riding, Quilchena spans all of Vancouver south of 16th Avenue and west of Granville until 57th Avenue, and West Boulevard south of that. The riding has never elected an NDP candidate, with Colin Hansen having won majorities of over 10000 votes in the four elections he contested from 1996 to 2009.

To learn more about Student Vote visit their website.