From the campaign trail to the classroom: Candidates meet with Regina high school students

Some high school students in Regina got the opportunity to learn more about the federal election candidates and what their political parties stand for.

Dozens of Grade 9 to 12 students from both LeBoldus and Miller High Schools gathered at LeBoldus Thursday morning to listen to NDP candidate April Bourgeois and Liberal candidate Ralph Goodale from the Regina-Wascana riding, along with Green Party candidate Tamela Friesen from the Regina-Lewvan constituency.

A representative from the Conservative Party was not there.

The three debated each other and took questions from students ranging from climate change to the cost of post-secondary education to terrorism.

While Grade 12 student Jake Egarhos isn’t eligible to vote yet, he believes now is a good time to be learning about what’s going on around him.

“I’d say just learn a little, even just a little bit about what’s going on, what everyone stands for, and then make your decision and then let those people represent what you want,” Egarhos said. “I think actually a bit of it is more interesting once you do understand it. So I’m just beginning to understand and making that little effort, then it’s more engaging.”

Fellow Grade 12 student Rylan Lucyk is eligible to vote and thinks the debate gave him a better understanding of each party and what they represent, so he’s not totally in the dark when he casts his ballot Oct. 19.  Many others his age won’t vote. His solution?   

“I think if people were educated they would care a lot more. If you’re interested with something and you do have the background information then you will learn more and you’ll go out and do something about it,” he said.

“If you don’t vote you don’t really have the right to complain about what’s going on in the world because you didn’t put your argument forward, you didn’t really put your voice forward.”