I recall the idea having been tossed around, but it's not seriously considered by anyone in the mainstream. Hell, I'd be more inclined to support a return to 21. Ain't gonna happen.
Some political parties are moving in this direction internally, though, allowing full participation by those under 18, and by trying to do away with "youth wings". Parties up here are quite different than yours -- rigid discipline, for example. I don't know if members of the Liberal Party who are under 18 can vote for leadership delegates. But an interesting twist is that citizenship is not required for party membership. So an adult non-citizen can vote as a party member for the leader, even when they can't vote in the general election. And, given the present state of politics in Canada, the party members have a far, far more direct say in who will be the next Prime Minister than do the voters. The next leader of the Liberals WILL be Prime Minister, full stop. And will almost certainly win the election, which must be held no later than 2005, more likely next summer. |
