Thank you, Chair. As much as I understand what Ms. Jennings is getting at, and I appreciate at least the work that she's done and the sentiment inherent in this, I think she's trying to stem the problem that arose with what we're calling the Volpe clause, because we were all horrified at this idea of shaking down school children for their lunch money, to overstate things somewhat. While it would prevent children being coerced into participating by those who would seek to exceed the donation limits of the Election Act, I feel some reservations and hesitation with Ms. Jennings' amendment in that I believe she may have gone too far. No matter how well-intentioned the amendment is, there is a legitimate place for young people getting involved in the political process.
The New Democratic Party has a youth wing to which someone over the age of 12 can be a member. It's not inconceivable that a 14-year-old may choose to donate $50 to an election campaign as part of an exercise in learning more about politics, and their parents might encourage them to do so. We don't want to see the abuse that clearly took place in the recent Liberal leadership race.
So I'm going to speak against this amendment on the basis that I think there has to be a way to allow young people to get involved in that process, but with some guidance and control. The NDP has put forward an idea that I would like to speak to when the occasion arises.