Thank you.
Good afternoon, members of the committee.
My name is Sam Reusch. I am the executive director of Apathy is Boring. Founded in 2004, we're the largest national non-partisan organization that engages young Canadians aged 18 to 34 in our democracy.
We're proud to work with youth from all sides of the political spectrum. It's not about who they vote for but rather that they participate in the democratic process and have their voices heard on the issues that matter most to them, including the economy, housing, equality and affordability.
I'm here today to express support for several amendments included in Bill C-65, while also providing a real-world perspective on how to improve this bill to increase voter turnout and trust in our institutions amongst youth.
First, I want to address the proposed amendments related to on-campus voting. We know from our work across the country that, when young people are given accessible and convenient ways to participate in Canada's democratic process, they're more likely to vote. On-campus polling stations also provide meaningful opportunities for student organizations to engage young electors on campus. Importantly, this sends a powerful message to Canadian youth that their vote matters, something that is essential to reducing motivational barriers to participation.
Second, Apathy is Boring also strongly supports the proposed amendments targeting election interference. Further, we support the latest recommendations by the Chief Electoral Officer that call for expanding the current foreign interference measures to apply at all times.
Deceptive campaigns that manipulate and distort public opinion harm Canada's democracy and must be banned. When hidden resources are used to mislead, divide and push agendas without Canadians' knowledge, Canada's democratic process is undermined and our collective trust in institutions is put at risk. This is a risk that we cannot afford.
Importantly, this is not an issue of freedom of speech. It's a matter of removing the ability of specific actors to deceptively influence our elections directly or to finance those activities furtively. Making disinformation that seeks to undermine or influence our elections illegal and prohibitively costly is a crucial first step to addressing this risk. Youth have a huge stake in preserving our democracy and perhaps especially in our capacity to engage in genuine democratic discourse in our increasingly digital world. Moreover, we must increase awareness of this subject amongst Canadians through transparent and effective oversight and enforcement to underscore the serious nature of safeguarding our elections.
Last, while we commend the work undertaken to date to improve the Canada Elections Act and Canada's democratic process, let me close my remarks by providing a final recommendation to further improve the system under which we collectively operate towards a more inclusive, resilient and informed democracy.
While Bill C-65 directs Elections Canada to further study a three-day voting period, we recommend expanding the scope of this recommendation to weekend voting, as examining both in parallel would be the most efficient use of government resources and could assess the impact in both urban and rural Canada.
Indeed, research suggests that holding elections on weekends could increase voter turnout. Weekend voting addresses a prominent barrier, lack of time, cited by one in four non-voters as the reason they didn't vote in the 2019 election.
This lack of time has only been exacerbated by the cost of living crisis that Canadians are facing. Youth are one of the largest groups of non-voters and, in the most recent survey data, 78% believed that weekend voting would make it easier for them to vote. By prioritizing weekend voting, we would ensure that every citizen has the opportunity to exercise their right to vote, regardless of their schedule or other commitments.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your questions.