Thank you, Madam Chair.
I'd like to start by thanking our Chief Electoral Officer and his team for their work, and for appearing at committee and answering our questions.
As the committee knows, my bill, the right to vote at 16 act, is currently at second reading.
Back in 2018, Mr. Perrault told the CBC that lowering the voting age is “worth considering”, because “Voting when you're 16 is voting at a time when most Canadians at that age are still in school, at a place where we can actually get to them and engage them.” He also said:
We know that Canadians who vote early in their lifetime will continue to vote, and those who don't vote in the first few elections will tend not to vote later on. So there's a real benefit to making sure that Canadians vote early, and voting when you're 16, there's an opportunity to reach out to them.
I'd like to ask Mr. Perrault if that remains his perspective.