Ontario Liberal leadership hopeful Michael Coteau would lower voting age to 16

Thestar.com
November 6, 2019
Robert Benzie

An Ontario Liberal leadership hopeful wants to lower the voting age in the province to 16.

MPP Michael Coteau (Don Valley East) proposed the change Monday as part of a suite of reforms he would enact if elected premier.

“Young Ontarians age 16 and 17 participate in our province and contribute to our society in every way, except by being able to vote. I will make this long-overdue change,” Coteau wrote in a policy proposal that promises a “new focus on responsive and ethical government.”

Currently, only those 18 and up can vote.

Coteau, a former minister in premier Kathleen Wynne’s Liberal government, is calling for greater transparency at Queen’s Park.

That includes beefing up laws around the lobbying of government officials.

“In 2018, our government lost the support of Ontarians for many reasons. It was not simply because of a so-called populist wave in Western democracies where right-wing parties making simplistic promises defeated progressive, moderate parties of the centre,” wrote Coteau.

“We were removed from office in 2018 because we lost the trust of Ontarians. Over time, our government fell far short on consulting with and listening to people, both Liberals and those outside our party. Our ethics and decisions were questioned,” he continued.

“We appeared arrogant and aloof when we did not recognize, correct and apologize for our mistakes. We lost touch with Ontarians’ concerns — and discounted their willingness to make a change when they felt we no longer represented their interests.”

But Coteau insisted the change Ford delivered is not the change Ontarians expected, and that his Liberals would curb some of the Tories’ excesses.

“I will eliminate the use of government resources for blatant political propaganda and communications that advance and promote party donors,” he wrote in a shot at Ford’s “Ontario News Now” video press releases.

Coteau would also reinstate the policy of making ministers’ mandate letters public. While these were released under Wynne, Ford has kept them secret.

He would institute reforms of the appointments to government agencies, boards, and commissions to ensure they “are empowered to make independent evidence-based decisions free from political interference, and equipped with access to information and data that supports actions and decisions in the public interest.”

And he promises a “new deal for municipalities” by reviewing how services are delivered.

“I know the Ontario Liberal Party needs to change and so does the government I propose to lead,” Coteau wrote.

“We need to be bold and resolute in our commitment to ensure transparency, accountability, respect for tax dollars, and an open and ethical approach to government.”

The Liberals will elect a new leader at a delegated convention on March 7 in Mississauga.

The front-runner is widely seen to be former minister Steven Del Duca.

Also in the contest are MPP Mitzie Hunter (Scarborough Guildwood); another ex-minister, Kate Graham, who finished third last year in London North Centre; and Alvin Tedjo, a runner-up in Oakville-Burlington North in 2018