The Green Party of Canada should be leading the country, according to mock student elections held at three high schools along the Sea to Sky Corridor on Tuesday (Oct. 14), including Don Ross Secondary School and Howe Sound Secondary School.Meanwhile, the schools agreed the Conservative Party was the least popular choice for leadership despite John Weston handily winning the local seat.Sea to Sky students cast more than 600 ballots as part of Student Vote 2008, a non-profit, non-partisan organization promoting democratic practices to young Canadians. But teachers first had to ensure the students were adequately educated before marking their Xs.Don Ross teacher Mandy Kinzel estimates she spent over six hours of class time navigating her Grade 9 social studies and Grade 10 English students through the four main political platforms. She used the federal election to discuss the issues and problems facing Canada and how each of the parties attempt to offer solutions.It could have been a full-out course, she admits. "We really wish we had more time because there's so much depth you can get in to," she said. "I had participated in this before [in Pemberton] and saw a lot of merit to it as long as you have enough time in a class to look at issues and discuss things."The government supplied resource materials through the program and students researched party initiatives and created posters outlining what mattered to them. The students were also given a chance to debate. She noticed the younger students were more apt to lean toward the ideals of the NDP than the older students. When it was all over and 115 Don Ross voters marked their ballots, 55 chose NDP, 31 went Green, 16 liked Liberal and 13 counted for the Conservatives. However, when the votes were mixed with Howe Sound and Whistler Secondary School, the Green Party prevailed with 43 per cent of the vote while the NDP placed second (25 per cent), Liberals third (17 per cent) and Conservatives last (15 per cent). Don Ross Grade 9 social studies teacher Stephanie Potter-Davey said the Student Vote program provides important preparation for kids reaching the age of majority. "I just felt that because so many students have no idea what's going on and all of a sudden, boom, since they're 18 and they don't know anything it's such a steep learning curve to try to figure everything out and vote intelligently." It's all about making the issues come to life for students, she said. While the environment is a big concern for the future, so are small family businesses trying to cope with a failing economy. "When they can see how it impacts them personally then they start getting really interested," she said. "These votes don't count but they're still very important."About 420,000 students from Grade 5 to 12 took part in the Student Votes program across Canada. When all the votes were tallied, the students followed their elders' lead by voting for a Conservative minority.
