In December 2021, a group of 13 Canadian youth filed a court challenge in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to lower the federal voting age. The Applicants represent youth across the country and range from 12 to 18 years of age.

The Applicants argue that the required federal voting age of 18 under the Canada Elections Act (link) violates the enshrined right for Canadian citizens to vote under section 3, and equal protection under the law on the basis of age under section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (link).

Four federal political parties in Canada provide voting rights for party membership to individuals under 18. From an international perspective, several countries, including Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Ecuador, Germany, Scotland, and Wales, have recognized the importance of including the views of youth within their democratic process and have lowered their voting age to 16.

You can read the full press release regarding the Canadian youth’s legal challenge here (link).

Bakerlaw has extensive experience representing individuals with human rights complaints at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, and the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. Bakerlaw has also represented clients on Charter challenges in multiples levels of Courts.

Learn more about bakerlaw’s legal services related to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms here (link) and human rights here (link).