Pubdate: Mon, 31 May 2004
Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB)
83e-4c7b-9bdf-72245098d497
Copyright: 2004 The Edmonton Journal
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134
Author: Misty Harris
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

MOST YOUNG CANADIANS SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGE

Poll also reveals that federal agenda is not youth's agenda

Misty Harris The Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON -- Canada's top politicians and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy 
don't have much in common, save their collective appreciation for 
showmanship. This federal election, however, the TV show's popularity among 
young Canadians may be partly responsible for engaging teens in social 
politics -- most notably, the contentious gay marriage debate.

A new poll commissioned by CanWest News Service shows 59 per cent of 
Canadian teens, aged 14 to 18, support gay marriage. According to an expert 
in political studies, this is somewhat expected of a group coming of age 
while homosexual celebrities and icons are so ascendant in popular culture.

"If it's not in the closet, it has to have an impact," says Brenda O'Neill, 
an associate professor at the University of Manitoba who has studied youth 
voter apathy. "This means that over time, Canada is becoming more 
progressive in its attitudes regarding civil liberties."

The poll of 500 Canadian teens was sponsored by the Dominion Institute and 
Navigator Ltd., as part of Youth Vote 2004. The CanWest initiative is 
designed to engage young Canadians in the federal election, and to give 
parents, teachers and politicians a look at where young people stand on key 
issues.

The issues that hit home with Canadian teens and the hot-button topics of 
the federal election aren't necessarily one in the same, says O'Neill.

"What the heck is a youth issue? MP3s?" she asks, laughing. "A politician 
with any foresight will recognize what youth think today is going to matter 
for tomorrow. But you also have to recognize that young people's attitudes 
will change as they age."

Edmonton resident Renze Nauta, who recently turned 18, decided the best way 
to get his voice heard in the election was to get involved. So last 
September, he threw his support behind Conservative Party candidate Rahim 
Jaffer as a volunteer youth organizer.

"I think it would be a mistake to assume youth don't have the same needs as 
everyone else," says Nauta. "I don't think there really is one specific 
youth issue."

Although Nauta tends to side with the Conservatives on key social issues, 
such as gay marriage and the decriminalization of marijuana, the teenager 
is adamant that his political opinions are his own.

"I don't take marching orders from anybody," he asserts. "I make my own 
decisions."

The CanWest survey was conducted at the end of March and has a 4.3-per-cent 
margin of error. Other key findings include strong support for immigrants 
(58 per cent of respondents disagreed with the statement that immigrants 
don't want to fit into Canadian society), engagement in the community (29 
per cent have volunteered at least once in the past three years) and a 
feeling of safety in their environment (90 per cent said they feel safe 
when they travel to school every morning).

"This is a very confident group of people who are feeling good, not feeling 
all that badly about government, are pretty engaged in their school and 
community, and are very confident about their own prospects," says Greg 
Lyle, a principal at Navigator Ltd. with a long history in politics.

"There weren't a lot of 'I don't know' answers (from poll respondents)."

The social issue that drew some of the most polarized responses from youth 
was the decriminalization of marijuana. When asked if the drug should be 
made legal, teens were almost split down the middle, with 55 per cent 
saying no and 41 per cent saying yes.

"These young people are clearly taking sides," says Lyle. "This is real 
life for them -- they have to make real choices as to (whether) they're 
going to do drugs or not." 
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