Politics and Voter Apathy: Is Democracy Working?

Is Canada suffering from voter apathy? Is democracy working? These are some of the critical questions under consideration at a two-day international symposium sponsored by the University of Victoria on democracy, citizen involvement and youth engagement.

Students from seven local high schools will launch the symposium with a discussion about democracy, youth engagement and voter apathy. The student discussion at noon on Apr. 28 promises a perspective on what today’s young people think about democracy.

At the free, public evening event on Apr. 28, former federal Member of Parliament Stephen Owen, now University of British Columbia’s vice-president of external, legal and community relations, will present his views on politics in Canada along with Jean-Claude Piris, of the Council of the European Union. The moderator for this event will be Times Colonist political journalist Les Leyne.

         “Youth Engagement” – High school students panel discussion
        Wednesday, 28 Apr. from noon to 3:30 p.m.
        Michele Pujol Room, Student Union Building, UVic

        “Is Democracy Working?”
        Presenters: Stephen Owen, UBC; Jean-Claude Piris, Council of the EU
        Wednesday, 28 Apr. from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
        Bob Wright Centre, Room B150, UVic

The youth engagement event and the five additional public panel discussions led by international political experts are also open to the public, and questions are welcome. Dr. Amy Verdun, chair of UVic’s Faculty of Political Science, will moderate the discussions. Please register in advance on the website or call 250-853-3526. A detailed program of the symposium is available at http://web.uvic.ca/jmc/sym_about.php.

For directions and parking information, visit www.uvic.ca/visitors/explore/maps.
 

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