Political science professor Hamish Telford was quoted in an Oct 9 article in the Chilliwack Times about voter apathy in municipal elections.
Here’s an excerpt from Paul Henderson’s story, quoting Telford on student awareness:
Telford said he taught three classes on Canadian politics last term—probably 110 students—and as a big, bad professor he made his students read a national newspaper, either the National Post or the Globe and Mail.
“I asked how many of them are regular readers and out of 110 there was one, a senior citizen,” he said. “That was it.”
Telford said young people choose to use their devices for other purposes.
“Not many of them are on Twitter and if they are, they are following Justin Bieber not you or me or Andrew Coyne.”
So what’s the solution? Telford doesn’t offer an easy one. Civic engagement, however it’s done, is critical.
Telford’s new book, Rules of the Game: An Introduction to Canadian Politics, takes a look at the democratic deficit locally, in B.C. and across Canada. The book is available at the UFV bookstore and Amazon.
More here: http://www.chilliwacktimes.com/news/278619741.html