Saskatoon elementary students participate in mock election

While a record number of voters are casting their ballots this year, elementary students are holding an election of their own.

École St. Mother Teresa School is holding a mock election in partnership with CIVIX Canada. For a student like Josephine Boyko, who is in Grade 7, it means she can get her first taste of politics at a young age.

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“I’m hoping that the NDP wins,” said Boyko.

Politics is a big topic for most families at the dinner table, and Boyko said her family is no different, “especially when we’re talking about education.”

As for why Boyko hopes to see the NDP come out on top, she said she likes many of the policies they have.

“I think they just have great ideas and plans for education, health care, climate change and everything,” said Boyko.

Matthew Gatawa, another Grade 7 student, also hopes the NDP wins.

“They focus more on individual people, more than just buildings and stations,” said Gatawa.

The school has been covering campaign messages and the debate leading into the mock election.

“We went through a little bit of the debate that happened last week, kind of breaking down what the different leaders were talking about,” said Rebecca Hammel, a Grade 7 French immersion teacher.

Hammel said she believes it’s important to get the younger generation involved with politics early.

“We learn about the Canadian government, (and) its structures in the electoral process,” said Hammel. “They start thinking about who they want as political leaders and what issues are really important to them.”

On Monday, the schools across the province that participated will count up their votes and send them to CIVIX. The results are then posted and the schools can see how their results lined up with the actual vote.

For those participating in the genuine election, polls are open until 8 p.m. on Monday.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to correct an error in the name of the organization behind the mock vote.