Victoria – Post-secondary students can now be added to the growing list of community stakeholders that local Conservative candidates running in the federal election are refusing to meet with.
“It’s unfortunate that the Conservative Party is choosing to put the control of its message and iron-fisted media management ahead of engaging with students – some of whom will be voting for the first time,” said UVSS Director of External Relations Kenya Rogers. “Students of all ideological perspectives at UVic want to be informed on the issues that matter to them. The Conservative Party is sending the message to youth that our issues don’t matter and that democratic engagement is totally subservient to their locked down campaign strategy.”
The University of Victoria Students’ Society is hosting an all-candidates debate on October 7 at UVic. South Island candidates from the Conservative Party, NDP, Liberal Party, and Green Party have all been invited. The Conservative Party has declined to participate.
“University campuses are meant to be a place for free and open debate and the spirit of inquiry – this is something that all political parties can agree on,” said Rogers. “The UVic Students’ Society represents over 17,000 student members who have incredibly diverse backgrounds and opinions on Canadian politics. Our members want to see candidates from all the major parties attend an all-candidates debate and hear what they have to offer – especially around the issues of high tuition fees and student debt.”
The University of Victoria Students’ Society (UVSS) was established in 1964 and represents the 17,000 undergraduate students at the University of Victoria. The UVSS would like to recognize that the University of Victoria is built on the unceded unsurrendered territories of the Lekwungen and WSANEC Peoples and its presence on this land is in itself an act of violence.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Kenya Rogers
UVSS Director of External Relations – external@uvss.ca