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Campaign to Increase Youth Voter Turnout for Climate Justice Ahead of the Federal Snap Election in 2021
Ottawa/Traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg people— Leading up to the 44th Canadian Federal election on September 20th, 2021, Shake Up The Establishment, a youth-led, non-partisan, registered national nonprofit known for providing accessible, evidence-informed resources on the climate crisis is engaging Canadians to vote for the climate, through their “Not Voting F*cking Sucks” campaign. In doing so, they hope to make Canada a world leader in addressing climate change, whilst bringing Canadians together over a crisis that is in dire need of addressing from an equitable standpoint. Chief Research Officer Christina Di Carlo states, “the evidence overwhelmingly supports that this climate crisis will impact all aspects of life, but will disproportionately impact communities of colour, women and gender-diverse people and low-income individuals”.
The campaign has three primary objectives: to increase youth voter turnout; to increase the public’s knowledge about climate change and the Canadian political system so individuals can make an informed decision for whom to support; and, to centre climate justice as the forefront issue for this election. The group aims to increase awareness and education through accessible resources on Canadian political processes provided on a variety of media platforms in addition to their non-partisan political party platform comparison chart, which was widely-cited in the past Federal election. Moreover, they hope to spark critical conversations about the historical exclusion and oppression of certain communities and the corresponding impact upon voter turnout. They also explore present-day barriers to voting, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Manvi Bhalla, President and Co-founder, says that through these efforts, “SUTE hopes to bring the true spirit of democracy back into the Canadian political landscape, by making information about Federal politics in Canada more accessible and understandable. This will help Canadians elect political leaders that will mitigate our advances towards extinction.”
For more information and/or press inquiries, please email Mei-Ling at info@shakeuptheestab.org.
About Us: Shake Up The Establishment (SUTE) aims to make credible, evidence-informed information readily available to promote informed voting, advocacy practices, and political accountability surrounding human and social justice issues that are exacerbated by the climate crisis. We collaborate directly with groups and communities working to address injustices, alongside our ongoing work towards environmental literacy and political action. SUTE previously launched a successful vote for the climate campaign for the 2019 Federal election, and worked alongside partners such as Patagonia Toronto. SUTE is a national organization but is grateful to be situated on the ancestral, traditional territories of the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas Peoples.
List of Resources for the 2021 Federal Election:
Review
Voting 101 - 5 critical tools to get you from start to finish from registration to choosing whom to vote for!
Youth Primer - Learn How Young People Can Engage in Party Politics in Canada [COMING SOON!]
Listen
Read
"Voter Rights Timeline: Systemic Barriers Towards Voting Experienced by Historically Excluded Groups" by Anna Huschka & Meagan Parmassar
“Commitments To The Paris Agreement & SDGs - How Close Are We To Meeting Them?” by Jordan Kilgour
Explore our Politics Landing Page for easy-to-read, understandable information on everything related to voting by our Politics Research Team
Share
SUTE's Election Primer Toolkit: A PDF-to-print booklet summarizing some of our key elections resources
Support
Buy our 2021 Election Campaign stickers to help fund our work! (sustainably sourced from NoIssue; paper-based/ water-soluble adhesive)
Share our social media content
Donate to Shake Up The Establishment
Apply to volunteer for our organization