Following the British government's decision to lower its voting age to 16, a Canadian senator advocates for Canada to follow suit.

Senator Marilou McPhedran prioritizes lowering the voting age to 16, arguing it benefits democracy and opposing arguments are stereotypical, as reported by the Canadian Press.

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A 2021 Elections Canada study found most adult voters oppose lowering the voting age. “Seven in ten respondents, 72 percent, disagreed that the voting age in federal elections should be lowered from 18 to 16,” wrote researchers.

Of the 49,993 people polled nationwide, only 10% strongly supported lowering the federal voting age to 16. Voters preferred schools and parents, not federal agencies, with handling civic education.

Liberal organizers petition to give high schoolers the vote. Sponsor @BeyNate was 1 of 20 Lib MPs to support a 2022 NDP bill to lower voting age to 16: 'Empower a generation still in school.'  https://t.co/vxQLRr0Ahc @NDP @liberal_party pic.twitter.com/t3W6kLauWz

— Blacklock's Reporter (@mindingottawa) July 15, 2025

McPhedran suggests doing so is "logical" and "fair," as current decisions impact younger generations. She notes that many 16-year-olds are already employed taxpayers.

Her Bill S-222, aiming to lower the federal voting age to 16, will be prioritized for review when Parliament reconvenes in September after dying on the floor due to prorogation in January.

“Our push is to ensure young voices … are heard directly by senators, and I feel confident … skeptics will turn around,” McPhedran said, noting the recent U.K. decision to lower the voting age will influence senators as she advances the bill.

Senators and MPs have previously opposed lowering the voting age, questioning youth maturity and the impact on voter turnout, as well as the standards for justification, according to Blacklock’s.

In 1969, the U.K. lowered its voting age from 21 to 18, a move quickly mirrored by many democracies, including Canada in 1970.

Austria, Brazil, and Ecuador allow 16-year-olds to vote; whereas, Scotland and Wales allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in local and regional elections.

Bill to lower voting age to 16 is back though @ElectionsCan_E research shows a majority of Canadians oppose it: "72% disagree."  https://t.co/4PRQc5Y2J2 #cdnpoli @SenMarilou pic.twitter.com/zLl5NsplJ1

— Blacklock's Reporter (@mindingottawa) May 30, 2025

Liberal Party organizers, backed by MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, also petitioned the Commons to lower the voting age to 16, according to Blacklock’s, echoing a bill from three years prior.

Petition E-6629 argues doing so would foster civic engagement in young people while they are still in school. It also encourages provinces to follow suit.

In 2022, MP Erskine-Smith and 19 other Liberal MPs supported Bill C-210, a New Democrat initiative to lower the voting age to 16. The bill was defeated in the Commons 245 to 77.

Of the 20 Liberals to vote for the bill 13 remain in the Commons, including several parliamentary secretaries, the Deputy Government House Leader, and Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin.