Well, the people of British Columbia have spoken! However, weB次元官网网址檙e still trying to figure out exactly what they said. 

For me, Oct. 19 was a very exciting day. It was an incredibly close election, with so many twists and turns I felt like I was on the worldB次元官网网址檚 geekiest roller coaster. We had major parties withdraw from the race, we had the balance of power shift in our Legislature, and we did it all in the midst of a torrential downpour. 

Watching the results come in and the seat numbers swing this way and that, I thought to myself, B次元官网网址淭his must be what people who watch sports feel like.B次元官网网址� 

It was a strange experience, watching this immensely important event while lacking the ability to cast a ballot myself. Oh, how I wish I could vote! And I know IB次元官网网址檓 not the only teenager thinking that. 

Young people in B.C. had an opportunity to make their voices heard with the Student Vote, which gave students all over the province their own election to see how they would vote if given the chance. 

The results were quite interesting. The NDP won a minority government with 44 seats to the 40 seats that the Conservatives won. The biggest difference from the real vote was the GreenB次元官网网址檚 nine seats in the Legislature, including leader Sonia Furstenau, who won her race in the Student Vote. 

Nearly 180,000 students from elementary, middle, and high schools across the province voted in the Student Vote. ThereB次元官网网址檚 a win for youth political engagement! This is an excellent resource, because it encourages youth to engage in politics and lets everyone else know whatB次元官网网址檚 important to us. And given the larger number of Green candidates B次元官网网址渆lectedB次元官网网址� to office, itB次元官网网址檚 safe to say that climate change remains top of mind for young people in B.C. 

In my own riding of Langford-Highlands, the incumbent NDP candidate Ravi Parmar was re-elected for another stint in the Legislature. A former youth activist himself and the youngest MLA in the B.C. Legislature when he was elected in a 2023 byelection, Parmar has made youth issues, particularly the upkeep of our schools and the creation of new ones, a key part of his platform. 

He also served as a trustee for Sooke School District 62 and later as the board chair. And he was first elected as a trustee at just 20 years old! This experience gives him a unique insight into the education system and a keen awareness of the problems besetting it. 

When I asked him how he thought a minority government would affect youth issues, he seemed optimistic. 

B次元官网网址淚 think this is a great opportunity for us to cooperate and work together,B次元官网网址� he said, expressing a desire to work across party lines. 

His advice for youth who want to get involved and use their voice? 

B次元官网网址淨uestion everything around you. Question authority B次元官网网址� and do so in a respectful way of course B次元官网网址� but find ways to be able to give back to your community and to challenge injustices in your community as well.B次元官网网址�

He invites young people to reach out and engage with him, and he encourages youth interested in politics to B次元官网网址渟tart paying attention to whatB次元官网网址檚 going on around you.B次元官网网址� 

Good advice for us all. 

We need more voices advocating on behalf of youth in the Legislature B次元官网网址� and we need younger voices doing the work, as well. I would like to see more young people in politics, and more attention paid to youth issues like public education. 

The public schools in this province are underfunded and overcrowded. Trust me, I go to one of them. Whenever IB次元官网网址檓 walking to my next class, I feel like IB次元官网网址檓 in the midst of a buffalo stampede. We donB次元官网网址檛 have enough teachers and our school buses arenB次元官网网址檛 able to reach everyone, so more kids have had to turn to public transit. These are the kinds of problems that affect youth, and we need to pay more attention to them. 

To be frank, as a teenager, this election has me feeling a little nervous for the future. The rhetoric around this election has been quite polarizing, with Conservative leader John Rustad promising to B次元官网网址渕ake life as difficult as possibleB次元官网网址� for the NDP if they do indeed form a minority government. 

ThatB次元官网网址檚 not the kind of talk that leads to results for British Columbians, but it is the kind of talk that could cause another election. That may be what the Conservatives want, but it might not be what British Columbians want. 

Election campaigns arenB次元官网网址檛 cheap. A lot of money gets spent on campaigning. So why waste that money? People have voted, theyB次元官网网址檝e chosen their government (probably), and politicians need to accept the will of the people. 

Why not use that money for health care, housing, or the improvement of public schools? Use it for the betterment of the province, not political gain. Like it or not, the three parties in power will need to work together to get things done. They shouldnB次元官网网址檛 be trying to get in each otherB次元官网网址檚 way. That does not benefit the province or its people. 

Yes, the people have spoken. Listen to them, and work together. For the good of the province.

Gabriel Mackintosh is a student at Royal Bay Secondary School.