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Voting age lowered to 16

S-222 Vote 16 Act: An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and the Regulation Adapting the Canada Elections Act for the Purposes of a Referendum

Lowers the federal voting age to let Canadian citizens aged 16 and 17 vote in elections and referendums.

What Bill S-222 would do

The bill would amend federal election and referendum rules to extend the right to vote to Canadian citizens aged 16 and 17. The published material gives no further detail.

Official text

Official summary

This enactment amends the Canada Elections Act and the Regulation Adapting the Canada Elections Act for the Purposes of a Referendum to extend the right to vote to citizens aged 16 and 17. Available on the Senate of Canada website at the following address: www.sencanada.ca/en 1st Session, 45th Parliament, 3 Charles III, 2025 SENATE OF CANADA BILL S-222 An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and the Regulation Adapting the Canada Elections Act for the Purposes of a Referendum His Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:

The government's summary, printed at the front of the bill as introduced.

Kind
Senator's bill
Sponsor
Marilou McPhedran, Senator
Introduced
in the Senate
Last activity

Where it stands

Voted down

Voted down in the Senate April 21

  1. First reading in the Senate done

    Before the Senate on 1 sitting day,

  2. Second reading in the Senate stopped here

    Before the Senate on 9 sitting days, to

  3. Third reading in the Senate not yet

  4. First reading in the House not yet

  5. Second reading in the House not yet

  6. Committee in the House not yet

  7. Report stage in the House not yet

  8. Third reading in the House not yet

  9. Royal assent not yet

Exact procedural stages

Officially: Bill defeated · since May 29, 2025.

  1. Senate
  2. House
  3. Royal assent

Debates in the House 0

No debate on this bill is in the record we hold yet (Senate debates are not covered).

Discussion

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Status, stages and votes from LEGISinfo. Debates are linked from the House's own record of what was before it. Grades are the site's analysis of each statement.