In addition to running the country, Liberal leader and prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau has another special responsibility.
Not letting down the young people who voted for him.
There is no question that some of the red ink that poured across Canada Monday night was spilled by young voters, many of them first-timers, who put an X beside a Liberal candidate on a promise of "real change" and hope.
Demographers will have more data once all the polls results are scrutinized but, judging by the campaigns run in the Tri-Cities, more young people were engaged.
Locally, students at 60 Tri-City public schools that participated in Student Vote 15 voted for Liberal candidates, and a strong youth vote may have been the reason for a hefty increase in voter turnout, up nearly 15% in B.C. and 7% nationally.
Why did this happen?
Aside from looks and a political pedigree, Trudeau offered something that none of the other leaders did: a sense of optimism that Canada could be better.
Social media may also have been responsible for getting young people out to vote and there is no question Trudeau's message was widely disbursed on Twitter and Facebook. While the other parties also took those platforms seriously, it may have been the Conservative endorsements by Canada's major daily newspapers and Conservative ads wrapping those same newspapers — futile efforts, it turns out — that showed that old campaigners were out of step with youthful idealism.
As a coming-of-age election, the Liberals have a lot to teach young voters. Let's hope they live up to the expectations.
