The Pollcast: Are millennials now Canada's most important voters?

The CBC Pollcast explores the world of electoral politics, political polls and the trends they reveal.

Millennials will be the biggest cohort of voters in the next federal election, and the party that has the most success in tapping their support will vastly improve its chances of winning in 2019.

But millennials are far from a monolithic voting bloc and the 2015 federal election was the first in which they came out to cast ballots in big numbers. Will they turn out with similar enthusiasm in the next vote and in the ones to come?

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For the first time, all Canadian millennials, generally defined as those born between 1980 and 2000, will be eligible to vote in the next federal election. 

Youth turnout was up significantly in the 2015 election and all indications are that Justin Trudeau's Liberals won that vote. But the party can't take that support for granted in the next election — particularly now that the Conservatives and NDP are led by leaders who are younger than Trudeau and who are also trying to appeal to younger voters.

But what are the points of political consensus for this generation and what will motivate them to vote in the future?

To break down the impact of millennial voters in the coming elections in Ontario, Alberta and nationwide, Pollcast host Éric Grenier is joined by David Coletto, CEO of the polling firm Abacus Data.

Listen to the full discussion above — or subscribe to the CBC Pollcast here and listen to past episodes.​

Follow Éric Grenier and David Coletto on Twitter.