It is hard to know if PSAs help to get out the vote. However, whether effective or not, I think it is the DUTY of elections Canada to inform young voters on the importance to vote. There seem to be no studies to show whether these ads contribute to increased voter turnout and it is easy to say "we spend $x on these ads and yet the numbers are still abysmal". Well, it's possible that they would be worse than abysmal without the ads. We just don't know. What we do know is that youth vote typically doesn't go to the Conservatives, so yeah, this is politically motivated not fiscally prudent. And one thing that they have done a study on is that *IF* we get a youth voter out to the ballot box, that person is likely to become a life-long voter.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Of all the abhorrent things that this bill does, that is the one we are discussing? This is like saying poutine is good for your health because the cheese has calcium in it. This is a brutally antidemocratic bill that like similar moves in the United States is meant to aid the right while hurting democracy. Think I am overstating things? Check out what the Chief Elections Officer has to say:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Co...383/story.html