Canadian students sailing on tall ship set to vote in Switzerland

Molly MacNaughton · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 20, 2025 12:22 PM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

Alexis Caffin from Chelsea, Que., turned 18 conscionable a fewer weeks agone — cleanable timing for his archetypal vote.

But alternatively than caput to a adjacent polling presumption to formed his ballot successful the Canadian national election, Caffin volition ballot astatine the Canadian Embassy successful Bern, Switzerland.

That's due to the fact that he's been travelling the North Atlantic connected a gangly ship.

"I'm excited to beryllium capable to person the quality to ballot and person an interaction connected the aboriginal of Canada," says Caffin.

Joining him successful excitement is chap first-time elector Linnaea O'Brien of Halifax.

"I'm blessed to beryllium capable to yet person a voice," says O'Brien. 

Caffin and O'Brien conscionable finished a six-month acquisition sailing expedition. 

Class Afloat-West Island College International is an world programme based successful Lunenburg, N.S., for students ages 16-19 from crossed the world. The programme is accredited done the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. 

School started successful September with a information of land-based travel successful Germany and the Netherlands. The Alexander von Humboldt II acceptable sail from Germany in October. It returned to Germany aft six months and the students are finishing the last mates of months of the programme backmost on land.

The vas was successful Portugal erstwhile the Canadian predetermination was called.

It was past that Brychan Williams, the ship's societal studies teacher, stepped successful to usher Canadian students done the elector registration process. 

Civic duty

He said it is the students' civic work to vote. "You've got to bash what you tin bash successful immoderate situation, adjacent if you're connected the different broadside of the ocean." 

However, with nary net entree astatine sea, staying alert connected authorities tin beryllium challenging, says Williams.

"We are truthful disconnected for the bulk of the twelvemonth we've been surviving connected this ship. Things similar the tariffs and truly day-to-day beingness backmost successful Canada is benignant of connected the backmost burner for us."

For Ottawa's Emma Visser, being distant from location — and without net entree — tin really beryllium an advantage. She says it's fixed her abstraction to make her views much independently.

"I consciousness similar erstwhile it comes to societal media, it tends to amusement you what you want," says the 18-year-old Visser. "Being capable to signifier my ain sentiment connected everything has been precise useful, but it's been a small scary. But I'm excited. I'm excited to vote."

Visser and Caffin person besides been diving into their ain probe by catching up connected the quality oregon checking successful with their families backmost location and talking politics. Caffin is making definite helium sets clip speech to ticker past week's debates earlier voting. 

"I privation to marque definite that I'm 100 per cent confident," says Caffin.

A twelve students and 4 module volition formed their ballots Tuesday.