At the age of 21, Brigette DePape scandalized Parliament. She was the “rogue page” who strode onto the Senate floor during the government’s throne speech with a sign that said “Stop Harper.”

The protest cost the young activist her first job, damaged her career prospects and set off a flurry of speculation about her motives, her character and her generation.

Four years later DePape does not regret what she did. “It was one of the best decisions of my life,” she said in an interview. “It was my coming-out as a progressive. It was the moment I realized I had the ability to do something.”

But she has learned a few hard lessons: a single act of protest doesn’t change the course of events; taking a public stand can be costly; and becoming an overnight media sensation can trigger a stinging backlash.

For the record, her protest wasn’t a publicity stunt or a gimmick; it was a considered act of civil disobedience. She is not a spotlight seeker; she is genuinely worried about what Prime Minister Stephen Harper is doing to the Canada her parents and grandparents built. She is not brassy or arrogant; she is passionate, articulate and idealistic.

She wants a government that reflects the values of her generation and future generations. She wants an agenda that includes an equitable, compassionate society; treats the environment as a priceless public asset; addresses youth unemployment and student debt; respects the views of women, workers, indigenous peoples and racial minorities; and brings the nation together.

DePape was in Toronto last week as part of a five-city tour by the Council of Canadians to get out the youth vote. “I understand why most (young people) see voting as futile,” she told her first audience in Winnipeg. “In the 2011 election when I was a University of Ottawa student, someone asked me to go door-knocking. But I really didn’t see the point.

“Since then, I’ve had a change of heart. After four years under the current government (nine counting Harper’s two previous terms), I want to do everything in my power to see a government that reflects our values.”

It is not a pipe dream, she insists. All it would take to defeat the Conservatives is a wave of young people coming out to vote.

In the last federal election, just 39 per cent of voters between 18 and 24 cast a ballot (well below the national rate of 61 per cent). The missing electors could have made a significant difference.

The Tories won nine of their seats by a margin of less than 1,000 votes. They captured Nipissing-Timiskaming, for example, by just 18 votes. Most of the 5,300 students at Nipissing University stayed home. They won Etobicoke Centre by just 26 votes. Had a few more students from the University of Toronto, York, Ryerson or Humber College showed up at the polls, they could have tipped the balance.

DePape’s goal over the spring and summer is to build a team of youth leaders and collect 2,000 vote pledges in strategic ridings. In the fall, she and her associates will pull out the stops to collect on those pledges.

Every election in recent memory has produced similar efforts to mobilize the youth vote. Some have been spearheaded by the political parties, one by Elections Canada and many by grassroots groups. They have had virtually no impact.

DePape knows that. But she refuses to be deterred by past failures. She has collected hundreds of pledges already — 200 after speaking to students at Ryerson University last week — and she is working with a network of energetic groups: a Montreal-based youth organization; S---HarperDid, a Vancouver-based group; in Ontario; the Canadian Federation of Students and LeadNow, a cross-Canada coalition of young activists who share her goals. “The students I’m contacting are enthusiastic about getting involved.”

She thinks the time is right, too. Canadians are weary of the constant drumbeat of war, the stagnant economy, the steady loss of jobs, the stifling of dissent and demonizing of anyone who gets in the prime minister’s way. “We’re at a turning point,” she tells audiences. “We can be game-changers.”

Her enthusiasm is infectious. Her vision of a fairer, greener, more democratic Canada is appealing. She has matured from a flash in the pan to a committed change-maker.

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Note – April 6, 2015: This article was edited from a previous version.

Carol Goar’s column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

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