Final answer:
British Columbia's licensed establishments are required to ask for ID from anyone who looks under 19, in an effort to ensure compliance with legal drinking age laws. This is similar to laws like the U.S.'s National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 and the strict voting ID laws passed in Indiana in 2005.
Step-by-step explanation:
All of British Columbia's licensed establishments are required by law to ask anyone who appears to be under the age of 19 for valid identification. This legal requirement is part of an effort to ensure that alcohol is not sold to underage individuals. British Columbia's law is similar in intent to the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 in the United States, which set the minimum drinking age at 21. While British Columbia's age threshold is 19, the purpose of asking for ID is the same: to verify that an individual is of legal drinking age.
In a broader context, the requirement to show identification is not limited to purchasing alcohol. For example, in the context of voting, as seen in the 2005 Indiana legislature's passing of a strict photo identification law, similar principles apply. Voters need to present photo identification that matches voter registration records and meets specific criteria. This illustrates that the practice of requiring photo identification permeates various aspects of regulatory practices to ensure legal compliance and prevent fraud.