As you may have read in January’s issue of The Millbrook Times, my sister and I were chosen to attend the Forum for Young Canadians in Ottawa. Forum is an educational nonpartisan program that sends youth from across Canada to our nation’s capital for a week to learn about how our government operates on the federal and provincial levels.
We were delighted to meet Jamie Schmale, our MP, Maxime Bernier, a candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party, and Geoff Regan, the Speaker of the House of Commons and have one-on-one discussions with them. We also learned an incredible amount about Canada’s government and political scene, and were able to partake in great impromptu debates with other students on topics ranging from electoral reform to religion to wind turbines. It was interesting to see that even in this age of digital communication, there is still a wide ideological disconnect across the country. For example, many urban Ontarian teens did not realise that there is a large Conservative population within their own province, or that wind turbines were not universally beloved (we were happy to enlighten them on that last point, as we actually have them in our riding). We also participated in simulations that ranged from running our own political campaign to negotiating between the provincial and federal governments to taking on the role of a Canadian business trying to purchase foreign goods through Export Development Canada.
Looking back on Forum as a whole, the program far exceeded our expectations. It challenged us to grow in our shortcomings, step out of our comfort zones and develop new skills. Michaela, who had always extremely disliked any sort of public speaking, went on to actively take part in many group debates and give a speech on immigration to an audience of well over a hundred people. I took on the role as finance minister, drafting and presenting a balanced federal budget, no easy task considering I had to start with the Liberal government’s multi-billion dollar deficit. It became very clear to the students involved that Mr. Trudeau was incorrect; the budget does not, in fact, balance itself.
We would like to thank our sponsors such as Millbrook Home Hardware, the Lions Club, our local neighbours, and community for their generous support towards our trip. Quite frankly we were amazed by the support and interest our sponsors demonstrated in encouraging youth in politics. We highly recommend this program to any youth between the ages of 15-19 who are interested in government or who merely want to broaden their horizons with an amazing and unforgettable experience.
Further information can be found at: http://forum.ca/?lang=en.
By Sierra Ret
