A group of Morden students had an opportunity recently to learn a little more about the Canadian system of government.
About 20 social studies students at Morden Collegiate met with Portage-Lisgar MP Branden Leslie under the umbrella of the Rep Day initiative of Civix Canada.
Civix is a registered charity dedicated to strengthening democracy through civics and citizenship education for school-aged youth. Rep Day is an initiative that connects elected representatives with students for a discussion about the political process and current issues.
The local event was organized by Aqeelah Daibu, who is currently serving as the youth representative on Morden city council.
She saw this as a great way to “just provide an opportunity for the students to connect with people who represent them, who make decisions for them.”
Daibu said the idea of government can often feel distant to students, but that doesn’t have to be the case. She would like to see students get more involved and engaged in not just politics but even just community leadership.
“We should be participating in civic engagement early on,” she said.
Leslie shared with the students a bit about his role as the MP. He went on to emphasize the importance of voting before opening up the floor for questions, which ran the gamut from local government to current international fears.
“A lot of the questions were on parliamentary procedures … how parliament runs, how frequently do they have parliamentary sessions and questions about the procedures of question period as well,” Daibu shared.
“Someone asked about how does his work affect family time … it was an important question as well,” she added. “And he got a question as well about the Trump administration and what the federal government thinks about that.
“It was a really good experience overall,” Daibu concluded.
“I always appreciate the opportunity to speak with young people about Parliament and public service,” said Leslie. “As the next generation of leaders, the students were very engaged, asked excellent questions and showed a strong interest in our political system.
“My thanks to everyone at Morden Collegiate Institute for the warm welcome and especially to Aqeelah for setting up this excellent event.”
