10 Southeast youth take part in Manitoba’s youth parliament

Southeast Manitoba was on full display as Manitoba’s next generation of politicians debated bills and got a taste of provincial politics.

The Youth Parliament of Manitoba, a simulated government for young people, held its 104th session from Dec. 26 to Dec. 30 at the legislature. Of the more than 90 members, 10 of the young parliamentarians were from southeastern communities, including Steinbach, Niverville and Mitchell.

Steinbach resident Lukas Rea, 17, was first interested in joining youth parliament after he heard from fellow member and Steinbach Regional Secondary School student Kristine Bolisay about the program.

“Sometimes it’s hard to find people who are willing to have a political conversation. So I would just want to have a space where I could talk to people who are also really politically minded,” he told The Carillon.

While Rea has done other youth programs, youth parliament has offered him a closer connection to politics and has given him a behind-the-scenes look at how government works. Throughout his time as a member, Rea said he’s learned how important research is for politics. He pointed to a luncheon with sitting MLAs that showed how the different parts of provincial politics rely on research and knowing the facts when discussing issues.

This session marked the third year Bolisay, 18, served as a member. She said she was first inspired to join youth parliament after her teacher mentioned the opportunity.

“It really stuck out to me, because we do not have many opportunities like this in Steinbach at all,” she said.

Bolisay views the program as necessary when educating youth on politics. Following her time as a member, she started a program at her school to promote voter registration and address youth apathy during elections. She said that program wouldn’t have started without her experience in youth parliament.

“Sooner or later, these people need to vote, and they need to be informed. It’s not something that can wait until they turn 18, and magically they are given the ability to know about politics and how to think,”Bolisay said. “They need to be taught this beforehand.”

Rural representation is important even at the youth parliament level because it exposes people to different ways of thinking and shows the diversity of economic status and ethnicity within Manitoba, she said.

“If at youth parliament, everyone had the same opinions, it would be very boring, and no one would learn much from each other,” Bolisay said, noting that both urban and rural members have experiences and knowledge that need to be shared.

During the sitting, members debated three presented bills, proposing free post-secondary education, banning the sale and consumption of alcohol, and reforming the Canadian Senate to include more regional and youth representation.

Emma Barnowski, a 17-year-old from Mitchell, said young people need to get engaged in politics because it can show them why democracy is important and why the world is the way it is.

“How laws and regulations come about and the way that our economy works is not just done by run of the mill plans and random things,” she said. “It takes time, it takes practice efficiency and hard work to really get everything in order and make sure that everything we’re doing is ethical and for the good of the country and for the good of the people.”

She believes more education in schools on political systems and governments are needed to show students why it’s important to vote and be involved in what’s happening in their communities.