Three Inuvik youth took part in the 16th Youth Parliament May 17.
Photo courtesy of the Legislative Assembly
Mataya Gillis attended, representing the Inuvik Boot Lake constituency and Alfred Moses. Libby Day MacLeod also attended from Inuvik to represent Frederick Blake Jr.'s Mackenzie Delta constituency. Representing Robert McLeod's Inuvik Twin Lakes constituency was Breeanna Lennie.
The three were among a total of 19 teenagers from around the Northwest Territories who brought issues that matter to them to the floor of the legislature in Yellowknife.
The students spent a week together in the capital preparing for a mock sitting. Clerks and cabinet staff taught them how members' statements and motions are written, and how consensus government works.
Each student was assigned to come with issues and ideas to discuss, said Danielle Mager, a spokesperson for the legislative assembly.
The young MLAs brought forward motions on drug and alcohol abuse among youth, improving high school graduation rates, and investing in mining.
Mager said all the students got along well.
"It's always amazing to watch them at the beginning, when they come in and they're super shy and nervous and then as the week progresses they all get to know each other and it's like (they are) best friends," she said.
Lennie said she hopes she can participate in Youth Parliament again because it was such a good experience.
"It was a lot of fun, I got to meet a lot of new people and learn a lot. It was a really good experience," she said. "I hope more people decide to join."
She said she learned how to prepare for a sitting as an MLA and how the legislative assembly works.
"Each of us had to do a minister's statement, and the people in the cabinet talked about their portfolios," she said. "I talked about ENR and caribou management, and the regular ministers talked about problems they see in their community."
One topic up for discussion was drug and alcohol use, which Lennie said she thinks is one of the biggest issues facing youth in the territory, especially as the legalization of cannabis is set to come into effect sometime this summer.
"It's not a bad thing, but I wouldn't say it's a good thing either," she said. "We talked a lot about if the age limit should be 19 or 25 … I think 25 would be a good age, but it's been illegal for a long time and people still use it anyway before that age."
Lennie said participating in the Youth Parliament was an eye-opener regarding what politicians do on a daily basis.
"It interested me more than I was interested before," said Lennie. "But I don't know if I'll go into politics."