Youth parliament celebrates 100 years
The halls of the Alberta legislature were quiet on Monday during the break in the legislative session — but inside the chamber, a different kind of sitting was taking place.
The TUXIS Parliament of Alberta celebrated 100 years of engaging youth in politics and public policy with a weeklong sitting in the legislature chamber — complete with now-banned desk-thumping — that ended on Monday.
As many as 15 current members and alumni from nearly 50 years ago filled the green seats where premiers, cabinet ministers and the Opposition usually sit, debating topics from education to sustainable energy to eliminating the “pink tax” on feminine-branded products.
The parliament aims to engage youth of all backgrounds and viewpoints in debate and leadership activities in hopes of moulding the next generation of leaders to be more collaborative and respectful of differing views.
“Having the youth voice supplement the concerns of younger Albertans in schools and universities at the provincial level is really meaningful,” said Yvraj Singh, deputy premier for the parliament.
But it has evolved in its 100 years. It was only 36 years ago that women were allowed to join, and at its 98th session in 2017 the formerly Christian organization voted to welcome people of different beliefs.
“The most important part of TUXIS is in fact our differing viewpoints and our span of generations,” said Carly Russell, who served as premier this year.
Once the session is over, a number of letters will be sent to ministers and stakeholders to share the resolutions passed and the parliament’s opinions on a number of current issues in Alberta politics.
Singh, who was voted the leader of the opposition for the upcoming year, hopes to focus on recruitment to ensure the parliament reflects the diversity of the province in background and viewpoints.
By growing the parliament into its next century, both Russell and Singh think it can become an even stronger voice for youth on major provincial issues such as education and climate change for years to come.
“We want to take our youth parliament to a level where we can help decision making at the provincial level,” said Singh, “and have this parliament as a voice for all of the youth who don’t have a say in provincial politics.