Collège Notre-Dame students take part in Francophone Parliament

Several Sudbury students took part in the eighth annual Provincial Francophone Youth Parliament March 4-8.

Carl Aho, Benjamin Doudard, Chad Savard and Lionel Lemieux of Collège Notre-Dame all took part in the activity.

The Provincial Francophone Youth Parliament’s principal objective is to engage students to gain an interest and participate in Ontario politics and the provincial government.

A key element in the Youth Parliament event is a mock debate during which students will serve as MPPs, reporters or representatives of a non-governmental organization (NGO).

This simulation enables students to realize that politics do not only occur within the legislature itself, but can be also be addressed by the media and NGOs, both of whom can exert influence on provincial politicians.

They debated three draft bills: setting the legal voting age at 16 years, provincial testing upon completion of high school and the privatization of hospitals.

The Provincial Francophone Youth Parliament is organized jointly by the Office of Jean-Marc Lalonde, MPP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, the Ontario Ministry of Education and the Fédération de la jeunesse franco-ontarienne.