Ontario, like four other Canadian provinces, will hold a provincial election this fall. Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) and the Premier of the province will be chosen. Depending on the province and district, other positions will also be elected.
In one of Ontario’s districts, Scarborough-Agincourt, Soo Wong is running for MPP. TKN asked her what young people can do to feel part of the political process when they’re not yet old enough to vote.
“It is the responsibility of every Canadian to understand what elections are about,” she said. “All of the young people will sooner or later become adults. It’s not just about today, but about moving this province forward.”
She said that young people need to be knowledgeable about the candidates and the issues so that when it is their time to vote, they are prepared.
Liang Chen is also running for MPP in Scarborough-Agincourt. She said a student comes to her campaign office every other day after school to volunteer. The student hopes to become involved in politics one day, said Chen.
Students who volunteer with a campaign help to organize events and to spread the word about their favourite candidate.
There are other ways kids can get involved in, and educated about, their provincial election. Kids in grades five and 10 in Ontario will receive a special comic book about elections called Voting Rules!
And at every high school in Ontario there is a special program that lets kids hold mock elections. Students vote for “candidates” as if they were voting in a real election.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
By Kathleen Tilly
Writing/Discussion Prompt
Two nights ago, three major party leaders in Ontario took part in a debate. They were asked several questions about issues, such as government spending, the healthcare system and employment.
Think of three or four important questions that you would ask the politicians in your own community. Why did you pick these issues to talk about?
Reading Prompt
Soo Wong explained, “It is the responsibility of every Canadian to understand what elections are about.”
Do you agree with Soo Wong? Do you think both students and adults should prioritize learning about the elections? Why or why not?
Junior
Make judgements and draw conclusions about the ideas and information in texts and cite stated or implied evidence from the text to support their views (OME, Reading: 1.8).
Intermediate
Develop and explain interpretations of increasingly complex or difficult texts using stated and implied ideas from the texts to support their interpretations (OME, Reading: 1.5).
Grammar Feature: Exclamation point
An exclamation point (!) is a punctuation mark that shows a strong feeling or emotion. For example, Voting Rules! has an exclamation point at the end of the title.
Why do you think this punctuation mark is used? Do you think it is effective? Why or why not?
