Shawnigan House of Commons

“There were a lot of things going on, and it happened too quick,” socials teacher Mr. Neil Robertson, explaining why it wasn’t held in December this year. “There wasn’t enough time to develop the skills and knowledge of Canada. Doing it later gave them a stronger foundation, confidence, and better writing and speaking abilities. There was more time to craft those.”

 

It worked out, as more students stepped up and got involved in the discussion of this year’s bill.

 

“This was probably the most talkative I’ve seen the group, especially in the early stages,” Mr. Robertson said. “It wasn’t just the same five kids; there were so many people standing up and speaking.”

 

The bill up for discussion covered bans and regulations on social media for teens, which is topical, as Australia became the first country to prohibit anyone under 16 from using major social media platforms last December, and several countries and Canadian provinces have talked about similar bans recently.

 

“It’s the perfect time to do a bill on it, especially with students who would, in theory, be effected by this bill,” Mr. Robertson commented.

 

Students are assigned to parties based on their boarding houses, which makes it easier for them to collaborate. The exception this year was the Bloc Québécois, which was made up entirely of French Immersion students – who spoke in French, as is their right in Parliament, but then had to repeat themselves in English for their non-French-speaking classmates.

 

Teachers chose the party leaders, who were responsible for crafting party policy and organizing caucus meetings. Matt E. was picked as leader of the Liberal Party, and consequently as prime minister, Alaia R. served as leader of the Conservative Party, Sophie L. headed the New Democratic Party, and Daniel H. was chef of the Bloc Québécois.

 

This year’s bill wasn’t one that split the parties in obvious ideological ways, so the students had to really consider how small-L liberal or small-C conservatives would approach it.

 

“It was more nuanced,” Mr. Robertson noted. “Both parties agreed that they wanted this bill, but they had different ideas about what it should look like.”

 

Although the discussion in the House of Commons was the main event, the students’ knowledge was particularly apparent in committees, where representatives of different parties would work together to hammer out legislation they could all agree on in the hopes that Parliament would vote for it.

 

“It was really cool to see that and see those discussions pop up in committees like that.”

 

By the time the session ended – with the bill passing – students’ energy was waning, which wasn’t an accident: legislation is exhausting.

 

“They get the feel that this is not a quick and easy process,” Mr. Robertson said. “Getting a proper vote on everything takes a while. Government and leadership take time; it’s sometimes painfully slow. You need to make sure voices are heard and everything is double checked so that one person doesn’t have the ability to do what they want.”

 

The students have been learning about how Parliament operates for months, but SHOC gives them an unmatchable firsthand look.

 

“Part of the whole process is just experiencing it,” Mr. Robertson said. “Politics can be a dry thing to teach, but doing it this way they get to experience it firsthand. They understand how decisions are made and it’s less of an unknown, and they can become better citizens.”