SHOC 2019

Shawnigan's parliament has moved to put a price on carbon.

 

The Shawnigan House of Commons (SHOC) was in session on Thursday, as the school's Grade 10 class looked to pass a bill phasing in a carbon tax across the country.

 

After a short campaign – including speeches from party leaders in chapel – January's school-wide elections produced a majority coalition featuring the Liberal Party and the NDP.

 

Thursday's sitting tested that coalition, as members from other parties, including the People's Party of Canada, questioned the veracity of climate change research as well as the proposed solutions. The legislative session was also interrupted by a noisy group of activists protesting a variety of issues including the construction of pipelines.

 

After the Throne Speech (from Governor General Markus B.) and the first two readings, MPs broke into sub-committees tackling rebates, exemptions, the investment in green technologies, and more. These working groups returned with substantial changes, all of which were ultimately adopted into the final Bill C-250, which did pass comfortably at the end of the day.

 

"Working with the People's Party of Canada was a challenge," admitted Liberal Prime Minister Jazmin W., adding "We weren't totally prepared for their climate skepticism or the tough questions they were going to ask." Still, as Prime Minister for a day, Jazmin knows where SHOC's value lies. "Just getting everyone more informed and more involved in our democracy," she says. "It was a lot of fun."

 

 

Jazmin, NDP leader Abby D., and Conservative leader Siena V. also paid a visit to CBC Radio's All Points West in advance of Thursday's sitting. Listen to their conversation at this link.