Pages primed in territorial politics
Fort Liard students spend a week learning legislative ropes as territorial pages
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Thursday, March 2, 2017
ACHO DENE KOE/FORT LIARD
Two youth from Fort Liard have returned from a week at the legislative assembly in Yellowknife where they got a crash course in territorial politics as part of the NWT page program.
Hailey Sassie, a Grade 9 student from Echo Dene School in Fort Liard, holds up her certificate of appreciation with legislative assembly Speaker Jackson Lafferty. Sassie took part in the legislative assembly's pages program during the week of Feb 20. - photos courtesy of the Legislative Assembly of the NWT
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The program brings junior high students from schools in the territory to the legislative assembly, where their duties include distributing documents in the assembly and cleaning up after each sitting.
Grade 9 student Hailey Sassie and Grade 8 student Briann Nelson are now back at Echo Dene School in Fort Liard, having returned Feb. 24. But principal Brad Carrier says the experience they brought back with them has enhanced discussion of politics at the school.
"In their grades, they're covering the Canadian political system in class right now, is they get to see in real life what they're studying," Carrier said.
"Any time you can do that, it has a positive impact on your learning experience."
Since returning to Fort Liard, Sassie and Nelson have brought back some of the discussion they were privy to at the assembly, as well, much as whether the Northwest Territories should adopt the Family Day holiday.
Carrier said aside from the political discussion, it is also useful for students to learn about the process a bill has to go through in order to pass.
"It gets the wheels turning. It's an excellent way of getting students to the city to see how decisions are made at the political level," he said.
"It also gives them a chance to see their MLAs in the legislative assembly, instead of just in their school."
Nelson said having the opportunity to meet all the MLAs was a highlight for her, as well as learning the duties of being a page.
Sassie said her favourite part of the experience was meeting Jackson Lafferty, who is the Speaker for the legislative assembly.
She said some of the lessons she learned at the legislature included being quiet while in the assembly.
"I thought this was a really good opportunity," she said of why she decided to take part in the page program, adding she finds politics interesting.
"It was a fun experience."
According to the legislative assembly, the page program requires eight youth per day, typically including four from Yellowknife and four from other communities.
Pages work 15 hours during the week and are paid for their time.
