Daniel MacIsaac
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 21/99) - It may come as a surprise to learn that Yellowknife youth are concerned with women's issues, arsenic contamination, employment and homelessness.

But those are just some of the serious subjects four area teens are raising at the first ever Youth Parliament being staged this week.

"At school we did some assignments and current-events projects based on the Giant Mine arsenic clean-up -- and I decided to do my members statement and all my questions on that," said Jeff Babyn, a St. Patrick's High School freshman who represents Yellowknife Centre at the parliament.

Students from every riding in the territory gathered in the capital on Monday to spend the week getting to know parliamentary procedure, one another and the issues affecting the new NWT.

Unlike the real legislature, however, this youth assembly is well-represented by the NWT's female population -- 12 of the 16 participants are girls and they're led by "Premier" Lana Nahanni of Fort Simpson.

But St. Pat's Andrea Tam, who represents Frame Lake North MLA Charles Dent, played down the female question.

"I think that because we're youth, we pretty much feel all equal," she said. "We all have our own ideas and feel equal in giving our own opinions."

Tam, 14, said Tuesday's session involved preparation for Thursday's assembly session as well as a simulated caucus meeting and debates -- aspects of the youth parliament that "MLA" Eddie Peart described as "fun."

"The best part of it is being up in the rooms, and it kind of sets the atmosphere that, yeah, you are important," he said. "I've been a page before and went to Ottawa with the cadets, and we listened to Question Period -- it gets kinda rough, but I like that atmosphere."

Peart said he'll direct questions on homelessness in Yellowknife to the parliament's minister of health and social services.

"I mention Yellowknife, but it affects the whole territory -- I mean there's homeless people probably in every city and town," he said. "That's unfortunate, but we have to deal with it."

The parliamentarians enjoyed a full slate of social and political events all week, which culminated in Thursday's assembly session.

Babyn admitted Tuesday he was a little nervous about the prospect of standing up and delivering his statement before the entire assembly, but said he understood it was for a good cause.

"I'll also be learning about the issues the other constituencies are representing here," he said.