Yellowknife (May 12/03) - Grade 9 and 10 students from across the North got the chance to fill the shoes of an MLA in this year's youth parliament.

Students held a chamber meeting acting as a specific MLA and brought up concerns they feel the government should address.

"I think the issue brought up about homeless teens is the most important," said Mitchell Byatt from Fort Simpson, who was acting as MLA North Slave Leon Lafferty.

Matthew Harvey of Yellowknife, who was sitting in as MLA Frame Lake Charles Dent, brought up the issue about homeless teens in the youth chamber meeting.

"What do we in the Northwest Territories do with non-adult, non-children human beings? The answer is, nothing," Harvey said.

"I think they should either amend the Child Protection Act to include people up to the age of 18 or build a place for these teens to go," he added after the meeting.

Among many other issues raised was the need for nurses and doctors at the Stanton Territorial Hospital, highway construction to Rae Edzo and other Northern communities, as well as recognition of the super soccer tournament success.

Speaker Brittany Walsh had a blast filling in for the legislative assembly speaker Tony Whitford.

"Tony and I are on a first name basis," Walsh said.

"We've been hanging out all week, he's been showing me the ropes."

Although Walsh recalls addressing Inuvik Boot Lake MLA Floyd Roland representative Bessie Rogers as "Mr. Rogers," during the chamber meeting she said she shrugged it off and had a great time.

"It's not as easy as it looks," she said.

Premier Stephen Kakfwi representative Adelbert Whiteman from Norman Wells said he was nervous at first, but eventually started to enjoy sharing the concerns of his community.

Whiteman said his main focus was on the need for a highway leading further North to expose places like Norman Wells.

"The only way to get there right now is by plane, and that can be very expensive," Whiteman said.

Along with the youth parliament came the release of a CD containing O Canada in all 11 languages of the Northwest Territories.