Ep. 35: Youth Opportunities at Ontario's Parliament

 

Transcript

Thursday, September 12, 2024

26 minutes (audio)

 

[00:00:00] 

Erin: Welcome to the ON Parliament podcast, where we help spread the word on Parliament. This month, the format of our episode will be a little different. I have three guests joining me today, and we'll be talking all about the different youth opportunities at Ontario's Parliament. While there are many ways for young people to get involved at the Legislature, today, we're going to be focusing on three programs in particular that we get asked about most. Model Parliament, the Legislative Page Program, and student ushers. Luckily enough, I have three guests joining me who each have a personal connection to one of these programs, and they're going to share their experiences and hopefully encourage others to follow in their footsteps. Thank you all for being here with me today.

 

[00:00:51] 

Franco: Thank you very much for having us. 

 

[00:00:53] 

Tanzima: Thanks for having us, Erin.

 

[00:00:54] 

Keana: Thank you. 

 

[00:00:54] 

Erin: I wanted to start off by asking each of you to introduce yourselves and let us know which program you have personal experience with, and then, just for fun, describe the program in three words. Who wants to go first? 

 

[00:01:06] 

Franco: I guess I'll go first. My name is Francisco Gutierrez. I'm the Page Program Coordinator. As the title suggests, I'm involved with the Legislative Page program. So, I'm the teacher in the classroom and also supervisor and coordinator of the pages upstairs in the chamber. Describe the program in three words? I would say experiential civic education.

 

[00:01:27] 

Erin: Ooh, fancy. 

 

[00:01:31] 

Tanzima: Hi, everyone, I'm Tanzima. I am one of the Committee Clerks here at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Specifically, I am the Clerk of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. But today I will not be talking to you about committees. I'll be talking to you about the Legislative Usher Program, which I had the honour of being part of when I was an undergrad. Three words to describe the program? I would say connections, enlightening, and an honor. 

 

[00:01:54] 

Erin: Amazing. 

 

[00:01:54] 

Keana: All right, I guess I'll go next. My name's Keana. I am currently a Bilingual Interpretive Officer here at Queen's Park, but my introduction came many years ago when I was actually part of the Legislative Page Program as a child. Then I later came back in grade 11 when I was part of the Ontario Model Parliament for high school students. Now part of my job is doing public tours and working with educational programs to teach kids about what our Parliament does. 

 

[00:02:21] 

Erin: And your three words? 

 

[00:02:22] 

Keana: Oh, my three words? Those would be, for Model Parliament, challenges, connections, and heckling.

 

[00:02:30] 

Erin: Oh, okay. Well, let's get into it. How did you first hear about the programs that you're associated with? And what's the process like to apply to get involved? 

 

[00:02:40] 

Tanzima: I can take that first. For the Usher Program, I actually have a funny story of how I heard about it. One of my friends was at the University of Ottawa and I was helping him find the application for the Ottawa Senate Page Program which is similar to the Usher Program. And in that process, I was thinking to myself, hey, I wonder if there's something closer to me while I was studying at U of T that is similar to that one. I went to the Assembly's website and as my luck would have it, the Usher Program application was open at the time. So, I took the chance and I applied, and the rest is kind of history from that point on, but in terms of the actual application process it is almost like any other job. It is available on the Assembly's career portal, and you put together your resume and cover letter as you would with any other job. You send in your application and then there's an interview process, and it is a panel interview. That is something that I always tell people ahead of time because I wasn't 100 percent certain that it was a panel interview and I walked in and there were four people sitting in the room. So that's my heads up to anyone who is applying. Really the only other major requirement that there is for the program is enrollment in a post secondary program at a nearby facility, meaning close to Queen's Parks in the GTA area. 

 

[00:03:59] 

Erin: Great. 

 

[00:04:00] 

Keana: I'll go next. So, for me, I believe it was a while ago. I believe the first time that I heard about the Model Parliament Program was through the Instagram account @onparleducation if I'm right. I immediately knew it was something that I would want to get involved with. As far as the actual application process, it's fully online. So, the only thing that you need is a recommendation, either from your school principal, guidance counselor or teacher. I got that and then there was an online application with a couple of questions regarding my community involvement asking why I wanted to join the program and why I'd be a good candidate. Once you filled that out, you'll hear back if you're successful or not. If you are, you'll get to choose your party, decide if you want to run in the leadership race and meet up with your team to start working on your bill for the actual in person program.

 

[00:04:50] 

Franco: Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to be a Page, though I grew up in Toronto, I actually wasn't aware of the program when I was of age and didn't discover the Legislative Page Program until I was a Bilingual Interpretive Officer during one of the summers, I was doing my Master's. The Page Program has an application process, and we accept students from across the province, so from any of the ridings. The requirement is to be a level four student in grade seven or eight and write a 750-word essay outlining community involvement, examples of responsibility or leadership and why you would be a good fit in the program. We just recently closed our applications for the fall session but applications for new applicants for the spring 2025 session will be opening up on September 15th through to November 15th, so hopefully students from across Ontario can apply and we have a nice pool of applicants to choose from for the spring session.

 

[00:05:46] 

Erin: Fingers crossed. Well, what was it actually like being part of the program after you got chosen? Any memorable experiences or highlights that you want to share? 

 

[00:05:56] 

Keana: Sure, I'll go first. For me Model Parliament was pretty amazing, but it was definitely challenging. So, I think it's one thing to love politics and to read about it and to dream about doing it than to actually be in the place where you have the chance, even if it is a simulation, to be creating those politics. That was a really cool part of it for me. I also had the opportunity to meet so many different people. I actually reconnected with someone who was in the Page Program with me. It was really cool to be able to meet so many people from so many different backgrounds, so many different experience levels in politics from all across the province, all at the same age as me but all wanting to make a difference and make an impact with their work. I think it was a really transformative experience to be able to do that. Definitely the highlight of that program for me was the last day of debate where we were actually sitting in the Chamber, and we all felt comfortable enough with the process that we were making fun of each other across the aisle and really speaking on what we were passionate about. You could really feel the passion in the room when we were debating, even if it wasn't always the best debate. My party created an environmentally focused bill and, as someone that has always been involved in initiatives relating to the environment, it was really an enlightening experience for me to be able to speak on that in front of my colleagues and be able to see my family cheering me on from the galleries while I did that. So overall, no complaints. 

 

[00:07:26] 

Erin: Great. 

 

[00:07:26] 

Franco: I wasn't ever a Page, unfortunately, but I do get to see hundreds of students get the Page experience every year and I think one of the memorable experiences for them is definitely the meetings that they get with different parliamentary or political figures. They learn about it in class, maybe they're doing the Confederation unit back in their homeschool. Then they come and they get to meet the Lieutenant Governor, for example, and I find it always very interesting because children tend to be very disarming, so you get very candid and honest questions directed at people who are maybe more used to being asked tougher questions. For example, getting asked their favorite food or, you know, favorite type of pizza. It is their opportunity to ask questions to help better understand the positions as well and many of them do take that opportunity. I think it's one of those experiences that they remember and then whenever they come back, they have that connection whenever there's a change of government or a change of Lieutenant Governor. They have that connection to that time and place in Ontario's history and having met those key figures.

 

[00:08:25] 

Tanzima: For the Usher Program, I will say it's a very exciting and unique opportunity to be in the kind of gears of the Legislative Assembly. You get to learn about and see the behind-the-scenes aspects of what goes on behind question period, what goes on behind the debates and just politics in general. You get to see things that are never caught on camera. You get to hear conversations that are never heard outside of the Chamber and that is an experience that cannot be found anywhere else. Outside of that, you also really become part of a community where you build lifelong friendships and relationships and professional relationships. That's an opportunity that you don't really get anywhere else. In terms of highlights, I will say being on the Chamber floor when the house is in session is a major privilege. Really, it's just the Pages, it's the Ushers, and it's the Clerks at the Table, and the Hansard reporters. No one else gets to be on the floor, and that's something that always kept me in awe whenever I was in the Chamber. Even to this day, whenever I walk into the Chamber, I'm like, oh wow, like, I'm here. Seeing the Members interact with each other when the cameras are off and seeing their personalities kind of shine through and to see who they are in their day to day lives is also a really unique experience. Usually, you see politicians either on the news or you see them in the thick of debate and you only view them in this one specific light and getting to see them as whole people is also a really interesting aspect and a great highlight of the job. 

 

[00:10:02] 

Erin: I can imagine. Well, we talked about some of the highlights and memorable experiences, but what are some of the challenges associated with the programs or what would be good things for potential applicants to know about before applying?

 

[00:10:16] 

Franco: I think in regards to the Legislative Page Program, as we are accepting students from all 124 ridings, you have students coming in from rural communities, Northern Ontario, Southern Ontario, from the Ottawa region. For many of them, it might be their first time in Toronto. It might be their first time in a larger city and they're separated from their routine and their home. They are taken out of school for that period of time that they're serving as a Legislative Page, and they have to get accustomed to a different lifestyle for those couple of weeks, with very busy days and just kind of being independent in that new space. I will say with those challenges comes great opportunity for growth and independence and oftentimes parents will remark that they notice a difference in terms of responsibility and independence in their children, so I'd like to think that the Pages do benefit from those challenges that they overcome.

 

[00:11:11] 

Erin: Amazing. 

 

[00:11:12] 

Tanzima: For the Usher Program I will say one of the immediate challenges when you start is memorizing the Chamber seating plan and getting to know all of the Members by their names, their faces and their writings and having that down pat. And every time there's a by-election, remembering that there's someone new that you have to learn. That goes for the Pages too. They’re also very impressive in doing that. So that's the first challenge you'll get on this job. Outside of that, learning to maintain confidentiality is very important. As I just previously mentioned, you do get to hear lots of conversations that are happening behind the scenes, so you have to be very thoughtful in how tactful and diplomatic you are and how you are carrying yourself both within the Chamber and outside the Chamber in the building. You're always being watched. There's so many people that come across this building and you are constantly being a representative of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, so that is something that is kind of a challenge to keep in mind, especially when you're young and you're a student and you're just kind of trying to get through the day, so there is that. Things to know before applying, I would say, know who some of the key players are, have a little bit of background on what the Legislative Assembly of Ontario is, not just the politics of Ontario, but a little bit about the office, if you can.  The website is great, it's got lots of great information. Just come in with a little bit of a baseline.

 

[00:12:38] 

Keana: For Model Parliament, I will say it is definitely very intimidating at times, because you're a high schooler and sometimes you might be someone who has been interested in politics your whole life, but you could also be someone that just happened to find this program and thought it was a cool opportunity, and you really don't know too much about what's going on. There will be students who have been involved in politics for years or work for MPPs and they have a good background, but while it does make it intimidating, I think that really does make the debate and the whole program so much more interesting because these different levels of experience really contribute to making it a full-sided debate. It's not just one side of the province talking, you're hearing voices from everywhere and all kinds of backgrounds. As well, partisanship can be very challenging at times and very frustrating. Even as non-partisan workers, you know, when you're seeing something happen that maybe doesn't align with your beliefs it can be internally frustrating. When you're in Model Parliament you are an MPP, so sometimes you do have the opportunity to make the change that you want to see in the room, even if it isn't a concrete law afterwards, so it definitely does have its benefits. As far as things to know before applying, I will say the party you choose definitely does change your experience, whether you end up in the majority party or the smallest one with only a couple of Members, that will change how you get to know your caucus and the people around you. When you get in, and if you know you're in a bigger party, try and connect with as many people as you can so you're still getting a great experience. As well, don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it. 

 

[00:14:20] 

Erin: Great advice all around. Now I know at the beginning you all mentioned what you're doing now, but how do you think that the program that you participated in or that you have an affiliation with at the Assembly can help later in life? What are the benefits to participating? 

 

[00:14:35] 

Tanzima: I can take that first. My time as a Legislative Usher definitely brought me to where I am today as a Committee Clerk. With that said, there are lots of opportunities to gain very transferable skills with the position. At a very early point in your career, you're still a university student, you're still kind of navigating the world of figuring out what your career is going to be, and this role really helps you learn leadership skills, time management skills, collaboration, just to name a few - even soft skills. Sometimes when you're young, you really do need someone to tell you that you can't wear sweatpants to work and that you need to be fully presentable at all times. It's really a great stepping stone into any career, but if you are interested in this world of the non-partisan offices at the Assembly, I don't think that there is really any other opportunity that is comparable in terms of the networking abilities that you can get in this role. There's lots of mentorship opportunities. You get to interact with all of the other non-partisan offices and if you're interested in them, you can go and reach out to people and network with them, talk to them and learn about their roles. It's really an excellent way of figuring out all of the opportunities that are available here at the Legislative Assembly. Outside of that, even if you're not interested in this world, it's great to have on your resume at a very early point in your life to say that you worked at the Legislative Assembly and to have references from here. It is really a good stepping-stone to have, and it was a great type of student job to have, so I always recommend it to people.

 

[00:16:12] 

Erin: Great.

 

[00:16:13] 

Keana: I can go next. For me, I think this program is so important because it's happening at a time where you're really deciding where you're going to go next with your life and your career where you're going to apply for university or college. Doing this program can help solidify whether maybe this is something you're interested in or maybe it's not something that's meant for you and that's totally okay. I think being able to do it is what did it for me. It really solidified the fact that I want to study the law, and I want to study politics and learn about the lawmaking process, I think, is something so important for anyone, regardless of what career you're going to go into. Just the fact that you're living in Ontario, it is a great asset to be able to know what your politicians are doing for you and how all of this legislative process works in case you ever need help or there's something relating to you that's going on. And like I mentioned, being able to make all these connections and have this kind of experience, especially at such a young age, is so important for your growth. Being able to do the Page Program and Model Parliament is a large part of why I was able to join the Page Program in the House of Commons in my first year of university and helped me lead so many other government related opportunities during my studies there. And I really created a great network, not only a professional network, but also of just friends all across the province. There's people that I still stay in contact with, or I see on my way to class and being able to have those connections at post secondary places all across Ontario is just amazing especially at a time where it's very easy to feel lonely when you're starting a new chapter of your life. 

 

[00:17:50] 

Erin: True. 

 

[00:17:51] 

Franco: All fantastic points. I think what has been outlined is just again the connection that you make to the Assembly, the insight and understanding that you get to the political structure of Ontario and then again, all the professional and social connections that you can make as well. So, all of that, and then even younger for the Pages to begin at, you know, 12 and 13, to be beginning that process and, you know, coming out of the program, sometimes understanding more about the political structure than maybe their parents or maybe some adults do. At worst, they will ace their grade 10 civics class, so there's always a definite benefit to being in the program. 

 

[00:18:31] 

Erin: Amazing. Well, we're getting close to the end and to wrap up I thought it would be good if you could all maybe talk about some advice that you would give to someone thinking about applying to one of these programs here at Ontario's Parliament. So, what advice would you give them? 

 

[00:18:48] 

Keana: I'll start. But as hard as this advice is to follow sometimes, I would say, don't be shy. You know, like I mentioned, it is intimidating. You're meeting people that you've never met before. You're meeting MPPs and other employees in Queen’s Park and that can be intimidating, but really, this is your opportunity to improve your public speaking skills, to make connections, to meet people with different experiences than you. So, take advantage of that fact and, break out of your shell. Nobody knows who you are until you get here, so you might as well just put a good picture of yourself. But also put time into the personal bill that you put forward and the bill that your party puts forward and really make sure it's something that you're proud of in the end, no matter what it's about. And finally, just wear your best outfit on the last day of the program because that's when they take photos. 

 

[00:19:39] 

Erin: Good advice. 

 

[00:19:40] 

Franco: Well, for any young students or parents of grade 7 and 8 students who would be interested in applying to the Page Program, I would say just do it. To apply and engage in as many opportunities as you can because one of the requirements is community involvement, examples of leadership. Starting those younger, the better you're going to be more involved in your society and your community, making a difference, whether it be locally or larger scale. If you are participating in the program, it will hopefully give you some insight into the political structure and see how you can be a civically engaged Ontarian in your life, starting at 12 and for the decades after that. 

 

[00:20:22] 

Tanzima: I would have similar advice to what Franco just said. Apply, apply, apply, even if you aren't interested in politics or the politics aspect of the role, it's still an excellent job to have. As I mentioned, there are so many different offices and opportunities here at the Assembly. Anything from broadcast and recording to finances to records management at the library, to tour guides. There's so many opportunities here and you get the exposure to all of those different offices in one spot and the ability to network with all of those different people and learn about the different roles and career paths that are open to you. I can't stress that part enough. There are many people that I know who are former Ushers that are working in the Lieutenant Governor's office, that are still working here at the Assembly, like myself that have worked in Ministries, that have gone on to pursue more professional programs like law. A lot of the success that they attribute to their careers they bring back to their time here in the Usher Program, so I can't stress that enough. It obviously worked for me. I didn't know about procedural services or what the non-partisan offices even were until I started working here as an Usher. I thought the only careers you could have in poli-sci were like policy analysis or the Ministries or that you have to be partisan. And really just having the exposure kind of let me gain the experience in procedural services and be where I am today. As a kind of like a fun point as part of being a Committee Clerk, I get to be back in the Chamber for table rotations and sit at the table. There was one day where it was me, my colleague who is also a Committee Clerk and was an Usher with me and the Senior Parliamentary Counsel who is also a former Usher. It was just the three of us at the table and we were like, wow, what a time. Three former Ushers at the table coming back to where we started. You just never know where you're going to end up, so please apply. Hope to see you here.

 

[00:22:30] 

Erin: Yes. It’s been so great getting an inside look at some of the programs and opportunities that we have for young people in particular at Ontario's Parliament. Thank you all so much for taking the time to be here today. I hope your words and stories have helped inspire others to follow in your footsteps and who knows, maybe we'll see them here one day. 

 

[00:22:48] 

Franco: Fantastic. Thank you very much for having us. 

 

[00:22:50] 

Tanzima: Thanks, Erin. 

 

[00:22:51] 

Keana: Thanks for having us, Erin. 

 

[00:22:52] 

Erin: To find out more about the Page program, Model Parliament, and how to become a Student Usher, along with the many other programs and opportunities here at the Legislature, you can always visit our website at ola.org. And that about wraps up our episode for today. As always, thanks for listening to the ON Parliament podcast, where we help spread the word on Parliament, but we've got to go. I think I hear the bells.

 

[00:23:23] 

Erin: The ON Parliament podcast is produced by Parliamentary Protocol and Public Relations for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Social media by Parliamentary Protocol and Public Relations for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Additional research provided by the Table Research Office for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please support the podcast by sharing it with others and subscribing. For more fun facts about Ontario’s parliament, follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @onparleducation. Et en français : @parloneducation. Thanks again and see you next time.