Editor's note: Grade 12 St. Charles College student Jordan Bates-Wright recently wrote to Sudbury.com to share her impressions of a recent visit by Sudbury MP Paul Lefebvre to her political science class.
Mr. Lefebvre came to speak to our class yesterday, and I was surprised to hear that we were one of the only classes in the city to do that, because it really helped to bring to life the theories we were learning in the curriculum.
Mr. Lefebvre began by explaining to us how he got to the position he is in now and what the transition has been like from his old life to spending half of his time in Ottawa. We then had the opportunity to ask him questions.
We were primarily interested in what he was doing to represent people of our age at the federal level, about party loyalty, which we had just learned about in class, about Bill C-51, and the new legislation to be passed regarding doctor-assisted suicide.
Mr. Lefebvre spoke to us about his commitment to ensuring affordable education and job opportunities to the youth of Ontario, as well as his desire to draft a national strategy on mental health, which was very good to hear as it is such an important issue today, especially for our age group.
I was slightly disappointed that he didn't mention promotion of the voice of young people in politics or strategies for engaging youth in the political scene.
He also expressed to us why it was so important for a political party to be united while still allowing its members to bring different opinions and perspectives to the table.
All in all, it was encouraging to see Mr. Lefebvre take time out of his busy schedule to come and speak with a group of high school students.
I hope that this will soon be common in our schools so that we can encourage youth to understand just how important it is to be an informed and engaged Canadian citizen.
Jordan Bates-Wright is a Grade 12 student at St. Charles College.
