Vaughan student gets opportunity to participate in legislative page program

Pages' duties at Queen's Park include acting as a messenger on floor of legislative chamber, taking classes on legislative process and mathematics

Yorkregion.com
May 31, 2023
Brian Capitao

Vaughan student Savannah Chu Morrison has matured since entering the halls of the legislature, according to her mom.

“I think she really matured a lot. (Before) she didn't even notice anything about local politics,” said Jemille Chu Morrison, a local schoolteacher.

Savannah was part of the legislative page program that gives children in grades 7 and 8 the opportunity to see how the Legislative Assembly of Ontario works.

To enter the program, students must submit an essay detailing their achievements, their suitability for the program and extracurricular efforts.

The pages’ duties include acting as a messenger on the floor of the legislative chamber, taking classes on the legislative process and mathematics. During a typical day, pages arrive at Queen’s Park in Toronto at approximately 8 a.m. in full uniform and prepare for the morning’s debates.

As part of the program, pages are asked to memorize the names and faces of all the MPPs and their constituencies.

“We had a meeting where we would discuss what we would do, and then we would go to the chamber and collect documents for everyone and give them water and things like that. And I made a lot of friends. It was a really nice experience,” said Savannah.

But it wasn’t only Savannah who experienced growth, says Jemille. She says after seeing her daughter go through the program, she became more aware of the political process herself.

“I think it made me just appreciate more how we are Canadians, that we can have differences, but we can respect each other's differences. And I know that's funny because we get kind of heated in parliament, but they don't seem to hate each other,” said Jemille.

The legislative page program can last between three and five weeks, depending on the parliamentary session, before another group of kids switches over.

“I do hope other kids find out about it because it's such a great program and they really put out a lot of effort to teach these kids a lot about provincial politics,” said Jemille.