Issue 1

A Few Words From the Canadian Youth Assembly

Well, we’re still rolling along! There’s a lot
going on with the CYA and we’re always
looking for new volunteers! I’d like to start
by welcoming Hattie Zhao, who will be
helping us out finding and applying for
grants! Immanuel Giuela, who most of
you probably already know, will be help-
ing the CYA outreach to Francophones and
translating some of our website! Finally,
I’d also like to welcome Julie Labre who
will be performing some research into
outreach to aboriginals! One her work is
done we’ll be releasing their findings so
that all Canadian youth organizations can
benefit from them!
We are still looking for volunteers! We’re
always on the lookout for volunteers to
help the CYA in many ways! If you would
like to get involved and help out (we can
issue volunteer hours for those of you
looking to complete your community
service requirements) feel free to see the
volunteer section of our website, or to
email the Executive Director, Tyler Som-
mers (sommerst@cya-ajc.ca) and let us
know where your passions are and what
you’d like to do! We strive to create posi-
tions that people want to be in and where
they feel they would gain the most, so
don’t feel bound to the positions listed
on the website.
The first general election for the CYA will
be coming up in a few months! We’re
hoping to put together a few smaller
conferences before then, so that we can
spread the word and start helping young
people become more effective and effi-
cient leaders in their communities!
We are looking for organizations to part-
ner and work with so that we can have
as much of an effect as possible. The
CYA reaches out to youth, getting them
involved in their communities (whether
local, provincial, national, or anything in
between), helps train youth to become
effective leaders, provides information
and opportunities for youth to develop
their skills, and will assist in representing
youth to one another and the Canadian
people. Our goal is to help youth become
active and effective citizens and leaders
in every aspect of their lives!
Now, this is the first issue of The Rep-
resentative! There will be all sorts of
information throughout from many of
our members! If you would like to have
your work featured here, whether it be
writing, artwork, or anything else, feel
free to email it to therepresentative@cya-
ajc.ca and we’ll be sure to include it in the
next issue!

Get Yourself Out There

Elizabeth Deschamps

The world is a big place: there are end-
less cultures, languages, and societies to
explore. So…do it.
Students have a wide variety of oppor-
tunities to get out there and explore the
world. One of the benefits of going with
a program is that you don’t have to “go
it alone”. Rather than simply wandering
around Europe or Asia with what you can
carry on your back you can study, com-
plete a co-op, or even work while you’re
there. In doing so you have the oppor-
tunity to learn about a new culture, pos-
sibly pick up a new language, and meet
people from around the world.
The options are endless. For those in
high school, go talk to your guidance
counselors. Programs like Rotary Inter-
national Youth Exchange and EF are ex-
tremely popular, but there are also short-
er exchanges and a multitude of other
options that are open to you. Guidance
counselors are really the best people to
talk to in order to find out different op-
tions to help you find once the opportu-
nity that best first with your life and your
academic goals.
If you’re in university, then you often have
the ability to complete either a semester
or year abroad as part of your studies or
co-op. Adversely, if you’re looking to take
a year break form your studies there are
endless programs that are up for grabs.
These include programs such as SWAP
which give you a bit of a support system
as your finding your way around.
The world of the internet has opened up
countless doors and sources of informa-
tion. There are forums stock filled with
advice and opportunities, so, turn to
your best friend, Google. Get searching,
get looking, and get out there!

IN tHIS ISSUE
The Reason I vote...................................................4
A Few Words From the CYA.................................Cover
A Message From the Executive Director............4
Get Youtself Out There.........................................Cover
If You Don’t Vote.....................................................5
Putting Canada Back on the Map.............................1
CYA Party Information...........................................6
Turning Off Voters.......................................................1
Member Highlight..................................................6
Food For Fuel...............................................................2
Volunteers Wanted.................................................7
What is The Representative?....................................2
Our Volunteer Team...............................................8
We Want YOU...............................................................2
Events and Opportunities.....................................9
CYA RIding Reform Part 1..........................................3
Oh, The Memories.................................................10
 Turning Off Voters
Matthew Schaubroeck
Written post 2008 Federal Election
Voting. Did you partake in that
mystical ritual? Did you march
down to your polling station to
put an x next to a name?
I had the pleasure to attend a
panel about the Canadian elec-
tion on October 17th, put on by
the politics department of the U
of W. Many issues were discussed,
but the most important question
of the 50-minute panel came at
the very end, when a student
asked why young people were not
going out to mark their ballots on
election day, or indeed why we
saw such a low voter turnout as
59% on the 14th. It’s too bad that
the panellists didn’t have a chance
to answer that question, because
politicians everywhere in Canada
are pulling out their hair trying to
find an answer (and a solution)
to this question. What will bring
people out
to the polls “I am convinced that
to vote? How
can we appeal the biggest turn-off
to that 41%
of Canadians from voting in this
who stayed
at home on election was all the
Election Day?
negative advertising.”
I saw this
problem
myself over the past few weeks.
I ran as the New Democrat can-
didate in Saint Boniface for this
election, and I saw and talked with people
Putting Canada Back on the Map
who just didn’t want to get out and vote.
There were a whole host of reasons, but the
biggest one among these was that people
are getting turned off by the current elec-
Canada’s World is a collaboration between 15 universities and over 40 organizations
toral soap operas. People turn on the news
with one major aim -- to engage Canadians in a big conversation about our nation’s
and don’t see the issues, they see pooping
role in the world.
puffins, and slam ads against other parties,
and candidates being turfed for something
Over the past few years, Canada’s World has traveled across the country, holding they wrote in a blog five years ago. I’m sure
dialogue sessions and recording your opinions. Our discussions have brought that it makes all the pundits and political
Canadians of all backgrounds together to share their dreams for the future of Canadian hacks happy when they turn on the TV and
foreign policy. Using the perspectives we’ve heard in those dialogue sessions, we’re see Stéphane Dion fumble his way through
truly putting our country Back on the Map by sharing a new story about a bolder, more an interview by not being able to answer
responsible Canada in the world. a question, but that sort of thing just turns
off regular people from getting engaged in
A project of the SFU Centre for Dialogue, Canada’s World is in the last stage of a three- the political scene.
year citizens’ dialogue that engages Canadians in developing a new story for Canada in
the world. It’s not to say that we aren’t politically
active. University students and young
In the first two years of our project, we brought Canadians together for conversations people in general are gung-ho for fighting
on the issues that define the current global environment - issues that provide both for their beliefs. NGOs, community groups,
opportunities and challenges for Canadians. We now focus on how to share the results and all kinds of issues (I’ll see you all at the
of those conversations and how to implement changes based on the priorities you rally for lower tuition fees on November
gave us. the 5th, right?) are being championed by
people who are concerned about where
the country is headed. And I really don’t
Unlike traditional processes and consultations led by government, this project is believe that 41% of Canadians don’t care
funded by individuals, businesses, international organizations and foundations who about politics at all. People want to make
want to inspire citizens to write a new story for Canada. Learn more about us by sure their tax dollars are being spent where
following the links below: they feel they should go, and that the gov-
ernment of the day is acting in the people’s
best interest.
No, the problem isn’t with the people.
The problem is with the political parties.
I am convinced that the biggest turn-off
from voting in this election was all the neg-
ative advertising. Pundits referred to this
election as “the dirty campaign” because of
all the underhanded tricks and attacks that
the parties were using on the campaign;
pointing fingers and attacking the other
parties instead of discussing what your
party’s values and goals were. People told
me at the door that they didn’t know what
the issues were, so they were inclined to
not vote for that reason. Easy to find party
websites with tons of information at the
click of a mouse aside, that’s an absolutely
true statement. The media didn’t pick up
on the issues when they were reporting;
they talked instead about campaign gaffes
and who was winning in the polls. When
Jack Layton came to town to unveil his
plan for home care for seniors, most of the
questions the media asked were regarding
the Gerry Ritz scandal. Hardly any ques-
tions were asked about the policy itself,
and when the clips hit the news, most of
the report was what Jack had to say about
the wisecrackin’ agriculture minister, and
not about the policy presented that morn-
ing. And this doesn’t happen with only one
party: the media asking Harper what veg-
etable he would be during a policy state-
ment is at best a loose connection with the
issue at hand, and at worst a cheap ploy for
a sound bite.
While I would put part
of the blame for this on
the media themselves
for selective reporting,
I would also accuse the
politicians of focusing
their efforts during the
campaign on the gaffes
themselves. I think that
partisan politics has really
lost its way in the past few
years, and party leaders
are frantically scrambling to undermine the
other guy rather than present their plan.
Look at Question Period in the House of
Commons: that’s enough to turn any politi-
cal neophyte off their lunch, never mind
their interest in the political system. Hurling
insults and pointing fingers at each other
for an hour? What are we watching here?
The answer to all of this is blatantly
simple: political parties need to stop bicker-
ing and start working together and talking
about the issues. On election campaigns,
stop talking about what the other govern-
ment didn’t do twenty years ago, and start
talking about what you’re going to do now.
Stop attacking other candidates, and start
promoting your team and your policies. I
am an active member in the NDP because
I believe in the issues that the NDP stands
for, and I believe that they have the best
plan (by far!) to deal with the problems
facing society today. I am not a member of
the NDP because Stephen Harper is a scary
guy that I’ll do anything to stop. Politics
shouldn’t focus on the negative like that;
politics should focus on the positive.
I think a lot of politicians who might
read this, even some within my own party,
will disagree with me on what I’m saying
here, and who can blame them? This is
the system that the country has run on
for decades now. But I think it’s time for a
change in how we play politics, because
no matter which party you’re from, 41%
of people not voting is an unacceptable
statistic. And if getting that 41% to the polls
means working together and thinking in
the positive more often, then gosh darn
it, we’re all just going to have to swallow
our pride and work together. Yes, it’ll be
a change in how things are working now,
and that might scare away some people
on Parliament Hill. But government isn’t
working on behalf of MPs, it’s working on
behalf of Canadians. And not just the 59%
that vote, either.
Food for Fuel
Coady Bustin (2008)
In a world of botox injections and miracu-
lous blue pills, it’s never been easier to lie
about our age. One dead giveaway, how-
ever, is common in these parts. A quick
jog into a busy convenience store or gas
station, and you’re sure to elicit a comment
along the lines of “my Lord, with the prices
these days. I remember when gasoline was
a nickel a gallon,” or something of the like.
And we’re all guilty- I remember when a
bag of chips was ninety-nine cents. Given
my current girth, perhaps it’s for the best
that prices of sweets are going up- but for
hundreds of millions of people, the rising
price of grains equates to famine and star-
vation.
According to the UN, global food prices
have risen 83% in the past seven years
alone. Driven by poor growing condi-
tions, market volatility in the wake of the
US sub-prime mortgage debacle, and the
stampede towards biofuels and renewable,
cheap gas, the price of food is at its high-
est in more than 40 years- with no signs of
relief. According to analysis, as much as
40% of this jump is directly attributed to
biofuels- we are taking food and turning
it into fuel for Western consumers. While
biofuels are potentially very promising
for weaning us off the fossil fuel teat, our
need for cheap and clean fuel should never
endanger the lives of those who need our
help the most. Further research for the syn-
thesis of biofuels is developing, and we are
moving towards technology that will allow
What is The Representative?
The representative is an initiative
launched by the Canadian Youth Assembly
(CYA - http://cya-ajc.ca) in order to help
young Canadians develop some of their
skills and share their work, thoughts, and
opinions with their peers throughout our
great nation.er they are personal, political,
or anything else.
As with everything
that we do, there are
no profits and we are
doing this in order to
help you.
For those of you who want to pursue
a career in journalism or writing, peer
reviewed publications, like this, are a great
way to make a start and to learn what
people like a dislike.
For artists who want to share their work
with others, whether it be to get feedback
in order to become better, or simply to
us to fill up both stomachs and fuel tanks-
but we’re not there yet.
We’re lucky here in Canada: we’ve been
largely sheltered from the price jump due
to our strong dollar compared to the green-
back, but prices are starting to change.
Already, the price of flour and rice are up,
and with rising transportation costs, it will
be rural Canadians who are hit the hardest;
but this pales in comparison to the third
world. Already the World Food Programme,
the UN mission dedicated to ending world
hunger, has had to cut rations to some of
the tens of millions of children it feeds on
a daily basis. The WFP has asked for an
additional
Photo by Kaitlynne-Rae Landry
share your work so that others may enjoy
it, The Representative will fulfil this role.
For you with the sense of humor and
some artistic talent, comic strips, charac-
tures, or similar amusing pieces are sure
to be a hit.
Sharing experiences is something that I’m
sure many of us will benefit from. Know-
ing that you’re not alone, that others have
gone through similar trials and tribulations
is incredibly helpful. Offering advice to
others is something that will never go out
of style. Tidbits of advice about school,
$755 million in international aid to meet
current needs, and as always, we are slow
in answering the call. If we cannot slake
our massive thirst for fuel, then the least we
can do is carve into our budget surpluses
and give more generously. There is enough
food in the world to feed everybody- so
whichever way you twist it, it’s absolutely
reprehensible that people starve while we
turn food into fuel. We may be able to hide
our age, but we can’t shirk our responsibili-
ties.
work, and socializing could come in handy
when we least expect it.
Of course for those of you who would
like to rant about current issues or offer an
insightful and well documented piece are
welcome to submit their articles. We are
showcasing what youth
are capable of afterall
and we know that many
of you are able to write
incredibly. Your ideas are
those that will shape the
future of our great nation
and there’s absolutely
no reason for you to wait to get them out
there and to get feedback! When we work
together and when we share our ideas, we
develop and we learn like no other time.
The representative is about you. Showcas-
ing and sharing you. Anything you would
like to submit, whenever you would like to
submit it. Just send an email to
therepresentative@cya-ajc.ca
We Want YOU!
What can you submit? Why would you
submit something? Who is going to
read this? Well, we have some answers.
Submissions from members just like you
are what has allowed us to put together
this magazine and what will allow us to
continue to put out new issues. There are
very few limitations to what we will publish
in this for all of your peers to view, read, and
enjoy. We accept articles on virtually every
topic, whether they are personal, political,
or anything else.
For those of you who enjoy taking or
making images, we would love for you to
submit some of your work to us so that we
can share it with our members!
Anyone enjoy creating comics or those
humorous drawings we all look forward to
in various newspapers? Well, we’ll gladly
accept and publish those as well!
There is only one catch to submitting
things to The Representative, and that is
that you allow for us to publish them (but
why else would you submit them?). We
don’t offer any compensation (payment) for
the pieces either. Keep in mind that we are
a not-for-profit and do not gain anything,
except the satisfaction of sharing your work
with youth throughout Canada, from this.
Submitting is EASY! All you have to do is
find whatever piece you’d like to submit to
us and send it to:
therepresentative@cya-ajc.ca
And there we go, all done. We may have
to format it a little bit in order to fit it in,
we might break it into multiple pieces, but
we’ll let you know if we make any changes
at all.
So go ahead and send us your original
work! Whether it be a rant, a blog post, a
political piece, a policy suggestion, a pic-
ture, a cartoon, a... well you get the mes-
sage. Just send it in and enjoy that it will
be shared with the many, many members
of the Canadian Youth Assembly and youth
throughout Canada.
Everyone has to start somewhere. What
better place to start than by sharing your
thoughts and opinions with your peers?
 Canadian Youth Assembly Riding Reform
The Canadian Youth Assembly was faced with a challenge: resource limitations, the requirement of
holding national elections, and no system which was developed to represent young Canadians. Our
membership developed a new riding system. One meant to grow with the organization. Adam Schneider
was a key actor in this and has written the logic behind the changes. Part 1 is a general overview.
The primary raison d’ètre is simple: the
CYA, being a new and still-developing
organization, needs to save money. One
of the big ways in which this is possible
is by cutting down on the financial
requirement needed to elect and support
Youth Representatives in the Assembly.
That means having fewer members than
the 308 which constitute the real House
of Commons. The trouble with that
endeavour is that there needs to be a
substantial reduction while still retaining
adequate regional representation; it’s a
tricky balancing act, as you will see.
Possibly an even greater problem is
getting everybody to agree on an
arrangement. I was late in coming to
the CYA’s Gradual Growth Committee
board; when I was granted access back
in December, what I could immediately
gather was that nothing comprehensive
had been done. Oh, there had been
some calculations based on nice, round
50/100/150/200/250-seat targets,
but none of the province-specific
discussions had ever come to any sort
of conclusion, nor made a real effort
to follow one of those targets or some
unified system. Everything was all over
the map (literally), and the board was
pretty much dead.
So what to do? It was the Christmas
break, I was done my exams, and I
needed something fun to challenge
my mind. (Yes, “fun.” I’m in engineering.
To me, basic math like this is fun.) So, I
thought, why not work upwards from
the numbers of youth in each province
instead of adopting a target? Could
a fair and unified system be found to
that allocate seats to each province?
Steven Heidel, the CYA’s Elections
Coordinator, had posted a breakdown
of percentages of youth in each province
in the calculations thread:
NL: 0.0182894586 PE: 0.0047279466
NS: 0.0294165332 NB: 0.0243019700
QC: 0.2368288461 ON: 0.3711107619
MB: 0.0382326384 SK: 0.0359777907
AB: 0.1092728116 BC: 0.1282931003
YK: 0.0009802601 NT: 0.0014092798
NU: 0.0011610969
Little did I know those numbers were from
2004 and were unreliable; but I’ll touch on
that later. So, where to start? I decided to
divide all the various jurisdictions by the
smallest youth population (the Yukon),
and got this:
NL: 19 PE: 5 NS: 30 NB: 25
QC: 242 ON: 379 MB: 39 SK: 37
AB: 111 BC: 131 YK: 1 NT: 1 NU: 1
… which yielded a total of 1021 ridings,
which is actually way more than the
original 308, and which clearly won’t work.
So, then, I decided to discard the territories
(as they were all going to come up with
similar results), forcing them to have 1
seat each, and decided to try dividing
Part 1 - An Overview
Adam Schneider
everybody by the smallest province, Prince
Edward Island:
NL: 4 PE: 1 NS: 6 NB: 5
QC: 50 ON: 78 MB: 8 SK: 8
AB: 23 BC: 27 YK: 1 NT: 1 NU: 1
… which gave a total of 213 ridings – much
better than over a thousand. Still, it wasn’t
quite what I was looking for; so, I thought,
how about dividing everybody by half of
Newfoundland & Labrador (because of its
geographical split)? The result:
NL: 2 PE: 1 NS: 3 NB: 3
QC: 26 ON: 41 MB: 4 SK: 4
AB: 12 BC: 14 YK: 1 NT: 1 NU: 1
… for a total of 113 this time. However, this
seemed a little too low; the combinations
might be a more than a little painful.
(Most of Quebec as triple ridings? No
way.) Maybe the answer lay somewhere
in between. With that in mind, I decided
to try dividing everybody by one-third of
the youth population of Newfoundland &
Labrador, with this result:
NL: 3 PE: 1 NS: 5 NB: 4
QC: 39 ON: 61 MB: 6 SK: 6
AB: 18 BC: 21 YK: 1 NT: 1 NU: 1
… for a total of 167 ridings! This seems like
the best balance so far, no? I thought so,
too. In fact, the calculated numbers were
pretty close to whole numbers of seats
even before rounding. So I adopted this
framework and moved to the step of going
through each of the provinces’ ridings
to combine them into their respective
allocations. I used the CBC’s online map
of the 2008 federal election results as
both a visual and a naming resource, as I
wanted everything to make geographic
sense. I decided to stick to the following
guidelines as I worked:
* Party standings in individual ridings
would have no bearing on combinations;
* As in real life, no ridings would cross
provincial/territorial boundaries;
* Geographical area of the ridings would
be taken into account, in addition to the
potential numbers of youth in the riding;
* Combined ridings would have to border
one another to form contiguous areas;
* The urban/rural balance would need
to be maintained, as much as reasonably
possible;
* I would rather have more double ridings,
instead of triple/quadruple ridings, given
the difficulty in representing more youth
or more area;
* Reuniting split communities would be
a secondary goal, where possible;
* No real-life ridings would be split.
After I had created a preliminary (i.e. draft)
combination system for the ridings, I
presented my idea to the Gradual Growth
Committee. Cue the suggestions, the
feedback, and the nitpicking – fun times!
This is where Immanuel Giulea of the AYCC
came in: he had the keen idea of going
through the 2006 Census data for each
riding and compiling the number of youth
in each riding who were between ages
15 and 24, as a means of checking and
validating my combinations. In doing so,
he found a key error: Steven’s numbers
had been from 2004, while the more
comprehensive, useful, and reliable
census data was from 2006. This meant
we had to do everything again.
In order to extrapolate the numbers
of youth ages 14 through 24 in each
province in 2009, Immanuel went
through the numbers for ages 11 through
21 in the 2006 census, added them up
for each province and territory, and then
found what percentage each province
and territory had out of the whole youth
population for that age range. We now
had new initial proportions:
NL: 0.0152626350 (down)
PE: 0.0045559625 (down)
NS: 0.0279895355 (down)
NB: 0.0220135189 (down)
QC: 0.2249472972 (down)
ON: 0.3903970043 (up)
MB: 0.0391924232 (up)
SK: 0.0341016630 (down)
AB: 0.1112025662 (up)
BC: 0.1261994099 (down)
YK: 0.0010352999 (up)
NT: 0.0016429759 (up)
NU: 0.0014597085 (up)
… which, as you can see on close
inspection, are somewhat different from
the first set (nothing drastic, though),
resulting in a different distribution
of seats. Immanuel suggested keeping
Quebec’s existing figure of 39 ridings and
working out all of the other provinces and
territories accordingly. The new result (and
the one we finally settled on) is as follows:
NL: 3 PE: 1 NS: 5 NB: 4
QC: 39 ON: 68 (gained 7)
MB: 7 (gained 1) SK: 6
AB: 19 (gained 1)
BC: 22 (gained 1) YK: 1
NT: 1 NU: 1
The correction had added 10 ridings,
for a grand total of the 177 you see
today. With the new breathing room, I
was able to split up several ridings that
were either geographically huge or were
known to have a high youth population.
Fortunately, however, a lot of issues with
the combinations and naming had been
resolved by that point; as a result, only a
few small tweaks followed before none
of the CYA members on the forums had
anything left to bring forward. Next up
were Tyler and his staff; I wasn’t sure how
they’d like it but I was pleased to hear that
it passed the Board of Directors without
complaint. Yay for progress!

Voting is something that many of our
peers don’t feel the need to participate
in. While it may be the most directly
form for everyday voters to influence
their government it seems as though
youth don’t care or don’t believe their
vote makes a difference. Who can blame
them?
I’ll be honest, in the last election I
originally thought that the only reason I
voted was because my father made sure
he went to vote on a day I wasn’t busy.
Why? Because my electoral district has
elected, by a landslide, a candidate from
the same party since I can remember
caring about politics. That’s what our
electoral system does, it removes the
point of anyone voting for parties that
have a small likelihood of winning,
whether the ends justify the means is a
matter of debate.
After the election had ended and a
minority election had been won by
the Conservatives, I wondered how I
could have gone without voting, how
I could have justified that to myself. I
felt ashamed for even considering not
voting, even moreso for knowing that
had my father not taken me with him, I
would have made no attempt to venture
to the polls. I ventured down the road in
my head, wondering how people justify
not voting to themselves and don’t feel
bad about it. Obviously the most evident
justification is the fact that if they don’t
vote for the candidate who receives a
plurality, then their vote is essentially
A Message From CYA’s Executive Director
Well, here we are with the first issue of
The Representative (a little over a month
later than we’d have liked, but what can
you do). The Representative is one more
endeavour we’ve undertaken in order
to ensure that we are doing everything
we can to get young people involved, to
bring us together, and to ensure that our
voices are heard.
Every time we hold an event, or release
a publication, even make a post on our
forum (http://cya-ajc.ca/forum) we’re
taking a small step toward our goal of
making Canada more democratic, more
accessible, more equal...better. The
Representative is a showcase of what
we can do when we work together: I
look here and I see submissions from
people encompassing every viewpoint
imaginable. I don’t just see a publication,
this is a work of art, it’s a message in itself.
We can work together. We can accomplish
wonderful things. Together we are able
to do so much more than we can alone.
Together there is no limit to what we
can accomplish. By setting the seeds
now, by showing one another that we
can put aside our differences and work
toward a common goal we are showing
community leaders, decision makers,
politicians, governments, nations that it’s
not difficult to work together. Imagine
flipping on the television and watching
as your representatives work together in
order to accomplish something, rather
than yell and scream at one another. Just
the thought.. the thought of watching
The Reason I Vote
Scott Williams
Photo by Kaitlynne-Rae Landry
wasted (insofar as it doesn’t contribute
to the way that the government takes
form at all, meaning their representation
is lost). However, while I knew this very
well I still felt guilty… but why.
So many people are upset with the way
the government runs, with the people
who are leading the country, with
politics, with our electoral system, and
with practically everything else we can
think of listing off. By in large people
feel that they don’t have a way to change
things, that no matter what they do
everything is going to remain the same
and whatever effort they put in will
Tyler Sommers
question period and seeing cooperation
and collaboration, it brings such
immeasurable joy.
The Canadian Youth Assembly itself is a
showcase of our potential, the potential
of youth and the potential of youth
as a community. Together we created
a national non-profit, we worked for
months building the organization into
something that would be safe, secure, and
free. We built an organization that will
always operate bottom up, somewhere
where the board, the volunteers, and the
members are the same, they are equals.
We are always learning, always trying to
build upon ourselves, to push through
our habits and be more.
The CYA Model Parliament is a wonderful
example as to how we are capable of
growth. Placed in a situation where it is so
easy to take a side and shut out the views
of other we are seeing progress towards
collaboration and cooperation, toward
working together with one another,
rather than working against one another.
amount to nothing. Is this just cause to
give up? Is the possibility that nothing
will change enough to give up hope?
I feel that it is our civic duty, our duty as
Canadians to vote and to endure what
we feel to be injustice and overcome it.
Our history has shown that Canadians are
not willing to just accept and cope with
injustice. A huge part of our history was
fighting, not through force but through
will and political activism, against
oligarchic rule! An attempt to take over
and to spark a revolution against the rich!
Canadians have never bowed down and
accepted injustice, we’ve fought against
it.
Fighting for change is in our blood, it is
There is still a long way to go and as time
passes so will the resources and abilities
we have to learn. We have amazing plans
for the Model Parliament and all of our
other ventures and we take steps toward
them every day.
CYA! Volunteering grows continually, with
new positions being added constantly.
We’ve recently been contacted by the
York District Catholic School Board and
will be working with them to get students
in their schools volunteering and active
in their community in new and exciting
ways!
Now, that being said, our need for
volunteers and help also grows daily. Mind
you, volunteering for the CYA can be very
simple, letting others know, posting a link,
sending us some suggestions, those are
all great ways to help us move toward our
goal. However, we are in need of people
with some time to perform various tasks.
No matter what your passion, or what you
hope to do in your life, there is a position
at the CYA for you! We have the luxury
part of who we are. If we don’t fight,
fight through voting, fight through
demanding change, than we are
turning our backs on what it means to
be Canadian.
Youth today don’t vote and don’t get
involved, if it’s for any reason other
than laziness, if the claim that non-
voting is a result of an inadequate and
undemocratic system, then we must
pursue change relentlessly.
For us, for our children, and for our
nation. Be the change.
of being able to create any position, so if
it isn’t listed on our website (http://cya-
ajc.ca) all you need to do is contact us
and we’ll get you set up and working on
something you enjoy!
As always, if you’d like to contact myself
or any one of our volunteers, the door is
always open. Send us a message on the
forum, email us (my email is sommerst@
cya-ajc.ca), or use the ‘contact us’ section
of the website. We’d love to hear from you!
If you have a suggestion, comment, even
if you would like to constructively criticize
something we’ve done (or haven’t done),
let us know! Many times we’re unaware of
problems until someone mentions them,
so feel free to bring them up, feel free to let
us know! If you are part of an organization
and would like to work with us in some
way, let us know and we’ll make sure we
both grow and succeed together!
The more we work together, the more we
accomplish.

People say that “nothing’s going to change” in an election. Maybe. But that’s only the case if we
choose to let nothing change.
At least twice in the past year, we, as a
country, have gone through two periods
of intense speculation regarding a possible
federal election. The parties have spun
their spin, the polls have come out almost
daily, the media have endlessly debated
every possible angle, and finally, by some
method or other, the crisis has passed and
is averted to rear its head another day. Just
another season on Parliament Hill.
What truly struck me, though, was the
widespread and vehement protest against
a possible election. The citizens of this
country have a wide range of reasons,
but most of them are, sadly, founded
in apathy rather than rational thought.
Why would we, as voters, not want to
exercise our democratic right?
People say we’ve had too many elections.
Granted, they’re more frequent now than
they usually are (historically speaking),
and they are costly to stage (roughly
$300 million today). However, in the
hyper-partisan atmosphere on the Hill
today, with our elected representatives
forced into either following the party
line or ignominious exile, the only ones
with real influence between elections
are those closest to the party leaders.
Elections are the only time when control
is really out of their hands -- and in ours.
Why wouldn’t we welcome the chance
to exercise the single most powerful
ability we, as the people, still possess?
Why wouldn’t we take advantage of
that?
People say that “nothing’s going to
change” in an election. Maybe. But
that’s only the case if we choose to let
nothing change. Where do we get this
idea that an election would change
nothing? That’s right: polls published by
the media. We think nothing will change
just because the numbers are roughly
the same. Sure, it’s a good indicator
-- but as is often said, the only poll that
matters is the one on election day. There
is absolutely nothing stopping us, as the
voting public, from drastically altering the
political landscape of this country in one
day. That’s what democracy is all about
-- the ability to choose. However, there
are those in power who have a vested
interest in making us, the public, think
nothing can or will change. They have
become complacent because we have
grown apathetic. So much potential, and
still we let ourselves be convinced that our
choices have no effect.
IF YOU DON’T VOTE...
Adam Schneider
People say that their votes don’t count. On
the contrary, look at any election and you’ll
see that plenty of ridings come right down
to the wire. Furthermore, every vote you
cast helps fund the party that earned it.
Still, it is easy to fall into the idea that every
vote not cast for the winning candidate is
somehow “wasted”. It is a common scare
tactic used by parties and candidates who
are already powerful to keep people from
making a different choice. The recent
efforts towards electoral reform have been
made with the goal of ensuring that every
vote cast makes an impact. But once again,
those who profit from the status quo are
making every effort to scare us away from
new and better possibilities.
People say that politicians’ posturing
and endless fighting are turning them
off. Finally, here is a point that has some
merit behind it: today, Parliament is
rife with battles over style rather than
substance. Politics has become consumed
with partisan manipulations and the
concentration of power in the hands of
a select few. Our elected representatives
cannot follow their consciences or
represent the views of their constituents
for fear of harsh reprisal from the party
leadership. Don’t get me wrong, political
parties aren’t inherently bad -- teamwork
is key to success, after all -- but the good
intentions of these organizations have
been twisted to muzzle the exact rank-
and-file representation that needs to be
active and free in order for democracy to
work properly. Good and solid policies
and legislation are being brought forward,
but are being buried in the endless
squabbling and needlessly divisive “us
against them” rhetoric. Real issues are
being lost beneath the sheer volume of
shallow finger-pointing that arises from
manufactured scandals. In short, the
democratic process is being held hostage
by selfish pursuits.
This whole situation of apathy driven by
shallow, insubstantive politics made me
recall a rant by American comedian Craig
Ferguson, host of the Late Late Show
and himself a new citizen, during the
presidential election of late 2008. (If you
want to find the video, search his name
along with the phrase “if you don’t vote”.)
In his monologue, he criticizes one of the
root causes of the problem: how the media
are hung up on superficial talking points
and are failing the public and breeding
apathy by ignoring the real issues facing
the country. He then goes on to criticize
one of its symptoms: how we complain and
tune out politics altogether. In a nutshell,
he says that voting is not fun or convenient,
but that’s not what voting is about -- rather,
it is our duty, as the holders of this power,
to exercise our democratic right. Even if
he’s talking about an American election,
he put it miles better than I ever could. If
we proclaim to the world that we value
our democratic rights so highly, what
is so wrong with us that our actions are
saying the opposite?
From the continually falling turnout
rates in our federal, provincial and even
municipal elections, it is abundantly
clear that Canadians are losing faith in
the way politics is practised today. They
want to see an end to the perpetual
squabbling and partisan intolerance.
They want a new way of making
Parliament work, one that will include
all their diverse viewpoints and that will
make their voices count.
That’s what makes the Canadian Youth
Assembly so critical. We, as young
people, as the leaders of the future, have
to show that we are capable of renewing
the political process and of reshaping it
so that it will be the inclusive way that
our fellow Canadians need and want to
see. We need to show that there is cause
to keep faith in our democratic system --
that tomorrow is brighter than today.
We need a better Canada. We need a
Canada where people won’t cringe at
the very mention of an election. We
need a Canada where the public is
active and involved at every step of the
democratic process. We need a Canada
where our elected representatives
are respectful of one another and are
willing to work together, regardless of
affiliation and disagreements, to get the
very best results possible for the people
they serve. We need a Canada where our
leaders, the people in positions of power,
are accountable to the public at all times.
We need a Canada where our Parliament
works.
That vision is not going to come into being
unless people like you and I take action
and show that it is possible. Together, we
can. Together, we will achieve more.
 Assembly of New Democratic Youth (ANDY)

The Assembly of New Democratic Youth, or the ANDY for short (en français: l’Assemblée de la Jeunesse Néo-Démocrates, ou l’AJND), is a group of like-minded progressive and
leftist youth in the CYA who seek to build a better Canada by promoting social justice, strong education and public healthcare systems, a fair and equitable economy, environmental
responsibility, and honest and accountable government at all times. We believe that the problems of today require us all to go above and beyond old ways of thinking in our efforts
to resolve them and to build a better future for our country and for the world.

We are not an affiliate of the federal or provincial NDP; we follow our own path, and we welcome progressive, socialist, social democratic, and left-leaning youth of all stripes. For
information on joining or supporting the Assembly of New Democratic Youth, please contact Adam Schneider, ANDY Secretary and past Leader, at either schneidera@cya-ajc.ca or
a.schn@hotmail.com.

Together, let’s build a Canada we can all be proud of!

Liberal Youth Party (LYPC)

The Liberal Youth Party of Canada (LYPC) is the radically centrist faction of the Canadian Youth Assembly (CYA). Under the leadership
of Max Naylor, the Party has skyrocketed in numbers and support. Standing on a progressive social agenda, an innovative economic
agenda, and a brave foreign policy agenda, the Party has captured the interest of many youth. It currently has the most candidates of
any CYA Party. It grows by the day.

Member Highlight - Adam Schneider

Hey there! My name is Adam Schneider and I am one of the proud members of the Canadian Youth Assembly. I have been involved
with the CYA since its formation in the summer of 2008.

I live in Oakville, Ontario, and I turned 21 this past September. I attend the University of Waterloo, where I am currently in my third
year, working towards a B.A.Sc. in Geological Engineering. If all goes well, I will be graduating in 2011.

Even though I have keenly followed politics since before high school, I only really got into youth politics and model parliaments
when I took part in the Southern Ontario Model Assembly (SOMA) in 2006; it was both a great experience and a fair amount of
learning on the job! Above all, it made me truly realize what people can achieve when they work together for a shared purpose
and with mutual respect. That’s what I see in the CYA – not just a youth parliament, but also a means by which young people like
you and I can show all of Canada what heights we can reach when we come together as one.

Since joining the CYA, I have been an active member of the Assembly of New Democratic Youth (ANDY), and for a time, I had the
great honour of serving as their leader. Earlier this year, I also worked to create the reduced riding system now adopted by the CYA;
if you have any questions about it, ask me! You can find my contact info in the article on the ANDY that is located elsewhere in this
issue of The Representative. (Go look for it!)

Outside of the CYA, my time is mostly taken up by either my studies, or, when on co-op terms, a full-time job. Over the course of my
university studies, I have had co-op terms at a manufacturing plant, two consulting engineering firms, the City of Brampton and, most
recently, the Toronto Transit Commission. Beyond my jobs and my studies, I am an avid bookworm, I enjoy playing ultimate frisbee,
I was a 1st degree black belt in Taekwon-Do prior to attending university, and I have played piano since I was four years old.

So there’s the tip of this proverbial iceberg! Finally, I want to thank YOU for supporting the Canadian Youth Assembly – the youth of today will one day be charged with the respon-
sibilities of leadership around the world, so it is critical that they become more involved in the democratic process. Your participation helps make that goal a reality. Together, we
can show everyone that democracy in this great country has a truly bright future.

Please note that only those CYA parties that submitted information were featured. Those that did not are not listed on this page.
Volunteers wanted
Administrative department
The CYA Administrative Department is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operation of the organization. This includes coordinating efforts in order to ensure that projects
move efficiently and ensuring that all members of the CYA team are moving towards reaching the goal of the organization itself.

Aboriginal Liason - Responsible for overseeing and coordinating outreach to aboriginal groups throughout Canada. Works jointly with any department necessary.

Francophone and Quebec Liason - Responsible for overseeing and coordinating outreach to Quebec and francophone groups throughout Canada. Works jointly with any
department necessary.

CYA! Volunteering Coordinators - Responsible for the general operations of CYA! Volunteering. Reports to the Executive and Deputy Directors.

Executive Assistant - Assists the Executive Director and Deputy Director with whatever initiative they are working on. This entails working collaboratively with various
departments and individuals on a range of projects and initiatives.

Elections department
The CYA Elections Department is responsible for establishing and implementing the procedure by which the organization will run any and all elections. These individuals
specialize in the running of our elections. They establish the update the CYA Elections procedures and documents and ensure that they are enforced and abided by.

Elections Coordinator - The Elections Coordinator is charged with the responsibility of administering all CYA elections, most importantly the election of Youth Representatives
held every two years. They work with the rest of the elections and general staff to ensure that every vote counts and that there is no tampering of any kind.

Assistant Elections Coordinator - The Assistant Elections Coordinator aids the Elections Coordinator in any way needed. They also act as a somewhat ‘chief of staff’, organizing
the voter and candidate specialists.

Commissioner - The Commissioner ensures that all CYA election guidelines are being followed. They remain in close contact with candidates and especially party leaders to
answer any questions about the conduct of an election. If problems are found in the guidelines they may present a revision to be voted upon in order to improve future elections
to come.

Informational Officer - The Informational Officer manages and organizes the large amounts of data received throughout an election, such as candidate, voter, and party lists.
They are also skilled in website and database administration in order to maintain this information.

Voter Specialists - Voter Specialists are the link between Electoral Staff and voters. They answer any questions, help with registration and voting, and publicize the election. Each
voter specialist is in charge of a particular region. The Voter Specialists report to the Assistant Elections Coordinator.

financial department
The CYA Financial Department is responsible for ensuring that the organization acquires donations/funds/grants, stores them properly and uses them in the most efficient means
possible. They are the centre for all things monetary for the CYA.

Director of Operations - Director of Operations is responsible for assisting the CFO in performing annual audits and preparing financial reports.

Director of Sponsorship - The Director of Sponsorship is responsible for communicating with the donors and sponsors of the Canadian Youth Assembly. In addition, the director
will find new sponsors for the organization with a vision of maintaining long term relationships.

human resources
The CYA Human Resources Department is responsible for maintaing a positive relationship between the membership, candidates and the organization itself. These individuals
handle everything from our public forum to our membership database. They are responsible for ensuring that the CYA Code of Conduct is adhered to, as well as updating it as
necessary.

Assistant Director of Human Resources - Reports directly to the Director. Will assist the Director with all required tasks and oversee general operations of the department, and
oversees the Member and Candidate Correspondents.

Elected Member Correspondent(s) - Reports to the Assistant Director. Responsible for maintaining contact with the membership base and aiding elected members, including
answering questions and taking comments.

Candidate Correspondent(s) - Reports to the Assistant Director. Same as Elected Member Correspondent, but for Candidates.

Membership Manager - Reports to the Director. Responsible for maintaining the general and elected member and candidate registries, and member information.

Communications Technician - Reports to the Director. Responsible for the various communication technologies in use, including forums, blogs, chats, and any other contact
media.

Public Relations Officer (PR Officer) - Reports to the Director. Responsible for all relationships with other organizations and contacts, and for advertising and publicity.

Inter-Organizational Outreach Correspondent - Reports to the PR Officer. Responsible specifically for building and maintaining relationships with and support from other
organizations.

Advertising Correspondent - Reports to the PR Officer. Responsible for recruitment of members and voters, and for contacting any potential medium of advertising.

Policy Assistant - Assists the Director solely in creating policy documents for the Canadian Youth Assembly.
Our Volunteer team
Allison Chen (Financial Director) is the Canadian Youth Assembly’s Director of Finance. She is a third year student at the University of Ottawa studying commerce, specializing in
finance. She is active on her school’s student council as the Director of Operations and is a member of the university’s co-op program where she is able to study and work full time
every other semester, gaining experience from both public and private sectors.

She is also very active in the community, volunteering for different organizations and helping to run provincial-wide events such as the United Way Blossom Ball and the Canadian
Cancer Society’s Run for the Cure.

Jason Gwartz (Human Resources Director) is currently studying Music at York University, concentrating in jazz saxophone performance, and is an
avid musician and political activist in his community. Jason has been involved with the Ontario Educational Leadership Centre since 2007, where
he now works as a Leader Counsellor for the Elementary Fine Arts courses and as a Youth Facilitator for the Ministry of Education-funded “Student
Voice Forums”, educating Canada’s next generation of young leaders in teamwork and initiative skills to bring into their community. Jason was a
Legislative Page at Queen’s Park in 2005, a leading member of his high school’s Model United Nations team, directing his team independently and
facilitating their hosted conference twice, and is now a member of the York University Model United Nations association.

He looks forward to hearing and communicating with all the members and potential members, and to meeting and seeing as many as he can.

Steven Heidel (CYA! Volunteering Coordinator) is the CYA! Volunteering Coordinator for the Canadian Youth Assembly. He is currently in his last
year of high school in Prince Albert, SK and plans to attend the University of Saskatchewan next year. Steven especially enjoys curling, where his
team has won a provincial event. He also enjoys tennis, math, website design, and of course Canadian politics. His goal is to successfully run and
expand the CYA! Volunteer program.

Kaitlynne-Rae Landry (Deputy Director) is in her first year at the University of Ottawa pursuing a Joint Honours Bachelors of Arts in History and Political Science with French
Immersion and Co-op options. She is passionate about politics, specifically on youth engagement and involvement within politics.

Having been a member of various youth advisories and youth councils Kaitlynne-Rae knows that youth are not apathetic and will therefore continue to work to make politics
and civic opportunities available and accessible to all youth. She has been volunteering with the Canadian Youth Assembly since its inception and has learned and met many
interesting things and people along the way. Kaitlynne-Rae looks forward to continuing this partnership.

Tyler Sommers (Executive Director) is in his final year at the University of Toronto completing a joint major in Political Science and
Criminology. He is an avid advocate for change and does whatever he can whenever he can to make a difference.

Tyler enjoys maintaining an open-door policy and often speaks to various members of the CYA through email, MSN, Facebook, etc. Though he
acknowledges that due to balancing work, school, volunteering, and a minimal social life, sometimes email is best.

Tyler is planning to study at the University of Ottawa next year, completing either a masters, or studying at the university’s law school.

Sabrina Bruno (The Representative Coordinator) is currently a grade twelve student attending high school in Woodbridge, Ontario. She will
be attending university in September of 2010, majoring in Psychology and Philosophy. Her plans following her undergraduate degree include
either law school or graduate school for Psychology.

As the Project Director for the CYA’s newspaper The Representative, she works diligently to ensure that each issue of the youth paper is well
delivered, very informative and engaging. Sabrina has a passion for writing which can be seen through her most recent accomplishment, the
development of her book entitled From One Teen To Another which is currently being edited and eventually published.

Shawn Dogra (Executive Assistant) is a third year Bachelor’s of Commerce (specialization in Finance) student at the University of Ottawa. He
strongly believes that youth engagement is central to bringing about positive change in society, and looks forward to helping the CYA successfully
encourage youth participation across Canada. In his free time, he enjoys travelling and a variety of sports. Shawn plans to attend law school upon
completion of his degree.
 events and opportunities
CYA Leadership Conference
Saturday February 20th, 2010 at the University of Ottawa!

The Canadian Youth Assembly will be holding a leadership conference in Terminus at UO! Admission is free (though we recommend
bringing a canned food item or a couple dollars for donation).

Steve Paikin of TVO’s The Agenda has confirmed as a keynote speaker!

Page Programs
An incredible opportunity…

There are only around 160 or so people who are allowed to be on the green floors of the House of Commons outside of the 308 elected members of Parliament. 40 of these
people are first year university students. You could be one of those students.

Pages work in the House of Commons (and in the Senate too!) and provide a service to members of Parliament, Table Officers, and the Speaker of the House through providing an
essential link between the lobbies and members. They help serve the members through errands and deliveries and ensure that the democratic process is able to move forward
with the greatest amount of efficiency possible. It has been said among circles of former Pages that their role is to “save democracy”.

While fulfilling such a role, Pages are also granted with an extremely rare glimpse of how politics in our country work. They are on the floor watching it all happen right before
their eyes. They see the debates happen right before their very eyes and are the immediate audience to a world that is much larger than the close angle shots broadcasted
nationwide on CPAC. It is a truly amazing experience for these fortunate youth.

There is a similar program in place in the Senate. The requirements to work in either program are academic excellence, bilingualism, Canadian citizenship and attendance at
one of the Ottawa area universities. House of Commons Pages are going ino their first year (directly from high school) of university, Senate Pages can be in any year of their first
undergraduate degree.

Get ready for the next wave of applications! For more information on either program, please see their corresponding site:

House of Commons: http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/programs/pages/PP_Welcome-e.htm?WhereFrom

Senate: http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/programs/senpages/senpages-e.htm

joining the CYA

Its easy. We made it that way so that everyone could register and enjoy with as little red tape and time consumption as possible. Just follow the links below to get started, and
don’t forget to visit our forum at http://cya-ajc.ca/forum!

Voter Registration: http://election.cya-ajc.ca/forms/voter_registration.php Everyone should sign up as a voter!

Candidate Registration: http://election.cya-ajc.ca/candidates/registration/

 Oh, the memories
Hey, you’ve got to take some time out from changing Canada and building democracy to have some fun, don’t you? Heck, even when we stop trying to change the world, we’re
still changing it! Here are some images from a few of the events we’ve held in the past, enjoy!

Our Summer BBQ, held in partnership with LYPC

Peter counts his Skittles. What a wonderful game

What a good looking bunch of young leaders!
Allison came up with, how many people ate their
‘most embarassing moment’ Skittles?

Thanks to the Naylor family for allowing us to use

their beautiful home!

2008 Holiday Event (.....sorry I lost most (all) of my images! If you have any send them to therepresentative@cya-ajc.ca please)

(Right) From left to right: Adam

Schneider, Zach Paikin, and Tyler
Sommers

(Left) From left to right: Tyler

Sommers (Executive Director)
and Max Naylor (leader of
LYPC)

There are plenty more pictures from a couple more events, we’ll update them on the website soon!