Alberta Girls’ Parliament 2017 - report by Jami Henderson

Jami

Hello my name is Jami Henderson. This is my 8th year with JFW and I am with the Calgary Black Bears. From March 22-26, 2017 I, along with Bryana Madaire, had the amazing opportunity to participate in the Alberta Girls’ Parliament (AGP) hosted by the Girl Guides.


I applied to this program because of my budding interest in politics and debate and because this is my last year as a warden.

It’s safe to say that I was nervous as the date approached having only a slight idea of what exactly I had gotten myself into. We were picked up from Calgary on a Traxx bus, provided by the Girl Guides and bused to Edmonton. Upon arrival at Providence Renewal Centre (the venue for the event), we were promptly given room keys to individual rooms containing a single bed, sink, and desk. After settling in we returned to the main conference area which was set up to mimic the legislature house (as much as one can with plastic tables and metal chairs). We played some introduction games and it quickly became apparent that we were surrounded by some remarkably clever and kind individuals. By the time we had finished ice breakers and had a snack, it was time to turn in for the night.

2017 All Girl's Parliament . . . notice the two red uniforms? 

When Alberta held its first legislative meeting in 1906, it was in a hockey arena.
The original mace, which was used for fifty years during legislative meetings, was made from household objects such as plumbing pipes, bedpost knobs, a pincushion, and monopoly pieces.

While at the legislature we were able to sit on the floor and have a conversation with our Deputy Speaker, Debbie Jabbour (who you probably didn’t know, has purple hair). She briefly spoke about her role during sessions and graciously answered all of our questions. Later, we were able to sit in on a part of question period and take a photo with Premier, Rachel Notley and Stephanie McLean, Minister of Service Alberta and Status of Women.
After our trip to the legislature, we had caucus (preparatory meeting) for our
 
Saturday was a full day of debate. We began by debating BIRT Alberta purchase electricity produced from renewable sources at a rate of $0.50/Kwh to a max of $500 per month commencing January 1, 2020. We had a short break to listen to another guest speaker. Although the guest speakers were all absolutely amazing, Georgette Reed, Health and Wellness Coordinator for Edmonton Fire Rescue Services, was my favorite. She was such an amazing speaker with inspiring stories, great advice to give and a powerful message to share.
Following lunch we had another caucus to prepare for our final serious debate: BIRT 20% of annual new hires in Alberta be aged 25 and under effective January 1, 2018. There were many guests who came to watch from Girl Guide alumni to friends and family, many who remained for the banquet afterwards. There were speeches, a lively singing of O Canada and God Save the Queen as well as great food and company. Once the guests had left we went bowling and played a round of laser tag. After several days of sitting still, it was lots of fun to play and run around. We listened to candidate speeches from delegates of AGP running for executive positions of Premier, Deputy Premier, Leader of the Opposition, Alternate Leader of the Opposition and Speaker of the House. On this, the last night of AGP 2017, we were challenged to stay up as late as we could. Many of the Guides went to bed between midnight and 1:00 but some of us managed to stay up past 3:30am. We had a talent show with a wide range of performances and played games. When the executives finally called it a night I fell into bed and literally did not move until wake up call at 7:00.

Sunday morning involved voting for the executives for AGP 2018 and preparing for the fun debate, the topic of which was previously unknown. As the theme was Disney, our topic was: BIRT Alberta ban Disney movies effective immediately. The debate was so much fun with a foam sword fight, a crossing of the floor and many ridiculous points. We closed out AGP 2017 with guest speaker Lois E. Mitchell, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. Then it was time to clean up, say goodbye and take the bus home.

Both Bryana and I had such a good time at AGP and I wish I could go back for next year. We learned so much, made so many amazing new friends, improved our public speaking and debate skills and had so, so much fun.

Bryana

We were woken bright and early by our ‘whips’ (a member of our parties who volunteered to make sure everyone was where they need to be, when they need to be). Breakfast was served buffet style and, in my opinion, was delicious. The main activity for the day was a visit to the legislature. We had a phenomenal tour guide who showed us around and taught us so much. Here are two facts you probably didn’t know.

9:30am-2:00pm on Friday was spent at West Edmonton Mall. In small groups we were given the chance to explore and shop before returning to Providence Renewal Centre. We reviewed proper procedures for conducting the debates and opening ceremonies. Both sides (government and opposition) had caucus to prepare for our first official debate: BIRT publicly funded Alberta High Schools be assigned mental health professionals starting January 1, 2020. This time, unlike the practice debate, we had spectators and young Girl Guides who ran around delivering notes as our pages. We listened to guest speaker Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Former Captain of the Canadian Women’s Hockey Team. She spoke about the importance of hard work and perseverance and truly inspired everyone in the room. After the speaker and debate we had a short workshop on the AGP election process and bursaries.


We really hope that more girls from JFW apply to partake in this fantastic event for next year. You don’t have to like debate or politics or even know anything about these topics to get a lot out of this event. The community of girls is amazingly supportive and they make it a safe environment to learn new things and develop yourself as a debater and person.

Jami