…Our policies melted away in the face of seeing the people: real individuals that lay at the root of our fundamental system.
I had the privilege of attending the Ontario Model Parliament Program at Queen’s Park this March, where I met over 120 high school students from all across the province. Chosen to represent the riding of Niagara Centre, I served as the Shadow Minister for Francophone Affairs and as a Third Party Committee Member for the Official Opposition.
My experiences as an MPP were invaluable not only for learning how to draft bills, phrase speeches, and understand the legislative procedure, but also for being able to more fully pay witness to Canada’s political landscape. Strolling the historical halls of the building reminded me that countless transformative acts were passed here, and passing by the CBC broadcasting booth instilled within me a firm reassurance that democracy should be transparent.
Being born into an Asian family as the first generation of immigrants, I have had far less practical experience compared to many of my fellow peers. However, being able to converse with the Hon. Edith Dumont, the Hon. Ted Arnott, Premier Doug Ford, Bonnie Crombie, MPPs Marit Stiles, Mike Schreiner, Stephen Lecce, and more have taught me that each person faces their own unique obstacles. Whether it may be their Francophone identity, their gender, or their race, in the end, we still have to be the ones responsible for writing our own stories—and, in turn, inspiring others’.
Stepping into the legislative chamber, I was filled with a sense of innate awe. As we debated (and eventually passed) our party’s bill on energy drink restrictions, reaching the climax of our political disagreements, our policies melted away in the face of seeing the people: real individuals that lay at the root of our fundamental system. For them, I will keep pushing; for them, I will keep doing the work.
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