Activities
YPM's flagship event is Session, an annual model parliament that takes place from December 26 to 31 each year at the Manitoba Legislature open to all Manitoban youth aged 16 to 20. During Session, participants ("members") debate mock legislation according to parliamentary procedure as per YPM's Standing Orders. [4] Throughout the week, members also have the opportunity to meet current and former politicians from the Manitoba Legislature and the House of Commons, partake in workshops, and socialize with fellow youth from across the province.
Every summer, YPM hosts Speaker's Night, its premier fundraising gala. Proceeds go towards supporting YPM's programming, financial aid capabilities, and operating costs. Recent keynote speakers have included Dr. Annette Trimbee, Susan Thompson, Senator Marilou McPhedran, Dr. Aimée Craft, and Wab Kinew. [5]
YPM is a founding member of the Western Canada Youth Parliament and current Member Parliament of its successor, Canada Youth Parliament. In this capacity, it assists in the organization of, and nominates delegates to, the biennial Canada Youth Parliament.
History
In 1922, George Stewart, Lieutenant Governor of the Older Boys’ TUXIS Parliament of Manitoba, opened the first of a long line of annual sessions devoted to the development of leadership and awareness of the parliamentary system among the young men (and later, women) of Manitoba. It has since become one of the oldest Youth Parliaments in a network of similar organizations stretching across the country and the world. Although each of these Parliaments has a unique style and emphasis, all are based on the same basic principle of fostering knowledge of the parliamentary system amongst Canadian youth.
The Older Boys’ Parliament program began in Ontario as part of the TUXIS (“Training Under Christ In Service”) movement. Its original sponsors included various Protestant churches, such as the United Church of Canada, the Anglican, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran churches, the Salvation Army, and a variety of service groups such as the YMCA, De Molay and Kiwanis organizations. The movement's goal was to foster the development of the physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being of the person as inspired by the biblical passage Luke 2:52, which reads: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favour.” YPs, only one of many TUXIS activities, were designed for religious as well as parliamentary training. Though most YPs were at one time part of the TUXIS movement, only the TUXIS Youth Parliament of Alberta retains the name to this day.
In 1960, “TUXIS” was dropped from the name, leaving “Older Boys’ Parliament.” In 1968, it was decided that YPM would expand its focus by becoming open to youth from non-Protestant backgrounds, thereby becoming non-denominational. This meant that the Oath of Allegiance and the legislation placed before the house was no longer written for specific religious groups and with specifically religious purposes in mind.
On December 28, 1972, a special meeting of the organization was held to officially admit women as full members and to change the organization’s name to Youth Parliament of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario (YPMNO). Previously, female members had for some years been allowed to attend session but only as associate members who did not hold the right to vote on the matters debated in the house. Seven years later, Ann Thompson became the first female Premier of YPMNO.
In celebration of its 60th anniversary in 1981, YPMNO hosted a first-of-its-kind invitational session for all YPs in Western Canada. Two years later, the Western Canada Youth Parliament (WCYP) was officially formed, with its second session being hosted again in Winnipeg in the chambers of City Council. Our organization has since hosted WCYP on three other occasions, in 1993, 2002 and most recently in 2010.
The organization successfully incorporated in 1984 and gained full charitable status. In 2003, the organization voted to shorten its name to Youth Parliament of Manitoba (YPM).
In 2007, YPM hosted its first annual Spring Session in Manitoba. In 2008, YPM hosted its first annual Speaker’s Night fundraising dinner. In 2019, it elected its first all-female Executive. In 2021, it celebrated its 100th annual Session.
Lloyd Norman Axworthy is a Canadian politician, elder statesman and academic. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Following his retirement from parliament, he served as president and vice-chancellor of the University of Winnipeg from 2004 to 2014 and as chancellor of St. Paul's University College. He is currently the Chair of the World Refugee & Migration Council.
The New Democratic Party of Manitoba, also branded as Manitoba's NDP, is a social democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation. It is currently the governing party in Manitoba.
Howard Russell Pawley was a Canadian politician and professor who was the 18th premier of Manitoba from 1981 to 1988. Prior to his premiership, Pawley served in various ministerial positions after his tenure in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
The Manitoba Liberal Party is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late 19th century, following the province's creation in 1870.
Christopher S. Axworthy, was a Canadian politician and academic.
Sharon Carstairs is a Canadian politician and former Senator.
The University of Winnipeg is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It offers undergraduate programs in art, business, economics, education, science and applied health as well as graduate programs. UWinnipeg's founding colleges were Manitoba College and Wesley College, which merged to form United College in 1938. The University of Winnipeg was established in 1967 when United College received its charter.
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights.
Terry Duguid is a Canadian politician who has served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Winnipeg South since 2015. He has campaigned for elected office at the municipal, provincial and federal levels, and served as a city councillor in Winnipeg from 1989 to 1995.
James Bezan is a Conservative Canadian politician who has represented the riding of Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. He is currently the Conservative Shadow Minister for National Defence.
The British Columbia Youth Parliament (BCYP) is a youth service organization that operates in the guise of a "parliament" in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The BCYP fulfills its motto of "Youth Serving Youth" by means of "legislation" enacting community service projects and other youth-oriented activities. The BCYP is the successor to the Older Boys' Parliament of British Columbia, which first met in 1924.
The Western Canada Youth Parliament (WCYP) is a biennial event that brings together delegations from the British Columbia Youth Parliament (BCYP), the Alberta Youth Parliament, the Saskatchewan Youth Parliament (SYP) and the Youth Parliament of Manitoba (YPM) for a four-day parliamentary session, usually during the Victoria Day long weekend. The hosting for the WCYP rotates amongst these four youth parliaments. The members at each session of the WCYP debate resolutions in the form of legislation. The rules of parliamentary debate for each WCYP are those of the host province.
The Saskatchewan Youth Parliament (SYP) is a non-partisan organization of young people that meets to discuss and debate political and social issues. Members learn about the mechanics of government, such as parliamentary procedure, decision making, and the rules of debate in a parliamentary democracy. Additionally, members are exposed to a variety of viewpoints from youth from around Saskatchewan. At its annual Christmas session, SYP members are given the privilege of debating at the Saskatchewan Legislature in Regina, in the same seats as the real Members of the Legislative Assembly. SYP is run for youth by youth by a cabinet elected at the Annual Christmas Session each year. Cabinet does everything from planning the events, to finances and communications.
The Alberta Youth Parliament (AYP) is one of a number of provincial model youth parliaments that has its origins in the "boys work" movement of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is the oldest youth parliament in Alberta, and the longest continuously operating youth parliament in Canada. Its flagship session occurs every December in the Alberta Legislature, and it hosts a variety of smaller events throughout each year. It is open to all youths in Alberta who are between the ages of 15-21.
The Ontario Youth Parliament (OYP), formerly the Ontario Older Boys' Parliament, is one of a number of provincial youth model parliaments across Canada. Each year, the organization holds a four-day debate conference on Family Day weekend for youth ages 14 to 21 from Ontario, Canada. The organization has roots within the United Church of Canada dating back to 1907. The first session of the Older Boys' Parliament met in the Ontario Legislative Building at Queen's Park in Toronto in January 1925. As a result, the OYP, as successor to the Older Boys' Parliament, is one of the oldest youth parliaments in Canada. Gordon Lapp of Brighton served as the first Premier.
The Youth Parliament of Canada/Parlement jeunesse du Canada was a youth model parliament that met biennially, and later annually, in the 1980s. The delegates to YPJ Canada were drawn mostly from the eight provincial youth parliaments then operating in Canada.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Youth Parliament (NLYP) is one of a number of provincial youth model parliaments across Canada.
Thomas Sidney Axworthy, is a Canadian civil servant, political strategist, writer and professor. He is best known for having served as Principal Secretary and Chief Speechwriter to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Axworthy is currently the Secretary General of the InterAction Council. Previously, he was president and CEO of the Walter and Duncan Gordan Foundation. He is a senior fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs, Massey College, and the Bill Graham Centre of Contemporary International History, Trinity College, at the University of Toronto.
The Prince Edward Island Older Boys' Parliament was a youth model parliament for boys aged 16 to 21 in the province of Prince Edward Island established in 1955. Like most of the provincial youth parliaments in Canada, the PEIOBP was established in conjunction with the provincial Boys’ Work Board, a primarily Christian-based organization consisting of various Protestant churches and related organizations. Prior to the establishment of the PEIOBP, delegates from the province would attend the Maritime Youth Parliament.
Daniel Blaikie is a Canadian politician who served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Elmwood—Transcona from October 19, 2015 until March 31, 2024. A member of the New Democratic Party (NDP), he was elected to the House of Commons in the 2015 federal election.
