“How does the Senate involve young Canadians?”
Canadian university students who serve as Senate pages gain valuable work experience while pursuing their studies. Senate pages help senators in the chamber and committee rooms by delivering messages and other documents. Their work, assisting the Speaker and Table officers, gives them a front-row seat for national debates and lets them meet other young people from across Canada. In non-sitting periods, pages can gain work experience in the different parts of the Senate Administration. For information on becoming a Senate page, contact Senate Human Resources in one of the ways listed at the end of this booklet.
When the Senate is not sitting, various youth organizations are allowed to use the chamber. They learn about Parliament by staging mock debates and talking to senators. The Forum for Young Canadians, Encounters with Canada, and the Rotary Club's Adventure in Citizenship program are just some of the groups that are discovering Parliament on-site. For information, contact Senate Communications via e-mail at the coordinates listed at the end of this booklet.
The House of Commons and the Library of Parliament also offer programs that enable young people to gain work experience and learn about Canada's parliamentary system first-hand.
Parliamentary Guide Program — university students work as tour guides in the Parliament Buildings, sharpen their communications skills and meet other young people from across Canada.
House of Commons Page Program — university students assist members of the House of Commons in the chamber.
The Teachers’ Institute on Canadian Parliamentary Democracy — teachers come from across Canada to Parliament Hill. They gain an insider's view of Parliament that they can later share with their students and their colleagues.