Carleton’s Model Parliament had its first in-person session since COVID-19 last weekend. It was organized by the Political Science Society (CPSS) and I was lucky to attend this exciting event as a reporter and had the chance to interview some party leaders, participants and the President of the CPSS.
What is “Carleton Model Parliament” (CMP) you might ask? It is a simulation of the Canadian Senate, where students create fake political parties and take on the roles as their leaders, ministers, or members of the Senate: representing different districts from all provinces of Canada.
This is not meant to be taken too seriously and many of the parties created are, in fact, parodies of their real counterparts. The four parties that were created for this year’s event were: the U.S.A. Party (United Supporters of America), the Social Credit Party, the Twirling Party and the League of Social Democrats Party.
84% of the participants this year were rookies, due to the event taking place online over the last few years, meaning there weren’t any past members returning.
Shireen Faisal, the president of CPSS, has been a member of the society for 4 years and attended CMP in person in her first year. This was her first year organizing this event as CPSS President but had been involved in the online versions over the past couple of years.
The first time she attended this event in her first year she thought it was “an immersive experience.” She said they wanted to get the event back into the Senate as soon as possible. “We needed to make it bigger, better and try to court as many people to be back into the actual Senate,” she said.
I must say that this event was quite spectacular. The experience of being in the actual Senate of Canada in the heart of Ottawa was astounding. The event in itself was very lively and dynamic, the most heated part of the event was the press conference on Saturday.
As journalists, our job was to question each of the party leaders about their platforms, policies and bills. The U.S.A. party represented the extreme views of the U.S. Therefore when topics such as abortion, healthcare, military and democracy were mentioned, the atmosphere was electric. This led to a group of women forming their own party, “The Canadian Equity Party” and encouraging others to join them.
I spoke to the leader of this new party, Jennifer Ramnarine, who started off as a member of the League of the Democratic Socialists, “When we were at the conference me and some of the girls noticed that all of the party leaders were men discussing women’s issues,” she said. “We have a chance to make this model parliament a reflection of Canadian society.”
I truly believe that this was achieved in this CMP. All views were presented, some serious, some lighter in tone. However, it was clear that everyone was enjoying the opportunity to express themselves while following the Senate rules.
The U.S.A. party was perhaps the most controversial of the weekend. I had a chance to speak with the leader, Ali Al-Saad.
“When I made the party, I was making it with the intention of becoming like a joke party,” he said. This satirical approach truly added to the event as a whole and made it all the more entertaining. As I watched the parties debate motions and present bills, many “joke” bills, including the introduction of “Beaver Tails” as Canada’s national dish, I couldn’t help but be extremely entertained.
The CPSS team did a great job in making this event both a fun and memorable experience for all participants. It allowed everyone to improve their communication skills, learn about the Senate rules and how it functions as an institution, whilst having the opportunity to experience being in such a hallowed building. I hope that this event will continue to grow over the coming years and make an impact on many more students.