Student preps for role as Queen's Park page.
Zion Heights Junior High School Grade 7 student Jason Huang will be a legislative page at Queen's Park.
Photo/COURTESY
With less than a week to go before he reports for duty as a Queen's Park legislative page, Jason Huang is almost done memorizing the names and faces of the 107 MPPs.The Grade 7 Zion Heights Junior High School student was selected in January for the job, which starts Tuesday, Feb. 21 and ends March 8. During his three weeks in Parliament, the 12-year-old will serve as a messenger on the floor of the Legislative Chamber, meet key parliamentary figures and learn about Ontario's parliamentary system of government. "It seems like a good experience and I'm interested in learning about Ontario's parliament," Jason said of why he chose to apply for the legislative page program. "I'm pretty amazed I was accepted, it's a really competitive program."Prospective pages had to submit an application that included an essay outlining their achievements, involvements and suitability for the program.The program runs five days a week, starting at 8 a.m. and ending in late afternoon. After dressing in their uniforms, pages prepare the legislative chamber for the morning's debate. Along with delivering messages and water to the MPPs, pages also take math and legislative classes while downtown."I think politics is interesting," Jason said. "It's a unique opportunity to work so close to the government."Although his political interest has been piqued, Jason said it's too early to decide if politics is in his future.The legislative page program is open to Ontario students in grades 7 and 8 who have an interest in current affairs, have an academic average of 80 per cent or higher and get along well with their peers and adults.