溫哥華老友記討論區 - Powered by Discuz! Board

標題: 'You're so young': five McGill students elected as NDP MPs [打印本頁]

作者: Lik 時間: 2011-5-4 08:46 標題: 'You're so young': five McGill students elected as NDP MPs

http://www.vancouversun.com/tech ... /4721668/story.html

'You're so young': five McGill students elected as NDP MPs
By Marian Scott, Postmedia News May 3, 2011

MONTREAL — Mylene Freeman has been studying political theory at McGill University for the past four years, but nothing in her textbooks prepared her for the shock of winning in a riding where she didn't even set foot during the election campaign.

"It is very surreal," said Freeman, 22, who trounced former Bloc Quebecois powerhouse Mario Laframboise by 8,000 votes in the Quebec riding of Argenteuil-Papineau-Mirabel in Monday's NDP landslide.

No one was more surprised than Freeman, a fluently bilingual native of Stouffville, Ont., who expected to finish second, despite polls showing surging support for the NDP during the last two weeks of the campaign.

"I still haven't quite realized it," said Freeman, a past co-president of NDP McGill who graduates this term. "It's just shocking in that respect."

Freeman is one of five McGill students heading to Parliament among a raft of political newbies swept to power under the orange banner.

Four of the five spent most of the campaign volunteering for Outremont incumbent NDP MP Thomas Mulcair rather than campaigning in their own ridings because they entered the race not expecting to win.

"I was putting my effort in the Montreal area because that's where I thought I would be the most useful to the party," said Freeman.

But while the NDP's sweep was unexpected, all say they will repay constituents' confidence by working hard in the House of Commons.

Charmaine Borg, 20, the new NDP MP for Terrebonne-Blainville, vowed that what she lacks in experience, she will make up in effort.

"I think the biggest challenge right now is proving to people that a 20-year-old can do a good job and that youth actually can have power and create change," said Borg, a first-year student in political science and Latin American studies.

When she knocked on doors in the riding late in the campaign, Borg said, "the reaction was, 'You're so young!'"

But the fluently bilingual native of Keswick, Ont., is confident that she'll make her mark in the new job.

"I think that it doesn't necessarily mean anything that you're young," said Borg, who is co-president of NDP McGill and a former organizer with a union representing casual workers at the university.

"We're just as motivated, just as driven," she said.

Borg had planned to spend her next academic term in Mexico as a foreign-exchange student but instead she will embark on a four-year term in Ottawa.

"I'm much more excited about this," she said.

She hopes to complete her degree eventually but isn't focusing on that at this point. "Right now I have a lot on my plate," she said.

Laurin Liu, 20, the newly elected member for Riviere-des-Mille-Iles, is in her second year of a joint-honours program in history and cultural studies.

She was working in a polling station in Mulcair's Outremont riding on election day when a friend sent her a text message saying she was leading, followed by lots of exclamation marks.

"I feel a little shell-shocked but I mostly feel a lot of pride because I know a lot of my peers worked really hard to get the vote out in Quebec," said Liu, a graduate of Royal West Academy and College Jean de Brebeuf.

Fluent in Cantonese as well as English and French, Liu is a contributor and director at McGill's community radio station.

Liu, who doesn't have a driver's licence or a car, doesn't know how she will commute to the riding from her home. She is hoping to continue her studies part-time.

Despite her youth, Freeman already has years of political involvement under her belt. She ran for Projet Montreal in Outremont in 2009, worked on Mulcair's 2008 campaign and is co-ordinator of McGill's Women in House program, which encourages young women to get involved in politics by shadowing female MPs. Now she will be one of those MPs.

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/t ... .html#ixzz1LP32lv1V

作者: sheep 時間: 2011-5-4 08:52

哎
咩野都係
響書本學嘅
永遠都會同現實
背道而馳

作者: rockypath 時間: 2011-5-4 08:54

We need to respect democracy. They were elected by the will of voters.

Speaking on the behalf of Lik.

作者: sheep 時間: 2011-5-4 09:03

正如我哋偉大祖國嘅大學生話齋
university 大學係 "由你玩四年"
yau ne wan se nian

作者: Lik 時間: 2011-5-4 09:03

I am going to come right out and say this -- I discriminate politicians based on age -- some of these kids are far too young to serve as MPs. They are simply unqualified for the job because they don't have the experience and wisdom it takes to guide our country's national and regional policies. The candidates themselves, the NDP, and the voters in the respective constituencies are a joke.

As a form of protest votes, I can certainly see where the NDP is coming from. The NDP can easily claim that they are simply offering an alternative for the Quebecois so that they don't have to vote Bloc, Cons, and Libs. But serving as this alternative would only be viable if the candidates themselves are qualified to do the job (of an MP). When you are merely a 20 or 22 year old kid, you really don't know shxt about life. Yes, you have the passion and energy, but I can hardly see how a 20-year old would have enough knowledge and wisdom about the ways of the nation and the world to define policies that will guide Canada. Because of the lack of qualifications, they will either simply be reduced to rubber stamps within the NDP, or worse, they will come up with flawed policies that will steer the country into ruins.

On the other hand, in light of the pension and severance benefits that MPs get, I'd have to say these kids are super smart and have their lives made. With a Conservative majority, Parliament is bound to last closer to 4 years. So if they can somehow secure another 2 years in office, they'd be set to collect a multi-million pension for having only worked 6 years!

Damn... why didn't I think of going into politics when I was 18?

-Lik

作者: Lik 時間: 2011-5-4 09:06

We need to respect democracy. They were elected by the will of voters.

Speaking on the behalf of Li ...
rockypath 發表於 2011-5-4 08:54

Just because I think the voters made a stupid decision doesn't mean I do not respect them or the election results. That is how democracy works.

-Lik

作者: rainbow-davie 時間: 2011-5-4 12:03

You have to give them a chance. May be they have different view.
One thing for sure is, they are not tied into any big corporations. LOL.

Young is that a sin, is not a barrier to be politician. Otherwise, we just need to ask the oldest man in the country to be MP, right?

and it is all out who they represent.

作者: rainbow-davie 時間: 2011-5-4 12:04

Just because I think the voters made a stupid decision doesn't mean I do not respect them or the el ...
Lik 發表於 2011-5-4 09:06

same here. TOnes of voters in ON made a stupid decision. but that's fine. they will be smart next time.

作者: rockypath 時間: 2011-5-4 12:18

I don't think they are stupid. They just was left with no other choices. They voted for the party but they had very little control over the selection of the Candidate representing the party.

This was one of the topics I discussed with the American who was the CEO of the China subsidiarity of a Fortune 500 company when I met him in China.

作者: Lik 時間: 2011-5-4 13:53

You have to give them a chance. May be they have different view.
One thing for sure is, they are not tied into any big corporations. LOL.

Young is that a sin, is not a barrier to be politician. Otherwise, we just need to ask the oldest man in the country to be MP, right?
rainbow-davie 發表於 2011-5-4 12:03

I won't rule out the possibility that they are political geniuses and insightful policy planners. I'd even say that they'd definitely bring some fresh thinking and different perspectives to the caucus. But the laws of probability will always verify that when you are only 22 (or younger), you really don't know a heck of a lot about life, and because of that, your scope and horizons are going to be a lot narrower. To determine appropriate national policies, you really need those scopes and horizons to help you grasp the picture that is going on.
There is a reason why the prime years of a politician lies in his 40's to 60's. You need to be old enough to have the experience, and you need to be young enough to have the energy. Some of these kids are too far off on one end of the scale.

-Lik

作者: peter236 時間: 2011-5-4 14:37

本帖最後由 peter236 於 2011-5-4 14:51 編輯

I am going to come right out and say this -- I discriminate politicians based on age -- some of thes ...
Lik 發表於 2011-5-4 09:03

Lik, you are a freaking moron.
These young NDP MPs are all more mature and capable than you stupid dirty fool.
They have already contributed more to Canada than you ever will. Lik you are just a self-centered arrogant loser.

作者: rainbow-davie 時間: 2011-5-4 17:44

本來一個理性既討論, peter236 一加入, 第一句就moron, 呢個POST又變戰場.

作者: Lik 時間: 2011-5-4 18:00

啲廢柴太廢，家陣睬佢都傻～

我極力讚成年輕人應該參與政治，但應該案步就班。班靚仔有join到青年NDP係好事，但腦筍到未生埋就走去做國會議員就真係唔掂。就算唔係做最入門嘅 volunteer 都好，最初點都應該只係做吓 aid，從旁幫吓手，慢慢認識吓地區同國會內務，餚返好幾年，最少都30而立，有返足夠嘅社會經驗先至出來先至出來選。又或者可以先選市議員、關注組成員等等，攞返多少經驗，知道個世界係點運作先至再出來算國會議員。你人生經驗又無，就連稅都未交過，今次大選之前亦分分鐘連票都未投過，我點樣去相信你有足夠認識同能力對國家政策可以作出有用嘅供獻？

-力

作者: peter236 時間: 2011-5-4 18:15

本帖最後由 peter236 於 2011-5-4 18:17 編輯

本來一個理性既討論, peter236 一加入, 第一句就moron, 呢個POST又變戰場.
rainbow-davie 發表於 2011-5-4 17:44

Mr Lik will call you PK and tell you eat sh*t, if you don't agree wit his distorted views.

作者: rainbow-davie 時間: 2011-5-4 19:35

啲廢柴太廢，家陣睬佢都傻～

我極力讚成年輕人應該參與政治，但應該案步就班。班靚仔有join到青年NDP係好 ...
Lik 發表於 2011-5-4 18:00

都係果句, 有四年聽其言觀其行.

歡迎光臨溫哥華老友記討論區 (http://www.loyaukee.com/forum/)