Canadian politics is fun! And so think over 120 fellow young Canadians who gathered in Ottawa for a week during Spring 1996. We got to play national politics, do public speaking, tour the capital's government, meet with many MPs, and hear great conferences from ministers to the Speaker of the House and more. Most important of all, we each got the chance to ear and understand how different parts of Canada see the country, its spread-out population and its leadership. It opened my eyes on the hardships of French-speaking Canada, on how the Maritimes' population is such a beautiful people, on the uneasy feeling of abandonment that the prairies have, on the self-centeredness of Québec and Ontario, and on how close the West feels to everyone's heart.
This program happens four times a year and is open to all Canadians age 15 to 19. About 600 people attend every year. If you've got a family member who might be interested, check out Forum's website for more details.
Here's the list of the 121 young Canadians present during session #1 of Forum 1996 (highlighted names are our alumni instructors):
Disclaimer: This list is a copy of the paper one that each of us received, which included the names and birthdays of those who had agreed to have them known. This listing was meant at networking and keeping in touch with one another, as some of us have. Should you wish to be excluded from this list simply email me politely.
| Young Canadian | Originaly From |
|---|---|
| Danielle Amat | Vanier (ON) |
| Rachel Andrews | Cap-de-la-Madeleine (QC) |
| Richard Appiah | Hamilton (ON) |
| Sarah Atkinson | Alliston (ON) |
| Timothy Au | Winnipeg (MB) |
| Heather Baker | Labrador City (NF) |
| Andreanna Bakratsas | Chomedey Laval (QC) |
| Janet Baskin | Nepean (ON) |
| Vanessa Bazzocchi | Dorval (QC) |
| Lauretta Dawn Beard | Hodgson (MB) |
| Chantal Beaupré | Timmins (ON) |
| Jeff Bell | Courtenay (BC) |
| Christine Dawn Belter | Fort McMurray (AB) |
| Adam Benson | Mt. Pearl (NF) |
| Geneviève Bolduc-Duval | Ste-Foy (QC) |
| Jacinta Boniface | Fort Good Hope (NWT) |
| Myles Boonstra | Winnipeg (MB) |
| Holly Calver | Nelson (BC) |
| Nicolas Chapman | Toronto (ON) |
| Nancy Charland | Les Becquets (QC) |
| Roberto Chica | Laval (QC) |
| Burke Michael Christian | Etobicoke (ON) |
| Christian Gilles Chénier | Barrie (ON) |
| Scott Cleary | Bolton (ON) |
| Patrick Courcelles | Ste-Agathe (MB) |
| Richard Côté | Gatineau (QC) |
| Jenelle Davis | Saskatoon (SK) |
| Stephen Desroches | Ottawa (ON) |
| Josée Dessureault | Hull (QC) |
| Janelle Devere | Winnipeg (MB) |
| Melissa Dorion | Dorval (QC) |
| Jamie Elgie | Calgary (AB) |
| Daniela Follegot | North York (ON) |
| Mathieu Forget | St-Redempteur (QC) |
| Fiona Foster | Simcoe (ON) |
| Vahid Fotouhinia | Outremont (QC) |
| Vanessa Fredj | Montréal (QC) |
| Julie Freel | Richmond Hill (ON) |
| Kathleen Gallagher | Halifax (NS) |
| Layne Gardner | Peace River (AB) |
| Marise Gaudet | Dieppe (NB) |
| Geoffrey Gotto | Brentwood Bay (BC) |
| Sarah Elizabeth Govan | Brossard (QC) |
| Nicole Grace | Kamloops (BC) |
| Michael Grodinsky | Town of Mount Royal (QC) |
| Brian Harvey | St. John's (NF) |
| Joleen Hein | Rapid View (SK) |
| Myriam Houde | Windsor (ON) |
| Paul Intrevado | LaSalle (QC) |
| Dympna Issigonis | Brandon (MB) |
| Aneta Jaczynski | Scarborough (ON) |
| Clint Johnson | Sangudo (AB) |
| Deborah Jones | Surrey (BC) |
| Diana Juricevic | Foxboro (ON) |
| Graeme Kemkes | Branchton (ON) |
| Kelly Kenny | White River (ON) |
| Christina Keppie | Fredericton (NB) |
| Gregory Kolz | North Bay (ON) |
| Kim Kozak | Saskatoon (SK) |
| Amy Lachman | Surrey (BC) |
| Marie-Josée Lafond | Gloucester (ON) |
| Jessica Lee | Gander (NF) |
| Mark Linsao | Etobtcoke (ON) |
| Hanh Luong | Arichat (NS) |
| Monica Majewski | Mississauga (ON) |
| Meghan McCabe | St. Laurent (QC) |
| Lori Denise McKenzie | Winnipeg (MB) |
| Alice McLeod | Halifax (NS) |
| Claire Meldrum | Grimsby (ON) |
| Chasity Meuse | Shubenacadie (NS) |
| Sara Middleton | Bridgewater (NS) |
| Michael Morgan | Mississauga (ON) |
| Ashley Morton | Bella Coola (BC) |
| Adam Mott | Burlington (ON) |
| Sarah Mundy | Innisfail (AB) |
| Kristina Munt | Greenfield Park (QC) |
| Mary Murtha | Lindsay (ON) |
| Angela Natingor | Regina (SK) |
| Erin Nephin | Carleton Place (ON) |
| Mina Neumüller | Vancouver (BC) |
| Alexa Newton | Halifax (NS) |
| Kara O'Halloran | Calgary (AB) |
| Maigen O'Morra | Elmira (ON) |
| Lara Oberg | Forestburg (AB) |
| Victoria Orlick | Calmar (AB) |
| Daniel Osborne | Saint John (NB) |
| Stacey Ottenbreit | Regina (SK) |
| Sarah Parish | Plaster Rock (NB) |
| Mira Patel | Dollard des Ormeaux (QC) |
| Enjoli Perez | Maniwaki (QC) |
| Michele Pierce | Ottawa (ON) |
| Sean Quin | Hudson (QC) |
| Althea Rivas | Île Bizard (QC) |
| Petra Lynn Rovers | Truro (NS) |
| Daniel Rowe | Langley (BC) |
| Dean Charles Ruffilli | London (ON) |
| Rianne Crystal Ryan | Winnipeg (MB) |
| Sabrina Zeena Salh | Orleans (ON) |
| Anita Sanan | Winnipeg (MB) |
| Christine Scholes | Ste-Marthe-sur-le-Lac (QC) |
| Sarika Shah | Cornwall (ON) |
| René-Marc Simard | Longueuil (QC) |
| Paula Simms | Brampton (ON) |
| Mary Elizabeth Simone | Etobicoke (ON) |
| Sébastien Sirois | Beloeil (QC) |
| Tracee Smith | Port Colborne (ON) |
| Natasha Stadnyk | Humboldt (SK) |
| Chris Stafford-Mayer | Three Hills (AB) |
| Maria-Rebecca Talarico | Sudbury (ON) |
| Mark Taylor | Smoky Lake (AB) |
| Lauren Temple | Cannington (ON) |
| Deborah Thompson | Calgary (AB) |
| Kenneth Allan Townsend | Medicine Hat (AB) |
| Dawn Trachuk | Fisher Branch (MB) |
| Nicolas Tremblay | Jonquière (QC) |
| Darlene Tymo | Ottawa (ON) |
| Corinne Tétreault | Ile Des Chênes (MB) |
| Natacha Vaillancourt | Côteau-du-Lac (QC) |
| Karine Veilleux | Ancienne-Lorette (QC) |
| Carlo Verdicchio | Pontiac (QC) |
| Dave Welsh | Ottawa (ON) |