The Youth Parliament of Canada/Parlement jeunesse du Canada (YPJ Canada) was a

youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. You ...

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that met biennially, and later annually, in the 1980s. The delegates to YPJ Canada were drawn mostly from the eight provincial youth parliaments then operating in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. In 1977, representatives from seven of the eight youth parliaments met to discuss the organization of a national youth parliament. This meeting resulted in the creation of the National Youth Parliament Association (NYPA). The NYPA was a federally incorporated

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

. Two representatives from each provincial youth parliament were appointed as directors of the NYPA, who in turn appointed a six-member executive. The first session of YPJ Canada met during August 16–23, 1980. The 110 delegates, met in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

chambers of the

Canadian Parliament Buildings The Canadian Parliament Buildings are the parliament buildings housing the Parliament of Canada, located on Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Parliament Buildings The Parliament Buildings are three edifices arranged around three sides ...

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. YPJ Canada modeled itself on the Westminster Parliamentary system, adopting its own rules based upon

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

procedures. While YPJ Canada had a

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cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

, shadow cabinet, and committee system similar to a real parliament, the members of YPJ Canada did not represent any

political parties A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or pol ...

. At all times, each member, including cabinet ministers, was entitled to vote according to conscience. YPJ Canada usually had eight cabinet ministers, one from each of the provincial youth parliaments. Each minister would introduce "

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolled bill, enrolling, enactment of a bill, enacting, or promulgation, promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous Government, governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law i ...

" for debate. Unlike some of the provincial youth parliaments, YPJ Canada legislation was never for the establishment of any form of ongoing project. The bills would be limited to the consideration of local, national and international issues of the day. Debates occurred in both

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and French, with simultaneous translation available for all delegates. By the late 1980s, the NYPA was unable to raise the funds necessary to sponsor the annual YPJ Canada sessions. This, among other reasons, led to the collapse of YPJ Canada. The 8th session held in the summer of 1990 was billed as the "10th anniversary session". The following session was the last.

External links

* 1982 article in the ''Canadian Parliamentary Review'' on Canadian National Youth Parliament
EnglishFrench
Canada, Youth Parliament of

See also

External links