Tag: Canada

Politics

Youngest-Ever Canadian MP Elected To Parliament

Nineteen-year-old Pierre-Luc Dusseault has a summer job. But he won’t be working at McDonald’s or as a lifeguard, like many kids his age. Instead, he’ll be in Canada’s House of Commons in Ottawa, earning more than $100,000 a year.

The first-year university student ran as the local Member of Parliament for his area (or riding) of Sherbrooke, Que., during the recent federal election–and he won.

He now has a seat in the House of Commons, along with 307 other MPs. However, Dusseault stands out because he is officially the youngest Canadian MP ever, at the age of 19 years (and 11 months).

Dusseault is a member of the NDP (New Democrat Party) and was the co-founder and president of the NDP association at his university. It comes as no surprise to his parents that he landed his amazing new job, since he was always interested in politics and was studying political science in university.

Breaking News News Politics

Who Was Osama Bin Laden?

Two weeks ago, US President Barack Obama went on television to make an historic announcement. He said that US troops had killed Osama bin Laden, the man responsible for the terrible events on Sept. 11, 2001 (known as 9/11).

On Sept. 11, thousands of Americans and 24 Canadians died in terrorist attacks.

For many Americans and other people around the world, bin Laden’s death gave them a sense that justice had been done. On that day, hundreds of people went to “Ground Zero” in New York, where the World Trade Center towers had been destroyed, and cheered because bin Laden was no more.

bin Laden’s history

Osama Bin Mohammed bin Awad Laden was born in Saudi Arabia in 1957. He was the son of a very rich man and inherited a lot of money from his family.

Environment News

BC Woman Survived In Wilderness For Seven Weeks

A woman from British Columbia, who was lost for nearly 50 days, has been found alive. Rita Chretien left Penticton, B.C. with her husband, Albert. They were going to a trade show in Las Vegas when they decided to go off-road to see some landscape. They got turned around and their van became stuck in mud on a remote road in northeastern Nevada.

The couple waited for three days before Albert set out for help.

Meanwhile, Rita survived eating a small amount of trail mix and other food the couple had in the van. When that ran out, she stayed alive by eating melted snow.

Sports

NBA’s Grizzlies Making History For Memphis

When the Vancouver Grizzlies basketball team moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 2001, not many people expected them to be very successful. However, they’re now making history.

They spent six years in Vancouver, and they didn’t do very well. Every season they lost more games than they won. After doing so poorly, the fan support in the city gradually decreased so the owner, Michael Heisley, decided the team would do better with a change of scenery. He moved them to Memphis, where they are known as the Memphis Grizzlies.

This year there were rumours that the owner of the Vancouver Canucks (the city’s hockey team) wanted to buy the New Orleans Hornets basketball team to bring a basketball team back to Vancouver. However, that seems unlikely now.

The Toronto Raptors are now Canada’s only professional basketball team. The only member of the Vancouver Grizzlies still playing in the NBA is guard Mike Bibby, who plays for the Miami Heat.

News Politics

Conservative Majority Government, Stephen Harper Prime Minister, NDP Official Opposition

The Conservatives were re-elected yesterday. They won a majority government. As the leader of the Conservatives, Stephen Harper will remain Canada’s Prime Minister.

For the first time in history, the NDP came in second and is the “official opposition.”

The Bloc Quebecois had historic losses, falling from 50 seats in Parliament to just 4. It was also an historic election for The Green Party, which won its first seat.

Across the country on Monday, Canadians voted for a Member of Parliament (MP) in their area, or riding. Having an MP in Parliament is known as having a “seat” in Parliament. The MPs who get elected work in the House of Commons in Ottawa to represent the people who live in their riding.

Breaking News Politics

Osama Bin Laden Killed By US Forces

The “most wanted” man in the world is dead.

Osama bin Laden was responsible for many terrorism attacks including three in the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. That event is commonly referred to as 9/11 (pronounced “nine-eleven.”)

The US President says 9/11 was, “the worst attack on the American people in our history.”

The United States military has been looking for bin Laden for nearly 10 years. Last night, the US president, Barack Obama, went on television to announce that they had killed bin Laden where he was hiding in Pakistan.

Kids Sports

The Shediac Capitals Play Hockey – And Read

The kids on the Shediac Capitals hockey team do all the usual stuff everyone else does: they gear up, put on skates and helmets, then they hit the ice.

During practices they do drills, learn new moves, shoot pucks, and field goals.

After practice, they go into the dressing room, unlace their skates and take off their gear, just like any other team.

But then the Shediac Capitals do something very different. They get out their books.

After every hockey practice, the grade-school aged kids who make up the Shediac Capitals in Moncton, NB have a reading circle.

Arts Politics

Canada Rocks 4 Japan

Since the earthquake in Japan last month, people around the world have wanted to help. Many people have helped by donating money, clothing, or food.

Artists in Canada and the United States have come up with ways to raise money for Japan. There have been many music concerts in both countries. Recently in Toronto there were three: Canada Rocks 4 Japan, Hope Blossoms Benefit Concert, and Eternal Sunrise Japan Benefit.

A “benefit concert” means that the musicians perform for free, and most of the money made from ticket sales goes to Japanese families affected by the earthquake.

News Sports

Running On Top Of The World

Twenty-seven runners from around the world recently ran a marathon on one of the most remote and icy places on earth — the North Pole. On April 8, competitors from around the world met at the North Pole and ran on the frozen ice for six hours, facing temperatures as low as -32° C.

Contestants flew to Norway from countries around the world. Then they all flew together from Norway to the North Pole.

Environment News

Manitoba Prepares For Red River To Flood

Manitoba is battening down the hatches because the water levels in the Red River are rising and it is threatening to overflow.

As the weather is getting warmer, large chunks of ice that formed during the winter are breaking apart and blocking the flow of the river. This is called an ice jam. Melting snow and rain are also adding to the rising water level.

Winnipeg is Manitoba’s capital and its largest city. The residents there have been advised to build walls of sandbags to protect their homes. The city handed out 1.8 million sandbags to homeowners. Many volunteers, including students, are being asked to help build the walls.