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 (he turns 20 on May 31).
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. He even admits to watching the CPAC channel – the TV channel that covers the House of Commons, uninterrupted, 24 hours a day.
His dedication to politics has paid off, and since being elected as an MP he will be earning about $160,000 a year.
Even though he’s young, Dusseault thinks his colleagues will treat him with respect. He says, “Maybe some won’t take me seriously in the beginning, but I’m ready to work and earn my spot.”
Niki Ashton was also recently elected as the youngest female Canadian MP. She is 28 years old and is also a member of the NDP.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
Writing/Discussion Prompt
Sometimes adults don’t treat young people with the same respect they give other adults. Why is this a big mistake? What types of skills and ways of thinking do young people provide that adults may not?
Reading Prompt
It can be very helpful to receive feedback about your reading from teachers and classmates. Re-read today’s article to a classmate or an adult and ask them to give you feedback on two things they liked and one area for you to improve.
Primary
Explain, initially with some support and direction, how their skills in listening, speaking, writing, viewing, and representing help them make sense of what they read (OME, Reading: 4.2).
Junior & Intermediate
Explain, in conversations with peers and/or the teacher or in a reader’s notebook, how their skills in listening, speaking, writing, viewing, and representing help them make sense of what they read(OME, Reading: 4.2).
Grammar Feature: Quotation Marks ( ” )
Quotation marks are used to show the exact words of a speaker. It is very important to include all of the words spoken by the speaker within the quotation marks. Quotation marks surround the statement below because they are the exact words spoken by Pierre-Luc Dusseault.
He says, “Maybe some won’t take me seriously in the beginning, but I’m ready to work and earn my spot.”
BONUS: Make sure you notice that the first word inside the quotation marks is capitalized and that the period at the end of the sentence is placed inside the quotation marks too!
Place quotation marks in the following sentences.
1. Frustrated, Marlene explained to Martha, The bookshelf is simply too heavy for one person to lift.
2. I don’t think she ate all of them said, her brother, Salvador.
3. James whispered to his friend, If I don’t get home to watch the game, I’m gonna be very sad for a long time.
