Two students now in Grade 12 at Chemainus Secondary School are looking forward to a trip to Ottawa in the coming weeks after winning Cowichan-Malahat-Langford Member of Parliament Alistair MacGregor’s Create Your Canada contest.
Hannah Pachet and Morgan Bottomley, who were both in Grade 11 at the time they devised a Private Member’s bill for an organic farmer’s tax credit, will see the bill presented in the House of Commons by MacGregor some time in October yet to be determined.
MacGregor opened the contest to Grade 11 and 12 students last February after visiting five secondary schools in the riding to engage with students and help promote it. He was incredibly proud of all the students who participated in the contest and submitted ideas.
“I was thoroughly impressed with the quantity and quality of submissions, which made choosing the winning submission very challenging,” MacGregor pointed out. “I chose this submission because a tax credit for organic farmers fits with my critic area and values, providing positive impacts both locally and nationally, showing awareness of my work in Parliament.
“It is my sincere hope that by working together, thinking about the issues affecting Canada, and coming up with an idea for legislation, that students become authors of their own empowerment and that they stay engaged with the Canadian political process in the years and decades ahead.”
MacGregor hopes to make the contest an annual event.