1st Canada Youth Parliament
The British Columbia Youth Parliament (BCYP) will be hosting the first Canada Youth Parliament (CYP) on July 2nd - 4th, 2021 virtually over zoom. The Canada Youth Parliament is an expansion of the previous Western Canada Youth Parliament (WCYP), which was a biennial event that brought together delegations from the British Columbia Youth Parliament, the TUXIS Parliament of Alberta, the Saskatchewan Youth Parliament and the Youth Parliament of Manitoba for a four-day parliamentary session for the past 36 years.
The Canada Youth Parliament will bring youth aged 15-25 from across the nation on Zoom to learn and engage with their democratic institutions. Members of Canada Youth Parliament will have the opportunity to debate legislation on a variety of provincial, inter-provincial, and national issues. CYP is an Anglophone Parliament opened to all provinces and territories of Canada. Members will further their knowledge of Westminster parliamentary procedure in a way that is collaborative and educational.
Date: July 2 – 4, 2021
Location: Zoom teleconference
Contact: olivia.reid-friesen@bcyp.org
Membership Application Deadline: June 16, 2021
Application Checklist
Download your application to your computer and rename the file to include your full name.
Have an organization sponsor you, like a school or a service club. We require two nominators, such as classmates or fellow club members.
Email it in!
Upon acceptance, e-transfer your registration fee to finance@bcyp.org.
To be eligible to apply to the 1st Canada Youth Parliament, you must be
Between 15 and 25 years old (inclusive) as of July 2nd, 2021,
A member or alum of BCYP, TUXIS, SYP, YPM, or another established Youth Parliament in Canada, and
Nominated by an organization committed to youth.
House Leaders
Mackenzie Lockhart | Prime Minister
Mac Lockhart excited to serve as Prime Minister of this year’s CYP. He is a veteran of four Western Canada Youth Parliaments, as well as countless BCYPs and currently sits on the Senate of the Youth Parliament of BC Alumni Society. He is deeply passionate about Youth Parliament and providing opportunities for youth to develop as leaders within their communities and learn more about the parliamentary tradition. Youth parliament has provided Mac with opportunities he would never have expected, from helping run a summer camp to visiting (and sitting in) legislatures across Canada and the UK.
Outside of his involvement with Youth Parliament, Mac is a PhD candidate at the University of California San Diego, studying elections and voters. You can usually find him either going for a run, sipping on a craft beer, or just enjoying a laid back California lifestyle.
Ranil Prasad | Leader of the Opposition
Ranil is the Leader of the Opposition of CYP, having previously been a BCYP member for five years. He served in a variety of roles, including Government Whip, Minister of the Lower Mainland, Minister of Fundraising, Attorney General, and Premier. He is currently serving his second term on BCYP’s Board of Directors, affectionately referred to as “Senate.” He recently graduated from UBC with a B.A in Political Science, and helps manage the day to day operations of the BC office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Outside of work, Ranil collects lapel pins, hosts (extremely exclusive!) dinner parties, and pretends to enjoy the experience of being a fan of the Vancouver Canucks.
Organizing Team and House Servants
The Honourable Russell Brown | Governor General
Justice Brown was a member of BCYP for the 54th - 56th Sessions. He served as Minister of Education of the 56th Session in 1984. He attended Western Canada Youth Parliament in 1985 and Camp Phoenix from 1983-1986. He remained active as an alumnus and attended Camp Phoenix again in 1988 & 1989. He was also BCYP Speaker for the 68th BCYP Session in 1996.
After his time in BCYP, Justice Brown completed a law degree at the University of Victoria in 1994. He practised law for several years in British Columbia, practising at the law firms of Davis & Company (now DLA Piper Canada LLP) in Vancouver and Carfra & Lawton in Victoria. He also completed masters and doctoral degrees in law at the University of Toronto, and moved to Edmonton, where he became a law professor at the University of Alberta, eventually serving as associate dean, and where he also practised law as an associate counsel at Miller Thomson LLP.
Justice Brown was first appointed as a judge of the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench in February 2013, and rose quickly through the judicial ranks. He was appointed to the Alberta Court of Appeal in March 2014, and was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada in August 2015.
Jenn Jay | Speaker of the House of Commons
Jenn Jay (they, them, theirs) is serving their 15th non-consecutive term as a member of the Senate and has been an active member of the Alumni Society since 2003. Their YP membership started in the 64th Session, served in various cabinet positions, was Host-Premier for the 7th Session of the Western Canada Youth Parliament, and was elected as the Deputy Speaker for the 69th Session. This year on Senate Jenn is serving as Vice-Chair. In the past they have served as Chair, Treasurer, Chief Returning Officer, Chair of the Risk Management Committee, Alumni Affairs, and Acting-Executive Director. They are the 2017 recipient of the Julie Jackson Youth Parliament of BC Alumni Society Award for Outstanding Leadership, an incredible honour they will never forget. Jenn is an avid supporter of Regional Youth Parliaments and an advocate of promoting democracy in action and through education. Outside of youth parliament, they work as a paralegal with Winright Law Corporation in the area of real estate law. Their spare time is spent with their partner, supporting and watching public television, and as the alpha human to their little Chihuahua, Harley.
Ambrose Yung | Clerk of the House of Commons
Ambrose is serving as Clerk of the House of Commons this year, having served as the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of BCYP for the past four years. A member of BCYP from the 82nd to 87th Parliaments, he has served in various roles including Deputy Speaker, Premier, and Attorney General. He currently serves as a director at large on the Alumni Society Board of Directors. A graduate of SFU with a BA Major in Political Science and a Minor in History, Ambrose has worked for two major airlines and is now working with Elections BC.
Artour Sogomonian | Sessional Director
Artour Sogomonian has served on the BCYP Senate as Executive Director since 2017. Prior to this, he volunteered at Session, and was a member of the 79th BCYP, where he was sadly/proudly a marble kisser. His experience in BCYP fueled his interest and love of Parliament and what the institution represents in our democracy. It also launched Artour into a Parliamentary career, where he has served in a non-partisan capacity for over 10 years and counting. Artour proudly calls himself an aspiring parliamentologist. He recently served as an Assistant Editor of the fifth edition of Parliamentary Practice in British Columbia, which is amongst his proudest professional contributions. Artour has a BSocSc (Specialization in Political Science, Minor in Law) from the University of Ottawa and an MA (Public Ethics) conferred jointly by Saint Paul University and the University of Ottawa. In his spare time, Artour enjoys hiking, cycling, being outdoors, and reading.
Olivia Reid-Friesen | Co-Chair
Olivia Reid-Friesen is a third-year student in the Theatre Department of the University of Victoria, studying production and management. Olivia first joined Youth Parliament at age 14 by attending VYP and is currently a fifth-year member of BCYP. She has previously served as a Microphone Operator at the 87th BCYP, a Backbencher at the 88th, Minister of Archives and the Minister of State (Gala) in the 89th, Minister of Sessional Affairs in the 90th, and Deputy Premier and the Minister of Finance in the 91st. In the 92nd BCYP Sessional year, she has the honour of serving as the Co-Chair of the 1st CYP. Olivia has dedicated time to community service while growing up in Richmond, working with the Girl Guides of Canada as a Leader after completing the program herself. At UVic, Olivia has previously served as a Director at Large on the University of Victoria’s Student Society Board and is currently the Treasurer for the UVic Ukrainian Students Society. A fun fact about her is her obsession with house plants.
Megan Ryan-Lloyd | Co-Chair
Megan is very excited to be serving as the Co-Chair of CYP this year! This is her third year as a member of BCYP, serving as Minister of the Islands and Sessional Affairs last year. She is a first-year political science student at the University of Victoria and currently thinking about maybe minoring in philosophy. Outside of youth parliament, she is an enthusiastic summer camp leader and often wishes she was out exploring the wilderness. You can usually find Megan pondering philosophical questions, making playlists for every circumstance, or updating her friends about political events. Megan is very excited to see what the 92nd BCYP will accomplish, even with the unique circumstances of 2020.
Rhonda Vanderfluit | Chief Returning Officer
Rhonda Vanderfluit is the CYP Chief Returning Officer and the current BCYP Registrar. She was previously on Senate in 1993, 1995 and 1997-2003, and rejoined Senate in 2011 after an 8-year absence. She has previously served as Senate Chair, Chief Returning Officer, Secretary, and Alumni Affairs Director. She served repeatedly as Head Clerk, Assistant Clerk and was honoured to be the Speaker of the 73rd BC Youth Parliament. A member of the 57th-62nd Sessions, Rhonda held the portfolios of Attorney General, Camp Phoenix, Provincial Secretary, Lower Mainland, Deputy Minister of the Interior, was on Shadow Cabinet and has attended Western Canada Youth Parliament. Rhonda used to be a high school teacher and is now a family physician at Bayswater Family Practice in Vancouver. Rhonda attended Western Canada Youth Parliament in 1987 in Victoria and is thrilled to be involved in CYP this year.