Students Discuss the Student Budget Consultation Results

On January 21^st, Katie and I had the pleasure of accompanying five Ottawa-area grade 10 students and their teachers to share and discuss the Student Budget Consultation survey results with Andrew Saxton, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance.

Laurier Boucher and Emily Thibeault represented students from Sacred Heart High School in Stittsville, and were accompanied by teacher Roland Cardinal. Ottawa’s Canterbury High School was represented by Ben Tipper-Shaw, Caitlyn Dewar, and Laurel Moyse, and were joined by teacher A.J. Blauer. 

Through the Student Budget Consultation, these students – and thousands of others from across Canada – learned about the federal budget and offered their insights on key issues through an online survey.

Our party gathered before our meeting at the Department of Finance to review the results and prepare for the discussion. The SBC survey focused on five key budget areas, and each student assumed responsibility for the presentation of one section.

Laurel led off the discussion with the economy and youth employment, followed by Ben on family issues. Emily addressed the opinions of youth about cyberbullying, and Caitlyn voiced student concerns related to energy and the environment. Laurel concluded the meeting by sharing student priorities on spending and debt.

The students did a great job representing the opinions of Canadian youth while still sharing their own opinions. They offered both praise and criticism, and Mr. Saxton was happy to answer any questions the students had. In particular, Laurel asked about the government’s environmental priorities and concerns over the accessibility of the language in the budget.

The students presented Mr. Saxton with a report on the results at the end of the meeting. The complete Student Budget Consultation survey results will be released publicly in the coming weeks.

Posted in Olivia on the Hill |

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