Youth Parliament of Manitoba


Established in 1922, Youth Parliament of Manitoba Inc. is a non-partisan, non-denominational, and incorporated registered charity that aims to foster amongst the youth of Manitoba an understanding of, interest in, and engagement with the Canadian democratic parliamentary process. Every year, YPM holds a model parliamentary session called Winter Session, which is open to all youth in the Canadian province of Manitoba who are between 16 and 20 years old. Winter Session takes place each year from December 26–31 at the Manitoba Legislature in the capital city of Winnipeg.

Organizational Structure

Winter Session is a model parliament and bases its organizational structure and nomenclature on the Westminster parliamentary system. The membership structure of YPM is made up of three main components: the Executive, the Cabinet, and Backbenchers. As well, the Board of Directors will regularly appoint individuals to be Senators or the Honorary President.

Board of Directors

The corporation is run by a five-person Board of Directors, elected by and from its membership. The positions on the board are:
Elections take place annually on December 30 during Winter Session.

Cabinet

The Cabinet is appointed by the Executive from the members of the previous Winter Session. The Cabinet assists the Executive in organizing and holding Winter Session. Current Cabinet portfolios include:
All non-Executive and non-Cabinet members of YPM sit as Backbenchers during Winter Session.

Senate

By decision of the Board, former members of YPM who have made outstanding contributions to the organization can be named Senators.

Honorary President

The Honorary President is a prominent member of the community who the Board of Directors seeks guidance from and asks to attend portions of Winter Session.
YearSessionHonorary President
200281William Norrie
200382Shirley Liba
200483Susan A. Thompson
200584Peter St. John, 9th Earl of Orkney
200685The Rt. Hon. Edward Schreyer
200786Muriel Smith
200887Gordon Sinclair Jr.
200988Reginald B. Alcock
201089Reginald B. Alcock
201190William A. Blaikie
201291William A. Blaikie
201392Patricia Chaychuk
201493Patricia Chaychuk
201594Patricia Chaychuk
201695Daryl Reid
201796Jerry Storie
201897Jerry Storie

Alumni Achievement Award Winners

The winner of the Alumni Achievement Award is an alum of YPM who has gone on to make significant achievements at the local, national, or international level.
YearAlumni Achievement Award Winner
2003Wally Fox-Decent
2004Patricia Chaychuk
2005William Norrie
2006Bill Blaikie
2007Nahlah Ayed
2008Howard Pawley
2009Lloyd Axworthy
2010Darren Praznik
2011Niki Ashton
2013Dr. Prabhat Jha, O.C.
2014Michael Redhead Champagne
2015Stuart Olmstead
2016Katelynn Northam

History

In 1922, George Stewart, Lieutenant Governor of the Older Boys’ TUXIS Parliament of Manitoba, opened the first of a long line of annual sessions devoted to the development of leadership and awareness of the parliamentary system among the young men of Manitoba. It has since become one of the oldest Youth Parliaments in a network of similar organizations stretching across the country and the world. Although each of these Parliaments has a unique style and emphasis, all are based on the same basic principle of fostering knowledge of the parliamentary system amongst Canadian youth.
The Older Boys’ Parliament program began in Ontario as part of the TUXIS movement. Its original sponsors included various Protestant churches, such as the United Church of Canada, the Anglican, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Lutheran churches, the Salvation Army, and a variety of service groups such as the YMCA, De Molay and Kiwanis organizations. The movement's goal was to foster the development of the physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being of the person as inspired by the biblical passage Luke 2:52, which reads: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favour.” YPs, only one of many TUXIS activities, were designed for religious as well as parliamentary training. Though most YPs were at one time part of the TUXIS movement, only the TUXIS Youth Parliament of Alberta retains the name to this day. Notable former members from this period include Bill Norrie, Robert Steen, Wally Fox-Decent and Howard Pawley.
In 1960, “TUXIS” was dropped from the name, leaving “Older Boys’ Parliament.” In 1968, it was decided that YPM would expand its focus by becoming open to youth from non-Protestant backgrounds, thereby becoming non-denominational. This meant that the Oath of Allegiance and the legislation placed before the house was no longer written for specific religious groups and with specifically religious purposes in mind.
On December 28, 1972, a special meeting of the organization was held to officially admit women as full members and to change the organization's name to Youth Parliament of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. Previously, female members had for some years been allowed to attend session but only as associate members who did not hold the right to vote on the matters debated in the house. Seven years later, Ann Thompson became the first female Premier of YPMNO. In celebration of its 60th anniversary in 1981, YPMNO hosted a first-of-its-kind invitational session for all YPs in Western Canada. Two years later, the Western Canada Youth Parliament was officially formed, with its second session being hosted again in Winnipeg in the chambers of City Council. Our organization has since hosted WCYP on three other occasions, in 1993, 2002 and most recently in 2010. Some of our more recent distinguished former members participated in YPM during this period, such as Lloyd Axworthy, Tom Axworthy, Darren Praznik and Patricia Chaychuk.
The organization successfully incorporated in 1984 and gained full charitable status. In 2003, the organization voted to shorten its name to Youth Parliament of Manitoba. In 2007, YPM hosted its first annual Spring Session in Manitoba. In 2008, YPM hosted its first annual Speaker's Night fundraising dinner. In 2021, it will celebrate its 100th annual Winter Session.

Notable Alumni

Many of YPM's past members have gone on to successful careers in a variety of fields. Some of the organization's prominent past members include: