Pizza and politics were on the menu at Province House today, Feb. 20, as Democracy 250 co-chair John Hamm hosted Grade 7 students from Eastern Passage Education Centre for lunch and a discussion on democracy.

 

The students were greeted by Sergeant-at-Arms Ken Greenham and toured Province House. They also met with actor and author Michael Bawtree who spoke about the important contribution Joseph Howe made to Canadian parliamentary democracy.

 

"A key objective of the Democracy 250 celebrations is to instill in youth a greater appreciation of Nova Scotia's rich history, the value of democracy and the importance of voting," said Dr. Hamm. "Today, we had the opportunity to talk to a great group of young people who were eager to share their thoughts on politics and why they believe so many young people don't vote."

 

He said schools will continue to be the focal point of events throughout 2008.

 

"The most important legacy the Democracy 250 initiative can leave is to positively influence youth participation in the democratic process and to begin to reverse the steady decline in voter turnout," said Dr. Hamm.

 

Democracy 250 was created in the spring of 2007 to plan and organize this year's celebrations marking the 250^th anniversary of the birth of parliamentary democracy in Canada. For more information, see the website at www.democracy250.ca.