EAST FERRET –
Justin Morrison may be the youngest person to hold public office in history.
On Thursday, the 18-year-old signed the Declaration of Charge form that formalized his position as the new Huron East Town Councilman.
“It was almost a little bit surreal,” Morrison told CTV News. “It’s a very grown-up thing to do, I’m only 18 [years old] now. It is a very big responsibility to fulfill. My first meeting is actually going to be about the budget.”
Morrison was appointed by the council in a 5-4 vote on Jan. 4 to fill a council vacancy left by a resigning councilmember.
For the teenager, who turned 18 on November 6, it was an opportunity he only began to consider after taking a daily walking route in his hometown of Brussels, east of Goderich.
“Over the summer I started going on daily walks with some family and friends and at that point I found a lot of near misses or things that I thought could be improved throughout the municipality and the city of Brussels,” Morrison said.
YOUTH IN POLITICS
For retired University of Waterloo political science professor Peter Woolstencroft, hearing of Morrison’s appointment was heartening.
“This is a breath of fresh air in a cold, wintry January,” said Woolstencroft. “It’s very, very unusual.”
Woolstencroft says teenage politicians are not unheard of, but they are extremely rare in Canadian politics.
The youngest member of parliament in Canada was Pierre-Luc Dusseault, who was elected at the age of 19 and took office after turning 20 as part of the “Orange Crush” that saw the NDP form the official opposition following the election. 2011 Federal.
Woolstencroft sees it as crucial that more young voices are heard at all levels of government.
“We’re not a serious, serious case of being a gerontocracy, ruled by older people, but we don’t have enough young voices in our politics,” Woolstencroft said. “I am one of those who thinks that young people should be the ones who are really trying to find the best solutions for the future.”
FUTURE PLANS
In addition to joining the council, Morrison is working toward a degree in computer science and information systems through Athabasca University, online only.
Only a few months remain until the council term, but if Morrison is successful in managing his education and council duties, he plans to run for election for a full term.
“There was a lot of congratulations from all over town and even people who are not from town, from other cities and so forth, who just know me or my family, they’re all very supportive,” Morrison said. “Everyone seemed very surprised that he would actually go out and do this.”
Morrison says that even before his first full day on the job, he already received calls from constituents raising community concerns.
Reference-kitchener.ctvnews.ca