The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Canadians who worry that young people have no interest in the political process haven't met Jerad Haggarty. At just 15, the Hapnot Collegiate student holds two positions within the Manitoba Liberal Party's youth group and is already paving his own way for a future in elected office. "I have basically been obsessed with the diplomatic community and politics since the third grade," says Jerad, a lifelong Flin Flonner. "Every single thing I read about politics just made me so interested in it." While politics can often unite people, it's not a common area of interest for high school students like Jerad. As his peers watch MuchMusic, he's tuned into House of Commons proceedings on CPAC. As others are downloading their favourite songs, he's busy searching the Web for the latest news on Paul Martin. This enthusiasm has given Jerad something else many in his age group don't yet possess ? a clear-cut map of his future. The teen has devised a strategy that he hopes will one day lead to a seat in the Canadian parliament. After his high school graduation in 2007, he plans to study political science, conflict resolution and international studies, preferably graduating from either Montreal's McGill University or Harvard University in Massachusetts. Jerad would then like to work for the Canadian government in the field of international affairs. In short, he wants to help his country gain cooperation from other nations on vital issues, and vice-versa. But all of that is years down the road. In the meantime, Jerad is keeping himself busy with the Liberal Party. His first up-close experience with politics came in 2003, when he volunteered with Liberal candidate Garry Zamzow's campaign to unseat Gerard Jennissen as the MLA for the Flin Flon constituency. The teen tirelessly handed out pamphlets, knocked on doors, and appeared with Zamzow in an effort to drum up support. See 'I' P.# Con't from P.# Though the campaign proved unsuccessful, Jerad wasn't disappointed because he believes Zamzow and his aides gave it their all. "We ran a very hard campaign," he says. The campaign came not long after Jerad, who describes himself as middle-of-the-road in his convictions, joined the Liberals at both the federal and provincial levels. "I didn't want either a right-wing or a left-wing party, so I said that if the Liberals are in between, I'll go with them," he says. "My main belief is that everybody should be treated fairly. Everybody should be equal." Jerad continued to make a name for himself within the party this past summer, accepting two prominent positions within the Manitoba Young Liberals. As membership director, he actively tries to bring more young people on board, and as rural affairs north director, he keeps a close eye on occurrences throughout his region. When Manitoba Liberal leader Jon Gerrard made an informal visit to the Flin Flon Wal-Mart earlier this month, Jerad was there to greet him and help hand out promotional materials. While the teen admires Gerrard, the first politician to truly inspire him was John Harvard, a former MP for a southern Manitoba riding and now the province's lieutenant governor. Back in junior high, Jerad e-mailed his favourite politician and was equally pleased and surprised to receive a phone call from Harvard shortly thereafter. "We talked for about 45 minutes and he really told me how to get moving in politics," recalls Jerad. Jerad, a well-spoken, intellectual young man, sums up his enthusiasm for politics in simple terms ? he's just eager to please people. "My interest is that I want to make other people happy," he says. "I want Canadian people to feel that they do not have to wake up in the morning and worry about their jobs being lost or worry about how long their loved one has to wait for a necessary surgery." That attitude, combined with his political experience, has prompted more than one curious person to pose Jerad with one whopper of a question: Do you plan to one day be Prime Minister? "It's certainly a great goal, but it's not something I want to look at right now," he says. "I still have steps to take. I don't want to jump too great of a space and miss something I shouldn't have."
