Student MLAs Take Aim on Fatty Food

"Per cent fat equals per cent tax" will be the rallying cry this weekend as students from across the province tackle junk food at Model Legislature 2004.

Bills to "Tax Unhealthy Food" and "Regulate Video Games" will be on the agenda as high-school students gather at Province House in Halifax for a hands-on experience of how democracy works in Nova Scotia.

The event, organized by the Department of Education, runs from May 21 to May 23. The students, representing their own ridings, will divide into caucuses, and debate the two mock bills on the floor of the House of Assembly.

"We're very pleased to see students with such strong interest in public affairs," said Education Minister Jamie Muir, a former teacher. "They'll learn a lot and they'll have lots of fun. Fun is important, too, on a holiday weekend."

The students will also participate in workshops on the life of an MLA and the role of the media. On Saturday morning they will hear an address from Joseph Howe -- being played by dramatist Michael Bawtree.

MLAs John Chataway, Kevin Deveaux, Joan Massey, Mark Parent, Michele Raymond and Diana Whalen are also participating in the event.

A bill to restrict video games to appropriate age groups will be debated on Saturday, May 22. The unhealthy food bill, to be debated Sunday, May 23, would impose a one per cent tax on food for every per cent of fat it contains.

Note: Students from across Nova Scotia will attend a model legislature at Province House in Halifax, May 21-23.

The students will be participating in workshop sessions and conducting a mock sitting of the legislature on Saturday, May 22, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. The topic for debate is Video Game Rating. On Sunday, May 23, from 10 a.m. to noon, the topic for debate will be Unhealthy Food Tax.

The workshops and mock sitting are open to media. Students and organizers will be available for photographs and interviews.