Teen officially begins role as councillor in Huron East

HURON EAST -

Justin Morrison may be the youngest person to hold public office – ever.

On Thursday, the 18-year-old signed the Declaration of Office form that formalized his position as the newest councillor for the Municipality of Huron East.

"It was almost slightly surreal," Morrison told CTV News. "It is a very adult thing to do, I’m just 18 [years old] now. It’s a very big responsibility to uphold. My first meeting is actually going to be dealing with the budget."

Morrison was appointed by council in a 5-4 vote on Jan. 4 to fill a council vacancy left by a resigning councillor.

For the teen, who turned 18 years old on Nov. 6, it was an opportunity he only began to consider after picking up a daily route of walking in his hometown of Brussels, east of Goderich.

"Throughout the summer, I started doing daily walks with some family and friends and through that I encountered lots of almost-problems or things I thought could be improved throughout the municipality and the town of Brussels," said Morrison.

YOUTH IN POLITICS

For retired University of Waterloo professor of political science, Peter Woolstencroft, hearing of Morrison’s appointment was encouraging.

"This is a breath of fresh air on a cold wintery January," said Woolstencroft. "It’s very, very unusual."

Woolstencroft says teenage politicians aren’t unheard of but are exceedingly rare in Canadian politics.

The youngest Member of Parliament in Canada was Pierre-Luc Dusseault, who was elected at the age of 19 and sworn into office after turning 20 as part of the "Orange Crush" that saw the NDP form the Official Opposition following the 2011 federal election.

Woolstencroft sees it as crucial that more young voices are heard at all levels of government.

"We’re not a serious bad case of being a gerontocracy – governed by old people – but we don’t have enough young voices in our politics," said Woolstencroft. "I’m one who thinks that younger people should be the ones who are really trying to find the best solutions for the future."

FUTURE PLANS

In addition to joining council, Morrison is working towards a degree in computing and information systems through online-only Athabasca University.

The council term only has months left but, should Morrison prove successful in managing both his education and council duties he plans to run in the election for a full term.

"There was lots of congratulations throughout the town and even people who are not from the town, from other cities and stuff, who just happen to know me or my family, they’re all very supportive," said Morrison. "They all seemed very surprised that I would actually go out and do this."

Morrison says, even before his first full day on the job, he’s already received calls from constituents raising community concerns.