“This is where society meets”: Fredericton MP Jenica Atwin speaks with UNB students

Published in The Aquinian

(‘Coffee with your MP’ by Incé Husain)

On October 25th, students gathered in the University of New Brunswick's Student Union Building to candidly meet Fredericton member of parliament Jenica Atwin and her team.

Titled “Coffee with Your MP”, the event carried a casual tone. Students dropped in at their ease between 12pm and 1pm, and engaged with Atwin in open dialogue on issues of their choosing. The topics spanned immigration, mental health, public healthcare, education, and Truth and Reconciliation.

Atwin says she held the event so she could be “approachable and accessible”. She emphasizes the importance of hearing from students to gauge society’s ever-shifting “top issues”.

“This is where society meets,” says Atwin of student issues. “This is where we can really peel back the layers of what’s happening and feel the real world effects of bigger, broader issues.”

Atwin appreciated the “diversity of voices” at the event, sharing that she was surprised students brought up specific pieces of legislation, like the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace or copyright reviews. She also says she learned about some challenges in the education system.

“Even though (education) is in the provincial jurisdiction, it is the path that led me (to politics) so I keep those roots pretty strong,” says Atwin. “I love working with my provincial colleagues... and seeing where we can strike new policies.”

Throughout the event, Atwin networked with students and connected them with her team, distributing her business cards and committing to following up with students on their specific issues.

She explains that bringing up student issues at the federal level consists of sequentially discussing them at weekly regional, Atlantic, and national caucuses. The concerns are synthesized to gauge their national prevalence and level of priority, and letter-writing is also implicated if “things aren’t getting through”. She also participates in policy forums, which she considers a way to ideologically “shift the party itself”.

“I really appreciate the mechanisms,” says Atwin. “I do feel like my voice even as an individual MP (is) able to have input (that) I see reflected at the cabinet table. It feels empowering. It feels like we do have an ability to make change and that makes us want to keep working.”

Atwin summarizes that she found the event relaxed and pleasantly “drop in style”. She is against the idea of government and people being separate, stating that “we all need to work together”.

She plans to revisit UNB quarterly to chat with students.

“(Issues) shift all the time,” says Atwin. “It’s critically important to be engaged.”

***

Denver Hayes is a 19-year-old arts student at UNB from Gesgapegiag First Nation. He attended Atwin’s event and asked her to speak about alternative schools, a system designed for Indigenous students who struggle to stay in school.

His view of them is highly negative.

“Before I asked the question, I was literally shaking because I was so into the issue, it affected me so hard,” says Hayes.

From his time at Oromocto High School alternative site Kinapuwi Kehkitimok, he explains that the school days are three hours long, consist of diluted curriculums, and, though intended for students who are struggling, are being structurally filled with academically strong students who are capable of succeeding in regular systems.

“I was not there by choice,” says Hayes. “My mom didn’t want me there. The chief who runs the reserve didn’t want me there. And the teacher there was fighting for me.”

He says that rejoining regular schools is “very difficult”. His transition process took nearly two years of discourse with the administration, which delayed his graduation. He also shares that the diplomas the schools give are “useless” for any kind of future pursuit. He says the system is “segregating” native students from public schools and contributing to the structural unemployment of Indigenous people. 

“I knew I was going to get my voice out there,” Hayes says about attending Atwin’s event. “I wanted to make people aware of this activity that is really wrong. (Schools) are suppressing us still with a modern method that is brand new.”

With the secrecy that Hayes says surrounds the alternative schools, he knew the topic would be “new news” to Atwin and that “she wouldn’t be able to say anything.”

But he believes that Atwin was receptive to his ideas, even while her team seemed wary.

"Jenica was receptive. She was like “this is my cup of tea””, says Hayes. “But her team wasn't in sync with her. It seemed like the team was scared to talk. They were really shy, which is a problem. It seemed like the team was like “this isn't my cup of tea - I want a different cup".”

He elaborates that he found it problematic that the topic was met with muteness. He believes that other topics at the event - like immigration and healthcare - gained much more traction.

"Everyone was shocked, and everyone was speechless - that was the problem,” says Hayes. “You shouldn't be speechless hearing about this, you should be like “okay, how are we going to address this issue going forward.”

Hayes says that he views Atwin “very well”. He especially appreciates her transparency.

“It's very new to politics - being transparent,” says Hayes. “I felt like she's pretty transparent."

He plans to return to future events that Atwin has planned at UNB, the soonest of which will be on November 29th. ♦

A modified version of this article appeared in The Aquinian on November 1st, 2022:

https://theaquinian.net/this-is-where-society-meets-mp-jenica-atwin-talks-to-unb-students/