by Karen Aitken
In this article, IPEN member Karen Aitken (Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada) shares details of the wide range of in person and online outreach initiatives used to promote a better understanding of the parliamentary system in British Columbia.
Introduction
British Columbia is the western-most province in Canada with a population of just over 5.6 million but covering an area over 944,000km (three times the size of New Zealand).
Community outreach can be very challenging due to our provincial landmass, so virtual classrooms and online programs have been a great addition to our parliamentary education offerings.
The Legislative Assembly is in the capital city of Victoria, which is on Vancouver Island – about a one and a half hour ferry ride from Vancouver where over nearly half of the province resides.
Speaker in the Schools
The Speaker in the Schools program was launched in 2023, with the aim of encouraging students to engage in democracy and consider contributing to their communities by becoming parliamentarians as adults.
Through this program, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and I travel to constituencies to visit primarily elementary schools and invite the local Member to join us.
We spend about one hour with a class, or sometimes a combination of classes, in either a classroom, gym, or multipurpose room. Students are divided into two groups to role play government and opposition, complete with dress up clothes for the Speaker, Clerk and Sergeant-Arms (including a child-sized mace).
Through fun and engaging sessions, the Speaker shares their first-hand knowledge with students and leads them in a model parliament exercise to explore how a bill becomes a law. The students decide on their own topic and debate is typically enthusiastic, creative and always fun. The teacher plays the role of Lieutenant Governor to give the royal nod of assent.
Online program options
The in-person Speaker in the Schools program moved to an online visit with the Speaker during Covid and remains an option available to school groups of all ages.
It starts with a simple introduction to the Legislative Assembly, its purpose and function and then an open Q&A with the Speaker. The class receives a mailed certificate after participation. Offering the program online has ensured that remote and rural classrooms can participate and meet with the Speaker and ask some incredible questions.
Hallow’een activities
Other initiatives for students include our Halloween Trick or Treating program at the Legislature building where staff in the first-floor offices participate to hand out peanut-free candy along with several activity stations for games.
Also, at this time of year, we offer Halloween Travelling Plays in the evening where visitors are met by up to four different characters from British Columbia’s past as they travel through time and the building to learn about “spooky” connections to Parliament. The characters are portrayed by the stellar Parliamentary Players – acting students from local post-secondary institutions that we hire each year.
Tea & Tour
Continuing our programming in costumes, we have a Tea & Tour where visitors sign up for breakfast in the Parliamentary Dining Room and then take a tour of the Parliament Buildings with a costumed interpreter – often the architect of the buildings, Francis Rattenbury.
Play & Tour
In May and June, we also offer a Play & Tour for booked school groups to travel around the outside of the buildings and through time to meet characters from two different plays: My Place in Politics and A Place for Democracy and then come inside for a tour and potentially seats in the gallery when the House is sitting in May.
Student travel grant
We are extremely excited to be launching a Student Travel Grant program in the Fall of 2025 where school groups can apply for per head funding dependent on their geographical location to receive travel dollars to support their visit to the Parliament Buildings in Victoria.
This is also based on the school group participating in a virtual classroom in advance of their visit to better prepare them for the highlights of what they will see in person.
Seasonal events
There are other special interpretative events offered throughout the year – such as Family Day in February and Christmas Lights in December where we reach out to a variety of families, choirs, and the general public to encourage more engagement with our Parliament.
More information
Karen Aitken has been the Director of the Parliamentary Education Office (PEO) at the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia since its inception in 2001.
The Parliamentary Education Office develops a wide variety of educational programs and resources on the parliamentary system of governance and the role of the Members for students, teachers and the public. The Office increases visitor awareness of the history of the Parliament Buildings and the parliamentary process through informational programs, materials and outreach initiatives.
Karen has a Bachelor’s degree in English from Carleton University and a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Victoria together with an Early Childhood Education diploma and Royal Roads Certificate in Public Leadership. She loves working in Parliament, visiting other Parliaments and travel in general.
Find out more about the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada.
Feature image
British Columbia Parliament Buildings front panoramic. Copyright: Legislative Assembly of BC.
Article published on Friday 17 October 2025