CBC is offering young Canadians between the ages of 18 and 25 the opportunity to contest for the title of "Canada's Next Great Prime Minister" through a televised contest, hosted by Rick Mercer and judged by a panel of former prime ministers. The show, now in its second season and successor to a program established by Magna International Inc. in 1995, aimed to create a space for youth to put forward their one great innovative idea for a more prosperous Canada. The next season will air in Mar. 2008
"We had a whole bunch of submissions last year with a three-stage platform, but we're really just looking for that one great idea: how you would do it and why you're the one," said Sarah Kapoor, a senior producer of the show.
With a revolving agenda of hotly debated current issues in Canada, the applicants have a wide range of policy issues to choose from.
"It's very important to address issues and bring them to attention," said former University of Windsor student Balinder Ahluwalia, a finalist on last year's show, "but it's more important to have solutions to these issues."
The free application process lets applicants pitch their ideas to the selection committee and the entire internet community by posting their three to five minute video submission on YouTube, creating an accessible space for a forum between contestants and viewers.
"You have a voice all the way through the process," Ahluwalia said.
While Kapoor has been encouraging young women to apply, the applicants last year were largely male, with a gender ration of about 20 to one.
"It sort of mimics Parliament," Kapoor joked.
From the thousands of submissions the show expects to receive annually, 25 semi-finalists are selected to go through a rigorous interview process. Four finalists are chosen to compete on television in front of an audience of over a million viewers and a panel of former prime ministers.
"What [the panel of judges] forced me to do was to take my issues seriously and defend them," Ahluwalia said.
Ahluwalia was in the Shatner building last Thursday to pass out flyers and talk to students. The McGill Institute for the Study of Canada is also helping in promotion the contest on campus.
Kapoor believed that the exposure contestants gain on the show could jumpstart a future political career.
"You could spend the next 20 years shaking hands and climbing the ladder, or you could be on stage and in one night reach a million people," Kapoor said.
2008 Woodie Awards
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