I'm a younger fella and I do have a deep interest in politics. I have decided to join the Ontario PC's but.. what does one do with the membership? I mean, what is a good resource to really grasp the challenges facing one when considering politics as a 'career'. lol. I noticed a PC Youth Wing but half the links are dead and the website isn't exactly 'up to date'. So ya, that was pathetic. Clearly years of work are ahead but still I want to at least try. I mean if Mario Dumont, some punk could form his own party, well I believe I can at least enter the political game (even if it takes years). So, where do I start?

   

You could start by volunteering at your local constituency office. Get some contacts. Join the young PC's. Start going to conferences.

   

Well the young PC website is pretty awful and I guess I could volunteer but York South Weston is so Liberal/NDP it has never voted in a Conservative MP ever.

   

My sympathies.

   

If you want, we can switch places,

Please?

   

Start small, go for municipal politics 1st. It's the closest level of government to the people and frankly the dirtiest and if you want to get immersion in to the workings of the nation that is the best starting point. your next stop would be the local city hall.

   

You might want to just turn and run, Confused. Politics is worse than black tar heroin for creating soulless junkies with no sense of propriety whatsoever. Look at Monte Solberg. Do you really want to end up like that? The man looks like a zombie, or maybe one of Keith Richards' bastard children.

Oh well, I guess you'll have to figure that part out for yourself.

I'm not familiar with the workings of the Conservative Party, but if you go down to your riding office, they'll be more than happy to give you some things to do. You might have to sweep the floors or clean the toilets or something, but they'll put you to work.

If you stick it out and pay attention, they'll move you up to more and more important tasks. You'll meet lots of people who say lots of things. Eventually, if you work hard, you'll get a good reputation and get moved all the way to the top. You'll get to spend election night being a scrutineer or something.

That all sounds kind of negative, but it isn't. Politics, for better or worse, is what makes the world go 'round. Most of the work really sucks, and almost all of it is unpaid or poorly paid, but in the end if you don't do the work nobody else will either.

If you are looking at politics as a career, go do the volunteer work, but take either a business-related course or a journalism course with poli-sci as your minor and as many courses on advertising as you can fit in. If you can afford it, become a lawyer.

   

I would say not a bad piece of advise. I'm starting out by having applied and been accepted on to the City of Edmonton Youth Council. I'm seventeen and I intend to serve until pretty close to my age limit.

My uncle knows a man who was in Jean Chretien's Prime Minister's Office and he started out by volunteering for the party.

Though I hate the Conservatives, there no sense in not volunteering because your constituency doesn't largely support the party. It's probably at this time when volunteering is most needed by your party. AND DEFINITELY ESTABLISH CONTACTS!!! Networking is an extremely important part of modern politics, unfortunately.

And becoming a lawyer is good advice as well, my cousin Ovide started out being a lawyer, and he became the first elected Chief of all Indians in Canada.

   

I'm not experienced at the political process but I have talked to a couple of constituency presidents and they are small "p" pols. An interest in politics and level head judgement would standout at that level over time. It's interesting how "amateurs" can still out play the professionals at this time in history

   

I always suggest the best place to start out in politics is to start out in university and high school. Then local government and provincial politics. I always suggest you start in the places you can do the less damage. Make your mistakes at a level where it can do the less damage...Unless you are running for the NDP or Liberal parties...then I suggest start out at the top and run for party leader....

   

Thanks for the tips. I guess City politics is always a possibility to start off. Clearly, it's a lot of work. Now I can see why there are so few young people in politics, it so time consuming and takes a long time to get to the top. Either way.. I'll try getting into contact with my Riding Office.