What is more important than our youth, the next generation who will take the reins to lead our country. At this year's United Conservative Party annual general meeting in Edmonton, we spoke to the winner of the youth debates about some of the most pressing issues facing young people today.

Avery Hnatuk told us this was the second year she's competed in the debates, claiming the title this year, something she's “so excited about.”

The debate focused on three of the UCP's policies: what flags can be flown government buildings, pass/fail grading systems and the fluoridation of water.

We asked Hnatuk if she felt radical political or gender ideologies have gone too far in schools. “Absolutely it has,” she said.

When asked about the flag policy, she noted that during the competition she actually debated against the policy. “I'd love to stand against the special interest flags,” she said, noting during the debate her argument focused on the broad scope of the UCP policy rather than the issue itself.

The youth debate winner said she'd “love to see a reduction in that divisive ideology in our schools and a return to education not indoctrination.”

On the topic of independence, she said young Albertans were “interested” in the idea, but much like the general public, they had a wide range of views on the issue.

We asked Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides about that policy earlier in the day, though he was somewhat evasive in his response.

Go Ad Free

Nicolaides stopped short of committing to a ban on symbols like flags but did note the need for students to “voice their own views and perspectives as well, even if others disagree.”

Expanding on Nicolaides' point about students voicing their views, we asked Hnatuk if students felt safe sharing conservative views in classrooms.

“I don't go to traditional school, I go online, so my situation is a little bit different,” she explained. “But I am finding as I get older, and as politics advances, more and more young people are feeling safer speaking up, and feeling the need to speak up even if it's safer.”

A pressing issue to many young people is their future ability to own a home. The debate winner said she believed it was “realistic” for youth in Alberta to aspire to own their house.

“Anyone who says it's not realistic is not dreaming big enough, in my opinion.”

Hnatuk had the same positive view of her future in Alberta.

“My family's prospered here for generations upon generations, and I'm definitely not going to be the one to mess it up.”