A University of Calgary student is one of ten finalists in the Magna of Canada "As Prime Minister" essay contest.
On Nov., 25, U of C business student and self-proclaimed starving student Pierre Poilievre will go to Ottawa to attend the final awards gala. As a finalist he receives $10,000 and a summer internship at Magna, based in Toronto, worth $12,000.
"It was like winning the lottery," commented Poilievre. "I’m ecstatic, as you can imagine any starving student would be."
The "As Prime Minister" essay contest is open to all post-secondary students in Canada. The winner will receive an additional ten thousand as well as a year-long internship worth $36,000.
"Last year one of my friends won it and he encouraged me take part," Poilievre said.
Poilievre’s essay was an 11th hour submission–he didn’t begin the essay until the day before the deadline. That night he worked from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. to get his idea on paper.
"Anyone with a brain can do the same thing and have a strong chance of winning," said Poilievre. "I was at work last year and had time on my hands and decided to start to type up the essay. [When I submitted the essay] I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best."
As a member of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party and the Federal Reform Party, Poilievre seems to have more than sufficient political opinion to challenge the views of the Prime Minister.
"What I wrote about was that we need to empower individuals by putting more money in their hands," he said. "Basically, we need to put the government on a financial diet. Politicians need to be made employees of the people, not the other way around."
For more information about the contest, visit www.asprime
minister.ca.