Calgary Centre candidates grilled by 11-year-old for school project

A Grade 6student in Calgary scored interviews with some of the most closely-watched federal election candidates as part of a social studies project at school.

Emma Sveistrup, 11, sat down with Liberal candidate Kent Hehr, the Green Party's Thana Boonlert and Jillian Ratti from the NDP.

The threeare running in Calgary Centre, the Calgaryridingseen as most likely to unseat the incumbent Conservative candidate.

Conservative candidate Joan Crockattinitiallyaccepted Sveistrup's request for an interview but backed out, according to the girl'sfather.

After CBC News contacted the Conservativecampaign to confirm her reasoning,Sveistrup's father got a call from Crockatt's campaign manager.

He then contacted CBC News to say he would try to arrange an interviewwith Emma.

The interviews wereall shot in different locations and edited into a 17-minute video.

"Why do you think it's important for kids my age to learn about politics?"

Ratti

"Politics affects everybody, even kids.Especially kids,maybe,because the decisions we're making right now are going to affect you when you're older."

Boonlert

"The more you get involved now, the more interested you are, the more likely you'll be to vote. Right now one of the biggest problems in Canada is low voter turnout."

Hehr

"You can build your life as a Grade 6student, go to school, get health care, get access to post secondary so you can take care of yourself and become whatever you want."

"When you were in Grade 6, what did you want to be when you grew up?"

Boonlert(an engineer):hockey player, musician orastronaut

Hehr (alawyer/politician):centre field for the Yankees, centre ice for the Flames, or a school teacher

Ratti (a family doctor):doctor

"Often when peopleget elected they stop doing what the voters want and they start doing what the leaders tell them to do instead.

What do you think about that?"

Hehr

"You fight hard on behalf of your constituents...you don't always win those battles but if you fight hard with reason, common sense and science, you're more successful than you're not."

Ratti

"I believe in most of what my party does butat the end of the day, if it came down to something that was obviously not going to be good for the peopleof Calgary Centre...I would have no problem voting against my party but it's a tough thing."

Boonlert

"Luckilywith the Green party, we have a no whip policy, which is great so I can truly and fully represent the constituentsof Calgary Centre."

Family project

The interviews were shot and uploaded to youtube.com as part of The Owl's Nest, a Sveistrup family project that allows Emma and her brother, Josef, 15, to pursue their interests.

"The intention was to allow each of my kids to develop their talents," said Chris Sveistrup.

Emma is interested in public speaking and acting while Josef is intovideography.

The video with the candidate interviewswas developed when Emma wasassigned to a social studies project on federal politics.

Chris Sveistrup says Emma hasn't yet received her mark from her teacher.