Saskatchewan town elects 20-year-old to town council, years after the town helped his family fight deportation order

Halyna Mihalik · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 25, 2024 6:00 AM EST | Last Updated: November 25

At 20 years old, Victor Santos Cardoza has made history as the youngest person to ever be elected to council in his new hometown.

Santos Cardoza said his love for the community is what inspired him to run as a councillor in Moosomin, Sask., which is about 20 kilometres inside the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border. 

“My family back home were very community driven and I believe I inherited those values,” Santos Cardoza said. “There was a desire to give back to [the] community of Moosomin that helped me and my family many years ago.”

Santos Cardoza said he owes everything to the small town and that without their support he would not be in Canada today.

His family was given a two-week deportation notice to return to Honduras in 2017. 

Although the family was new to Moosomin, Santos Cardoza said the community rallied behind them and advocated for the family to stay through various fundraising initiatives, a circling petition and organizing a letter-writing campaign.

“They vouched for us to stay and here we are today,” he said. “It’s all for one and one for all right here in Moosomin.”

The entire family now holds Canadian citizenship.

Santos Cardoza already has a long history of being involved in local politics. He was the first junior councillor to ever be appointed to Moosomin. He said the experience exposed him to the challenges of what goes on behind the scenes at council, and that his time in that role prepared him for this opportunity.

“That was a really eye opening experience,” Santos Cardoza said. “The relationships I established within my time as a youth counsellor were influential in my decision to run for councillor.”

In his time outside of politics, Santos Cardoza is apprenticing full-time to be a carpenter and get his red seal certification. He is learning the trade in Moosomin with the help of a local contractor. 

WATCH | What inspired Victor Santos Cardoza to run for town council: 

Victor Santos Cardoza has made history as the youngest person to ever be elected to town council in Moosomin, Sask. He says he wanted to give back to the community that helped his family fight deportation years ago.

Santos Cardoza said there is a lack of young perspectives on councils and that he saw an opportunity to be that voice. 

“I thought maybe there was an opportunity there for me to bridge different generations and hopefully get our youth involved more,” said Santos Cardoza. “I have plans to work and learn alongside many of our important figures here in our community.”

The young councillor said he did not have a main objective to tackle during his time on council. 

Santos Cardoza said his only goal is to give back to a community that did so much for him and his family. 

“This community commits to giving back to everyone, even if it’s a stranger like we were many years ago,” Santos Cardoza said. “So now I’d like to jump on any opportunity that there is to get more involved.” 

Santos Cardoza said that he is aware of his inexperience but that he is excited to work alongside the other elected councillors to learn more about his role. 

He said that although his parents never pressured him into exploring politics, they were excited to learn of him being elected to office.

“They’re extremely proud of me,” Santos Cardoza said. “They [have] just been extremely supportive and proud through the whole process.”

Santos Cardoza received 466 out of approximately 800 votes to secure his seat on council. 

Santos Cardoza said he is looking forward to a long career in local politics and that he would one day be interested in pursuing provincial politics. 

Youth engaging in politics

Although it’s a Moosomin milestone, Saskatchewan has a history of electing young politicians. 

Thomas Sierzycki made headlines when he was elected the youngest mayor of La Ronge at just 21 years old in 2009. 

Sierzycki said that a youth perspective is crucial for politics in the province. 

“Congratulations to Victor, I’m sure he’ll do tremendous things for Moosomin and work toward betterment of his community,” Sierzycki said. 

“It’s very important for the well-being of our communities that young people do get engaged. Young people bring a dynamic that needs to be heard in order to look at all sides of an issue.”

Sierzycki said that initially he had a few mixed reactions from his community at having such a young mayor. He said that once people saw his passion for local politics, they changed their minds. 

Sierzycki also said that diversity is necessary in order to make fair decisions on a council and that a diverse range of ages can lead to better outcomes for communities. 

“With diversity comes the opportunity to have representatives of who the communities are made-up of,” he said.

“When you have that, your decisions are stronger and it’s more of a collective and understanding from various opinions in your community.”