#HoyasInCanada

GU Politics took a cohort of students to Toronto and Ottawa for the last five days leading up to the April 28 snap election. The #HoyasInCanada cohort was able to witness first hand the political strategy, tactics and energy of this historic election on the ground in Canada. Meet the cohort and read some of their reflections from the trip below.

• Miranda Austin (C’28)
• Andy Feng (C’26)
• Bennett Gilhuly (C’28)
• Nicolas Hasbun (C’28)
• Catherine Hughes (SFS’27)
• Cal Ricehall (C’27)
• Jessica Runyambo (C’28)
• Tina Solki (SFS/MSB’26)

Catherine: 

At the end of April, I was lucky enough to travel to Canada with the GU Politics #HoyasInCanada cohort. I am studying international politics in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown, but it was my first time leaving the country. I learned so much about Canadian politics, and I got to go with a great group of students. I couldn’t have asked for a better (and more eye-opening) first time abroad!

Before the trip, the group had varying levels of knowledge about Canadian politics. We had a few Canadians on the trip, a few people who already had an interest in Canadian politics, and some who had only watched the debates prior to diving in headfirst. 

The upcoming elections were “snap elections,” meaning they were called earlier than scheduled. Along with this, they were particularly interesting because of the candidates. Mark Carney had recently become the Liberal party leader without any previous political experience after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stepped down. Things were looking good for the Conservative Party and its leader, Pierre Poilievre, but the switch in Liberal leadership had changed the game.

Catherine:

The first day of the trip, we all gathered bright and early at Georgetown and headed to the airport. I remember looking out the plane window and admiring the Great Lakes (first time I had ever seen them!) and the Toronto skyline. 

We arrived around noon and enjoyed lunch at a Thai restaurant one of our Canadian locals recommended. Then we explored the Toronto area, taking lots of fun pictures. We also had to visit Tim Horton’s, a Canadian institution.

That evening, we had dinner at the Albany Club with Brett James, a leader in Canadian public affairs, and John Wright, an expert in polling in Canada. They provided a wonderful introduction to Canadian politics. We learned about the Canadian system of government, past Liberal and Conservative leadership in Canada, economic issues at stake, and the role of the New Democratic Party (NDP).

Catherine:

The next day started at 9:00 a.m., when we headed to Queen’s Park at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. This beautiful building is where we met with Robert Benzie, the Queen’s Park Bureau Chief for the Toronto Star. Benzie said that as a reporter, he believes he should be agnostic, so he does not vote in the elections. This allowed the conversation to be honest and wide-ranging. We discussed the role of journalism, as well as Canadians’ desire for change and the influence provincial politics can have in national elections.

Jessica:

Benzie said the trade war has made voters rethink what they want in this election, particularly those who lean conservative but are being forced to consider liberal candidates. He also discussed “underhill balance theory,” which suggests that when a province votes for one party for a federal election, it will vote for the opposite party for provincial leadership.

Catherine:

We departed for lunch and a conversation with Adrienne Batra, Editor in Chief of the Toronto Sun. She was able to provide the crucial perspective of western Canada, which we hadn’t heard yet. We discussed energy, economics, and interprovincial trade barriers — a very common theme throughout the trip. 

Jessica:

Batra said the Canadian West has felt left out in politics because it hasn’t been able to develop the way it wants to due to federal policies. She also explained that the coalition of the Western provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and British Columbia) have their own sort of independent economy that creates restrictions on trade/internal consumer interaction within the national borders.

“The focus of Central Canada has been at the peril of the West,” Batra said.

Catherine:

Our last activity of the day was canvassing in the Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill riding for liberal Member of Parliament (MP) Leah Taylor Roy. This district was more suburban, with larger homes to the north and townhomes to the south. We learned about the demographic makeup and immigrant populations in the riding, which influence the messaging of campaigns and language that the literature is printed in. There is a large Iranian population in this riding, so it was important to print campaign materials in Farsi.

This was my first time ever canvassing, and it was everyone’s first time hearing from everyday Canadians rather than experts. It was a “Get Out The Vote” canvas, meaning we targeted homes that were known to be liberal to make sure they were going to the polls on Monday. Also at Roy’s office, we met Mary Ng, who served as Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development for Justin Trudeau. We got to pick her brain on economic issues like interprovincial trade barriers. She also provided expert insight into Trump’s recently enacted tariffs and how it will be necessary for Canada to continue to diversify its trading partners. We ended the evening at a local Persian restaurant and made a stop for a sweet treat, as always.

Catherine:

Saturday, our last day in Toronto, was jam-packed. We started with canvassing in the Toronto—St. Paul’s riding with Don Stewart, a Conservative MP. Similar to Roy’s, this district is very competitive. We saw similar strategies here such as tailoring the campaign literature to the demographics of the riding. We got to chat with Stewart and members of his campaign team and enjoy ice cream from the Don Stewart ice cream truck.

At 11:30 a.m., we went to line up for the Mark Carney rally in Mississauga, a city outside of Toronto. We had to shuttle over to the venue in school buses to avoid parking difficulties. In line and at the venue (an airplane hangar), we chatted with voters who all shared very similar concerns, including affordability and national sovereignty.

Before the rally, there was an impromptu singing of the Canadian National Anthem, which was very cool to see. Carney’s wife, Diana Fox Carney, opened for him, emphasizing her husband’s experience working as the governor of the Bank of Canada and later the Bank of England. Carney’s speech was inspiring, projecting Canadian unity in the face of the Trump administration and positioning himself as the right person to handle the economy. 

We enjoyed dinner at an Italian restaurant, where we discussed the day’s activities. We ended our night flying into Ottawa and getting settled into our hotel, which we would remain in for the rest of the trip.

I am so thankful to GU Politics and everyone who helped arrange such a wonderful time in Canada. As a student in the SFS, it is so great to have the opportunity to see international politics up close. This was an amazing close to the spring semester, and I can’t wait for more experiences with GU Politics!

Bennett:

Since we got into Ottawa late the previous night, we started our day a little later, allowing me to get some work done at a coffee shop that overlooked the Parliamentary building. For our first activity of the day, we traveled to Ottawa-Centre riding with the expectation of talking to voters on the street. For context: this riding, like all of the city centre ridings, is left-leaning. Most of the people are a part of or contracted by the federal government, and they are primarily NDP and Liberal voters.

One of our notable interactions was with a couple in their early 60s who shared  valuable insight about their perspective on Canadian politics. They had a diverse perspective from often frequenting in the U.S.   

We then found our way to NDP candidate Joel Harden’s office, where we spoke to his communications director and got a detailed run-down of office operations and campaign strategies.

When strolling back to the hotel, we passed by Parliament and found people protesting and waving Trump and Poilievre flags, so, of course, we had to stop and gain their perspective. Their core concerns were like everybody else’s: the healthcare system is clogged, they are sick of the Liberal government, and better housing. The protesters tie back to our conversation with Robert Benzie when he told us that about a quarter of the conservative vote aligns with Trump. He explained that they confiscated MAGA hats at Poilievre rallies because the party did not want to seem as far right then they are. That seemed to play into the larger strategy to stay away from focusing on Trump and shift toward the issues that are plaguing Canadians.

Our last agenda item for the day found us at a farm in Poilievre’s home riding. His podium was an old turquoise blue GMC C/K series pickup truck, commonly known as the “Square Body.” The rally was held at a farm because the conservatives wanted to hammer home that Poilievre is for the working people and that they should vote for change. Tractors, Canadian flags, and the position of the crowd were carefully placed to capture the moment’s story. The story of patriotism in Canada is unlike the past. When Poilievre spoke to the crowd, he played into the message that he had campaigned on from the start: I am here for you while Canadians are hurting, and I am the person to vote for if you want change.

Poilievre’s speech was remarkably policy-focused. While he might have stated that the Liberals are the reason for the decline in Canada, he did not mention the names “Trump” or “Mark Carney” once. That amplifies his message that he is running against the establishment and to deregulate while also delivering on policy that will help those who are hurting the most.  

After the rally, we headed back to the hotel and unpacked our day.

Bennett:

We made it to election day! The polls in Ontario were open until 9:30 p.m. Our first point of order was meeting with Rodrigue Gilbert, the President of the Canadian Construction Association. Over breakfast, we discussed the behind-the-scenes discussions surrounding inter-provincial trade, the association’s relationships with other countries, and the trade dynamic between the U.S. and Canada. His advice to us was whatever job we might have, at some point in time, you should work in politics.

After some poutine for lunch, we had the opportunity to speak to some conservative strategists about their election-day feelings. The strategists said they would be shocked if they won a minority government, and that while the Liberal voter base grows older, the Conservative voter base is growing younger, so the Liberals need to figure out their long-term strategy.

Since candidates are barred from campaigning on election day, they like to lay low. We were surprised to find out that Poilievre was camping out in our hotel until the polls closed. Catherine and I sprinted from Starbucks when we heard the news, and we decided to sit directly across from the elevators to catch him. We had the opportunity to briefly speak to Anaida Poilievre, Poilievre’s wife, catching her at the right time in the lobby. She had a positive demeanor about the election. She said she was excited about the outcome and that there are a lot of new voters that the polling data might not be accounted for. We asked her about being overcome with emotions and she seemed confident about the final results of the election.

In the evening, we discussed our overall thoughts and takeaways about the trip as we began to watch the election returns come in at dinner. Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel to collectively watch as the results came in. At first, conservatives seemed to be over-performing, but after a short amount of time, around 10:10 p.m., the election was called for the Liberals. We subsequently went to Poilievre’s watch party right down the street at the convention center. The vibe in the building painted a stark reality; if you told any Canadian six months ago that Trump would become president, Justin Trudeau would resign, banker Mark Carney would become PM, and Pierre Poilievre would lose his seat in the election, people would have thought you were insane.

At the end of the day, Poilievre and the conservatives still received 46% of the vote, a historic turnout for the party. The collapse of the NDP will be studied for decades to come. But most importantly, after triumphing to victory after being down 20 points in the polls, do Mark Carney and the Liberals have the strength to survive their new minority government? Only time will tell.

Ultimately, this trip challenged my predisposed beliefs about Canadian politics and reshaped the lens through which I see politics. Doing the whole campaign cycle in five days, going from a meeting with a senior strategist to 20 minutes later talking to voters, was an unreal experience for me and many on this trip. I am a Government and English major for a reason. I believe public service is about actually listening to people and telling their stories. Although I left a minimal impact on Canada, the stories, strategies, and friendships I have earned will stay with me for a lifetime.

See more photos from this trip on our Instagram and Flickr.