Master’s students at the Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management spend much of their time comparing the strategies of politicians such as Jason Kenney, Justin Trudeau, and Kathleen Wynne in the classroom.
This week, they’ll be able to discuss those policies with the leaders themselves.
Nineteen Riddell graduate students will attend the Canada 2020 conference, being held on October 2nd and 3rd at the Ottawa Convention Centre. Canada 2020 is a non-partisan think tank working to create “social and economic prosperity for Canada and all Canadians”.
“This is an opportunity for students to hear from a mix of people working as political managers in NGOs, the government, and the private sector,” says organizer Jennifer Robson, an assistant professor at the Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs.
Robson says she and the students will attend discussions with well-known politicians and political journalists, as well as a workshop on political organizing run by members of the Obama campaign.
“This is meant to facilitate dialogue across party lines, to engage people politically in an informed and civil way,” explains Robson. “And that is the mission of the Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management, as well.”