From May 25-26, ONE in Canada hosted our first-ever high-impact Canadian Africa Day Fly-in on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
25 passionate activists from across the country joined us for two full days of advocacy training and political engagement, including members from Engineers Without Borders Canada (EWB). Keep reading to find out what happened.
Day 1: Learning the Issues, Practicing the Pitch
The program kicked off with a day full of training to help activists understand Canada-Africa trade before they headed to Parliament Hill. They also participated in mock MP meetings, learned how to make their case heard loud and clear in person and on social media and got the inside parliamentary scoop from current staffers. We ended the day with a collective letter-writing action to Prime Minister Mark Carney on strengthening Canada-Africa trade relations.
Participants also had the opportunity to hear from MP Tatiana Auguste (Terrebonne), one of the youngest Members of Parliament in Canada, as well as the Honourable Randeep Sarai, Secretary of State.
Day 2: Making the Pitch on the Hill
We hit the hill bright and early the next day, with our activists and staff in their ONE shirts ready to talk with their MPs. Our advocacy focused on two main requests: encouraging Prime Minister Carney to visit the African continent and strengthen Canada’s trade relationship with Africa.
The meetings quickly showed that MPs across party lines were highly receptive to our asks MP Chak Au (Richmond Centre—Marpole) noted, “Canada does less than 2% of trade with Africa, but less than 2% of Canadians know this. That’s what we need to change.” MP Gord Johns (Courtenay—Alberni) also emphasized the importance of parliamentarians visiting countries across the continent to better understand the value and impact of stronger Canada-Africa partnerships.
The GAs also had the opportunity to attend Question Period in the House of Commons, where they watched Prime Minister Mark Carney and Official Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre speak live in the chamber.
Closing dinner
Following a full day of meetings, we wrapped up evening at a local Ethiopian restaurant in Ottawa, where activists enjoyed great food, music, and time together. With a successful Africa Day behind us, we are excited to continue building on this momentum throughout the summer as activists move into follow-up meetings and continued advocacy work within their local constituencies.
