In October 2025, the seventh cohort of Master of Public Policy candidates visited Parliament Hill to learn firsthand from policymakers. Organized by the Max Bell School including professor of practice聽Neil Bouwer聽and alumnus Enzo聽Zorigtbaatar, the annual trip is designed to educate and inspire.聽A few MPPs - Victoria, below - reflect on the experience.
Politics, in some shape or form, has been an interest of mine since I can remember. I remember reading books in elementary school about the 鈥榖ig kids鈥� running for student council, only to be disappointed when my middle school didn鈥檛 have a student government. I ran and lost two student elections in high school, participated in a youth political organization, and eventually became involved in student union politics and served as president at the undergraduate level.
Needless to say, as a girl from the north shore of Prince Edward Island, I was enamoured by Ottawa. During my undergraduate degree, I was blessed to make friends with several Ottawans who have invited me into their homes, in addition to having the opportunity to travel to the city for conferences in 2022 and 2023. Every time I visit, I remember why I love the city.
None of my previous experiences compares to my week in Ottawa with the Max Bell School. In the last couple of years, I had stepped away from my interests in politics, almost completely. I moved back to rural P.E.I. and was working for a forest school. My world was more detached from the buzz of the national capital than ever.
I first reconnected with my enthusiasm for Ottawa during our panel discussion with the central agencies. I didn鈥檛 have a clear idea of the role they played in the Canadian policy sphere before coming to Max Bell, but the folks we had the pleasure of speaking with inspired me to consider the work of the agencies, particularly Intergovernmental Affairs. Jeannine Ritchot was, quite frankly, the coolest federal employee I had ever met. She spoke candidly, she was confident, she advised on navigating new roles and projects, and how it is important to give yourself permission to be 鈥榖ad鈥� at new things while you figure them out.
A second moment of awe for me was during our speed mentoring rounds. One of the women we spoke with used to work doing event coordination with the Senate, to help youth across Canada better understand the role of the Senate in the Canadian political landscape. My background, both in policy and hands-on, is with youth, and I have long been passionate about better informing our youngest Canadians on our political processes. I realized there are more and unique career avenues I can seek out and explore that I may not have ever considered, or even know existed.
But by far, the most impactful moment for me was on the second day of the trip, when something within me was absolutely inspired by being in the House of Commons during question period. There is a part of me that questions how effective and valuable our question periods are in Canada, but I was fascinated and inspired by the experience nonetheless. I鈥檇 had the honour of visiting the floor in my provincial legislature in high school, and I remember thinking, 鈥淚 will be back鈥�. Attending question period brought me back to that moment in a way that felt full circle, and our subsequent session later that week with political staffers helped me realize a clearer path for myself moving forward.
The MPP program as a whole has been incredible so far, and I have learnt so much from every course and professor in the program. Nothing as of yet has been able to compete with the massive opportunity for personal growth and development the Ottawa trip offers. It is a key component of this program and an invaluable one at that.
