On Saturday April 9th, I boarded a plane destined for Ottawa with one of my best friends in tow (shoutout to Furyal!!). I think it’s safe to say that I didn’t quite know what I was getting myself into at that point. Two months prior, Furyal approached me about Encounters With Canada over Facebook Messenger, urging me to go. Encounters With Canada Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined I’d get the opportunity, but on a whim, my Father convinced my Mother into letting me go and just over two months later, I met my friend at Calgary International Airport for what would possibly be the best week of my life.
Now that line might’ve sounded intense, however I can’t find any other appropriate line to perfectly encapsulate the week. We arrived in Ottawa at 11:30pm eastern standard time and within a few minutes, I was seated at a table beside a Tim Hortons with my friend and two other participants, one of which I can say is very close to me now and easily one of my best friends. We ate sandwiches and joked around until all the participants arrived and soon after, we left the airport on a small bus full of teens from across Canada.
I went to bed a short while after arriving at Ottawa’s Terry Fox Youth Centre, which housed us for the week. That first day was slow going as we waited for the rest of the attendees to roll in on that first Sunday. We ended up walking an hour to Rideau Hall (home of the Right Honorable Governor General David Johnston) and while I was totally unprepared attire wise and soaked my shoes, the walk was rather picturesque and I enjoyed walking by several embassies.
On Monday, April 11th, we visited Parliament. I’ve been to the Edmonton legislature beforehand on a band trip back in 2014, but nothing compared to Ottawa’s Parliament Building. It was rainy and cold, but I couldn’t help but admire the architecture of the building as 102 of us waited outside to get in. The extravagance didn’t stop there, as the whole building was a piece of art. The carvings inside the building are made with incredible craftsmanship and you can find large, lovely paintings all over.
We had the opportunity to watch Question Period that afternoon. If you’re unsure of what that is, it’s the show on CTV that you watch to put yourself to sleep. Jokes aside, it’s definitely something everyone should see. It’s basically a giant roast where MPs bicker for a 15 second cameo on national television, although often times it can be serious. Later that evening, the politicians gathered to discuss the Attawapiskat suicide crisis. According to Alberta Conservative MP Martin Shields, everyone was civilized, debating politely and working . The Attawapiskat suicide crisis was a topic a few of us were fixated on for a couple of days. I recall sitting in the tv room with a number of fellow participants, our eyes glued to the news as the story was unfurling. A number of debates ensued that week over the suicide crisis, as well as other topics. I can’t tell you how good it felt to be in a friendly environment surrounded by like minded individuals.
The following days consisted of preparing a campaign for our very own mock election, watching various guest speakers and touring around Ottawa. Some of my personal highlights were getting to see Liberal MP Peter Schiefke talk and watching representatives from Parliament’s Page Program come in and talk about their program, which you can read more about here.
I had the fortuitous opportunity of performing Last Post during the week’s peace module at Beechwood Cemetery, which included a visit from a war veteran and a special ceremony honouring fallen soldiers. It felt important being there as not only was I honouring these soldiers, but my Grandfather who passed away in 2012 was buried at Beechwood. I’d never seen his grave, and I still haven’t, but it felt good knowing I was close to him.
The week culminated in a shopping trip in ByWard Market on Friday morning. Though I didn’t get to have a beavertail, I had a great time. The night culminated in a banquet, a talent show, a talking stick circle (where we all expressed our feelings towards the week), and lastly a dance. It was a great end to a great week with some amazing friends, though all that is good must come to an end. The dance ended at around 3:00am EST and I watched as the first batch of participants left the centre to travel on a bus back to the airport. I stayed up for another 3 hours, watching some of my closest friends depart the centre, not knowing when I’d see them again. I can say this experience was truly a test of my emotional strength as it’s hard to say goodbye to people you’ve grown attached to and can’t see very often.
Around 3:30pm on Saturday, I departed, leaving my temporary second home behind. I can wholeheartedly say that parts of me have gone off in different directions with all these amazing people I’ve met. There are things I learned there that I could never learn in a class, and it’s those experiences that I’m so grateful for. A lot of us are already planning to meet up in Vancouver this summer, and I’m so excited for what the future has for us. I met some of Canada’s brightest youth that week, and I see big things for our future. Until then, I’ll be planning the best cross country road trip anyone’s ever seen, with plenty of stops at Tim Hortons.
To learn more about Encounters With Canada, visit their website here. This article can’t come close to explaining how life changing this experience was. It was the best week of my life and I highly encourage looking into this amazing program and attending a theme week!
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