Ontario MP, Jamil Jivani, visits U of R

Jivani’s cross Canada campus tour, Restore the North, hits U of R’s campus

On Mar. 4, Ontario Member of Parliament (MP) for Bowmanville-Oshawa of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA),  Jamil Jivani, came to speak in a town hall style engagement at the U of R. The visit was a part of his cross Canada campus tour called Restore the North. Both students and members of the public were a part of the audience.

The event was hosted by the University of Regina Campus Conservative club (URCC). The group often organises events where members of the conservative party engage with students. 

URCC president, Layne Johnson said that bringing the tour to U of R created a great opportunity for students to get involved with political discussion.

“It gave students across the political spectrum a space to ask questions, share perspectives and engage in open dialogue about issues young people are facing in Canada today,” said Johnson. 

Now I am a journalist working for a left-leaning student newspaper and there was definitely apprehension in the room when people in the office found out about the event. So, when I was asked if I’d like to attend the event and see what it was truly about, I was definitely intrigued. 

What is ‘Restore the North’?

I was not very sure what I was getting myself into when I arrived at the event. I have, obviously, heard about Jivani after watching the 2025 federal election last spring. The title “Restore the North” made me feel like I was heading into a “Change my mind” event similar to the ones hosted by Turning Point USA. 

Special guests like Sask. MP, Christine Tell, and Senator, Denise Batters, were also in attendance. Tell introduced Jivani and the concept of “Restore the North” which is “restoring clarity, confidence and competence,” back into Canadian society with the focus on growing the energy sector, enhancing food security, and promoting Saskatchewan’s export industry. Essentially, the idea was to go back to a time when issues plaguing Canada were lesser, hence “restoring” the country. 

Jivani came out and took his spot at a table. He started by saying that the event would be heavily focused on getting young voters out and involved in politics. 

Why should young adults take an interest in politics?

I had an opportunity to speak with Jivani following the event and he was very receptive to a young journalist who wanted to ask questions. 

The first and most pressing question was why did he choose to come to a university campus in Regina? 

“We had some of the people here reach out to us when we first started this whole thing in Ontario, and so, when we started putting a plan together for how we would visit different provinces, we just wanted to come and meet some of the great people we heard from here. There are actually even some graduates of U of R, who are very active in our party, some of whom came to help me in my bi-election in 2024,” answered Jivani. 

Whether you agree with Jivani or not, he emphasized his belief in the young people of this country. He said that he wants people to respect the young generation because they are the future of Canada. 

Jivani’s response to his hopes for this tour stood out to me as something I wasn’t expecting. 

“[There needs to] be more young people, students, recent graduates, getting involved in politics! I’m not here to say your involvement should be only about one party. I just want you involved,” said Jivani. “I just think the more we have young people running for office, volunteering, voting, [etc.] the more the priorities of young people [will be] reflected in the decisions that politicians make.” 

I’m not here to say your involvement should be only about one party. I just want you involved.” – Jamil Jivani.

Our neighbours to the south were featured  

Something that Jivani emphasized as an issue was that we, as Canadians, are very concerned about what is going on politically in other countries rather than our own. He said that due to an influx of American media, we are often more concerned about what is happening in the U.S. than in our country. 

I am not going to lie, it was refreshing to see an eastern MP take interest in issues in our province. The Canadian West is often overlooked in elections due to the drastic population defect we have compared to Ontario and Quebec. 

As a journalist, I found myself agreeing with Jivani’s statements during the event. We truly are so invested in knowing what is going on in the States that our own issues get overlooked unless something drastic happens. 

And that is not true just for politics. Same is the case with the entertainment we consume. Look at CTV. When I was growing up, primetime evening television consisted of American shows like The Big Bang Theory, Friends, the Connors etc. 

I think shows like these comment on what is standard in the U.S. and are far from what happens in Canadian society.

Q&A session

During the questions period, questions about the recent floor crossings of conservative MPs, the recent updates on Medical Assistance is Dying (MAID), tax cuts, equalization payments, 2SLGBTQIA+ rights, and maintaining conservative values in a less conservative society were asked.

About half way through it, someone asked Jivani questions that seemed personal to me. They asked about Jivani’s past political alignments, relationships with other politicians over the border, etc. 

Jivani stood his own and was very open on the topics the person brought up. At a certain point, the discourse became, in my opinion, hostile and got to a point where it was no longer a conversation.

When visiting bigger universities, Jivani told the room that the liberal students club would come and have spirited debates with him. 

 “[The students] are normally very well prepared and we love having them participate. The quality of discussion with liberal students is often better than in the House of Commons,”  Jivani chuckled.

I thought it was great that an MP from Ontario cared about us ‘wheat huskers’ in Saskatchewan. I think this is the kind of event all parties should be holding to engage with young Canadians.

I think we need to be able to have spirited and respectful debates to be able to grow in our own ideas. We have become so entrapped by our own views, thanks to social media algorithms, that many of us live in our very personal echo chambers. We need to be challenged in a safe and healthy space in order to expand our learning and our perspectives. 

I would encourage anyone and everyone who has the opportunity to take in such an event to do so with an open mind and engage in a respectful, and, perhaps, spirited debate. No matter one’s political alignment.