Where are you from?

I spent my formative years in Ottawa’s east end! I went to Gloucester High School and played ringette for the Gloucester-Cumberland Ringette Association.

What attracted you to political science?

I was in another program before taking two political science courses — Politics in the World (PSCI 1200) and IR: Global Politics (PSCI 2601) — which made me consider switching degree pathways in my third year. As a curious person, what fascinated me about Political Science was the sheer amount of information, viewpoints, and debate within the field.

What are the top 3 reasons to be a political science student at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´?

First, I’d be remiss not to mention the capital advantage. Given the opportunities for employment, political participation, and meeting individuals who influence Canadian domestic and foreign policy, there is nowhere better to study Political Science than ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University.

In my time as a Political Science undergraduate at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´, I met Germany’s ambassador to Canada, Matthias LĂĽttenberg, too many politicians to count, and was surrounded by politically minded peers who encouraged me to challenge my thinking and to be active in politics — whether that be on or off campus.

As a former co-chair of the ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University New Democrats, I can say with confidence that ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´â€™s campus has a robust set of politically active student groups that incoming students ought to be aware of. Moreover, many of my friends in Political Science had jobs as policy analysts, program coordinators, parliamentary interns and senate pages during their undergrad!

Second, I have to mention the department’s amazing faculty and staff. Every professor whom I’ve interacted with in the department is approachable, knowledgeable, and kind. The staff in the Political Science department are incredibly helpful. Figuring out my courses felt intimidating when I transferred to Political Science, but the staff, particularly the department’s program administrator, Sarah Landry, made it easy.

Third, there are intellectually stimulating courses and academic opportunities. The courses and papers I have written have encouraged me to challenge my own thinking. Beyond courses, there are great opportunities to contribute in the field. The ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University Journal of Political Science (CUJPS) is launching its first volume soon. I would encourage students to reach out and potentially get published! In the age of AI, it is more important than ever to think critically. Political Science gives you those skills and more.

What was your favourite course?

There are so many amazing courses to choose from, but my favourite was the Honours Research Essay (PSCI 4809). The HRE is a great opportunity for students to research an area of interest, work with a faculty member, and to learn about their style as a researcher. My HRE was entitled: “Time to Breakup? Issue Linkage and the Health of Canada-U.S. Relations”. My research found that issue linkage — defined as efforts to break an impasse or otherwise improve one’s own bargaining position on a particular issue by tying it to another, unrelated issue — was uncommon in the Canada-U.S. relationship pre-Trump. However, that issue linkage garners Canadian concessions when they are credible, limited, and when an easy policy off-ramp is provided. From start to finish, the experience was very fulfilling. Shoutout to Dr. Aaron Ettinger for being a fantastic supervisor!

What was the most challenging part of being a university student?

Time management. During my undergrad, I always had a job or other responsibilities outside of the classroom. Learning how best to juggle my responsibilities and academics without neglecting myself, my partner, friends and family is something I’m still figuring out.

Favourite things to do outside of class.

Lately, I’ve been getting into running and the gym. The endorphins from physical activity have been fantastic for my mental health. I’m also an avid non-fiction reader. I always have a book on me, just in case there is time to get a few pages in.

Favourite hangout spot on campus.

The political science undergraduate lounge! It’s a great space to get some work done and to spend time with fellow Political Science students.

What is your favourite memory?

It’s hard to give a specific answer. I’ll always cherish the mundane moments on campus, writing papers, and casual drinks with friends I made at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´.

What advice would you give your first-year self?

Don’t let your mistakes define you. In my first year, I struggled with academics and I let failure define my whole personhood. There is always the opportunity to find success doing something you don’t expect. Use the resources ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ provides you, visit your professors during their office hours, and, most importantly, as my Mom always told me growing up playing Ringette, “work hard, try your best, and have fun!”.

What’s next for you?

This summer, I’ll be working at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). I’ll be right back at ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ in September to start my MA in Political Science.

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Congratulations to Kimberlee Nesbitt on her recent PhD proposal defense! Dissertation Title: ““Fix [your] hearts or die!”: The ethics of care and the question of reproductive security in Ukraine.”

“Since Russia’s invasion in 2014, the international security arena has struggled to account for the intimate, embodied consequences of war, particularly as it relates to experiences of social and embodied reproduction in Ukraine. My project addresses this notable silence by examining how reproductive care practices, decision-making, and relationships are being transformed under conditions of defensive war and prolonged occupation. Drawing on Sara Ruddick’s concept of maternal thinking and the ethics of care, I argue that caregiving during conflict is not merely a practice of survival but a form of unique, situated knowledge – one capable of destabilizing dominant security and global health logics.

Through an extended feminist case study grounded in narrative ethnographic analysis, I engage Ukrainian wartime diaries and poetry to trace how reproductive actors – be they mothers, midwives, surrogates, or the other care networks in between – make sense of and respond to the fractures of war. These texts do more than document trauma; they serve as ethical encounters that reveal the affective labour, moral reasoning, and agency embedded in practices of care. Finally, my project situates these dynamics of care against the backdrop of Russian imperial aggression and Western neoliberal governance, wherein Ukraine’s colonial in-betweenness further shapes the moral dilemmas of caregiving.”

Kim’s project is co-supervised by Dr. Fiona Robinson and Dr. Brian C. Schmidt; Dr. Valerie Percival serves as third reader.

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Congratulations to Chelsea Pope on recently defending her PhD thesis proposal! Her project is titled “A Feminist International Relations Approach to the Destruction of Infrastructure in Precision Targeting Missions: The Canadian Armed Forces and The United States Military in Afghanistan”.

“My research investigates the gendered impacts of infrastructure destruction resulting from precision-guided munitions missions, focusing on the actions of the Canadian Armed Forces and the United States Military in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2022. Specifically, it examines how these operations disproportionately affect women and asks: “What are the gendered consequences of infrastructure destruction in PGM missions?” The study argues that such missions often overlook the long-term gendered repercussions of destruction, neglecting both their strategic implications and the broader societal effects on women.

I owe a huge thank-you to the ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University Department of Political Science, and to my amazing mentors, Fiona Robinson, Elinor Sloan, and Cati Coe, who have been incredibly generous with their time and support.

I am excited to start the research portion of my degree and challenge dominant frameworks that ignore the long-term social consequences of war, advocating for a more holistic approach that prioritizes sustainability and gender-sensitive analyses of military strategy.”

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Deo Mwapinga, a recent PhD graduate from the Department of Political Science, was installed recently as the Secretary General of the Forum of Parliaments of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region of Africa. This intergovernmental body is comprised of parliaments across the Great Lakes Region with a mandate to advance a shared agenda for peace, security and democratic governance.

Ottawa Citizen Story:

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We are pleased to announce that PhD student Izac Mason is the well-deserved the winner of the 2024-25 Department of Political Science Outstanding TA award! Congratulations Izak!

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Research topic: An exploration of federal bureaucratic performance in Canada 2000-2024

Rohit’s research examines the efforts of Canada’s federal public administration to fulfill the policy goals set by elected governments over the past 25 years. His dissertation seeks to develop a framework for understanding the effectiveness of public sector implementation in supporting  the achievement of these goals.

Rohit is supervised by Dr. Scott Bennett.

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Congrats to Elsa Piersig on her recent PhD dissertation defence.  Her thesis is titled Confidence Game: How the Rules of the Confidence Relationship Impact Accountability and Executive-Legislative Relations in Parliamentary Democracies and her supervisor was Jonathan Malloy.  We would also like to congratulate Elsa on her appointment as Assistant Professor in Political Science at Lakehead University!

ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ Elsa’s research:

The confidence connection linking cabinets to parliaments is the defining feature of parliamentary democracies. Citizens elect a parliament, parliament delegates to cabinet through an investiture vote, and cabinet retains office so long as it retains parliament’s confidence. Confidence is lost through a vote of confidence or non-confidence, opening the door to a new government or an early dissolution and election. Despite the central role of the confidence connection to parliamentary democracy, existing research is limited and targets each of these mechanisms separately.

Elsa’s research brings together the four delegation and accountability mechanisms, plus the relevant constitutional and procedural rules, of the confidence connection to measure the relative balance of power between cabinets and parliaments. Drawing on a sample of 28 established parliamentary democracies, the project finds that parliamentary democracies have tended to adopt confidence relationships that, despite the wide variety of rules, generally privilege the executive relative to parliament. This is more pronounced as countries have turned towards more constructive rules that, in theory, give parliament more power over the executive, but in practice make it more difficult for parliament to act. Greater constructiveness ultimately shifts power away from parliament to a direct relationship between the executive and electorate.

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Working title: “Feminist” Canada and the Global Anti-Rights Movement: How NGOs are Navigating Changing Political Landscapes.

My research examines how Canadian civil society organizations focused on gender equality navigate shifting political realities—especially the tension between Canada’s feminist-oriented foreign aid commitments and the rise of far-right, anti-gender movements globally. The project aims to illuminate the strategies that enable Canadian NGOs to sustain feminist gains, foster transnational solidarity, and confront ideologies that seek to erode gender equity norms.

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Rafael’s research focuses on the political economy of the rise of the far right in Brazil. His dissertation project aims to understand the effects of the Brazilian economic structure over the country’s political framework, exploring the interaction between class interests, ideologies, policies and the international system. He is supervised by Dr. Laura Macdonald.

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Congratulations to Carmen Rykaart on being awarded a SSHRC Graduate Scholarhsip – Masters’ 2024-25 for her research project ” Conceptualizing Indigenous Homelessness to Address Inadequate Homeless Policy Responses”.

“Much of the previous academic research on homelessness has emphasized the role of individual responsibility, but a recent focal shift toward considering the various historical and structural factors that contribute to homelessness provides the basis for my research interest.

One of the biggest barriers to creating effective policy is the difficulty of defining homelessness with all of its complexities. There is a notable distinction between the common Western understanding of homelessness a fundamental lack of stable shelter, and an Indigenous conception of homelessness, which encompasses the state of being without a “home,” not isolated to the purely physical but including cultural and spiritual elements in the context of displacement and colonization.

The absence of policy recognizing Indigenous conceptions of homelessness may contribute to the ineffectiveness of current programs that are meant to address Indigenous homelessness. The question that I aim to answer through my research is “How does the current understanding of Indigenous homelessness in government policy include and exclude Indigenous understandings of homelessness, and how does this influence the engagement and effectiveness of existing services and programs intended to assist them?” By addressing this gap, my research will inform policy decisions for homelessness reduction and prevention for Indigenous peoples experiencing “spiritual disconnection”, which Thistle defines as “[a]n Indigenous individual’s or community’s separation from Indigenous worldviews or connection to the Creator or equivalent deity” (2017).”

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