Guelph's Maddy Godin is one of 338 women chosen to participate in a virtual conference helping increase the representation of women in Canadian politics.
Godin will be attending an event called Daughters of the Vote (DOV). It is an organized by Equal Voice, a multi-partisan organization which aims to elect and support women in all levels of government.
Having been selected, Godin will be participating in the three-day virtual event from March 5 to March 8.
“It’s the opportunity for us to be the MP for three to four days,” said Godin, “We’re the ones talking and leading discussions, and things like that.”
At the event, participants will learn about Canadian policies and procedures, hear from guest speakers and be able to ask questions about their experiences.
“(It’s) an opportunity to talk with a bunch of women and gender diverse youth about things that are super relevant to us,” said Godin, “And to grow my network and learn a lot from people who have different perspectives than I do, and who have different backgrounds.”
Godin is a fourth-year global development student at Queens University. She says she first heard about DOV from a good friend of hers who applied in 2019.
“She spoke so highly of it (and) absolutely loved it,” she said.
When Godin had applied for the program, she thought her application had been rejected, as she hadn’t received an email notifying her of her application’s status.
It wasn’t until she checked her junk mail that she learned she had been selected to represent her riding, Guelph.
“It was super exciting,” said Godin, “I've just been trying to build those connections already. The conference isn't until March, but it's good to get to know some of the people that will be speaking and brainstorming some questions I can ask.”
When asked about female Canadian politicians she admires, Godin lists MP Catherine McKenna and MP Chrystia Freeland.
“They definitely really inspire me to shoot for the stars when it comes to the things I want to do academically,” said Godin about the two women, “Also, in terms of accepting criticism and being above it, knowing that as a women in politics, that’s something you’re going to face, and building a harder shell for it.”
Godin said she began to get interested in politics when she was 17, after participating in an event called Forum for Young Canadians, an initiative aimed at getting young people involved in politics.
“It’s a program where they send a bunch of different students from across Canada that are in high school to Ottawa for a week,” she explains, “You get to meet a bunch of different MPs, politicians and lobbyists.”
“I’m definitely someone who, when I’m interested in something, I want to learn as much about it as I can.”
During the summer after her second year of university, she interned for four months in the office of Canadian MP Pablo Rodriguez while he was the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism.
“I learned a lot about politics when I was there and I fell in love with Ottawa,” she recalls about that experience, “I got to see when they launched the first anti-racism strategy, I got to work on the behind-the-scenes of Canada Day.”
“Even though I was already into politics, that was where I thought, ‘I want to do this,’ the working on campaigns, working in Ottawa, and that stuff.”
With plans to go on and pursue a masters degree in public policy, Godin said she has many people to thank who helped support her political journey.
"I've been privileged enough to part in learning opportunities," said Godin, "In all these opportunities, I definitely have to thank my parents and all these other people who supported me along the way."
To learn more about Daughters of the Vote and Equal Voice, click here.
