05/29/2025
We're now about a month removed from the federal election and I have had the time to think and process the whole experience, so I thought it might be nice to share some of my reflections on the whole experience as a first time candidate.
This past federal election was one truly characterized by fear. Amid threats of economy-shattering tariffs and annexation, the top issue on many Canadians’ minds was simply protecting our country and economic well-being. Though the frequent reminders of these threats during my own run for office made it hard to feel hopeful for the future, my first experience campaigning left me feeling more inspired than anything. My meetings with Waterloo residents revealed that even in highly uncertain times, Canadians are still fighting to improve their communities.
Until recently, I never saw myself as a politician. I studied engineering through to my PhD to create technological solutions to the problems I saw, but the more I learned and the more I tried to help, the more I realized that the problems we face today aren’t just problems of innovation, but of policy and will.
Coming into my campaign, I was, like many voters, deeply frustrated and feeling like there had to be a better way. It seemed like everything from housing to groceries was getting impossibly expensive, and politicians weren’t moving fast enough to help people who were struggling. To me, there were solutions at the ready: make necessities like housing and healthcare more accessible and affordable through rent control, building actually affordable housing, and expanding healthcare coverage, while closing tax loopholes to ensure the wealthiest Canadians pay their fair share. I also knew we needed to act on climate change and build a new green economy, not only to protect the planet from ecological collapse, but to create good jobs in Canada.
Across my daily door-to-door canvassing efforts, I found time and time again that voters agreed with these policy solutions but felt trapped in a cycle of strategic voting. They weren’t voting for the future they wanted, they were voting defensively, hoping to block a government they feared would do harm. I don’t blame them for this. Strategic voting is a symptom of an electoral system that leaves people feeling they must choose the least bad option, rather than the one that truly reflects their values and hopes. It’s not voters who need to change, it's the system itself.
Unfortunately, electoral reform is not something that will happen overnight. Parties that benefit from the status quo have no incentive to change it, and meaningful reform will require widespread public pressure and collaboration across party lines. The fight to fix our electoral system will be long. But in the meantime, we can’t allow cynicism or frustration to stop us from working toward a better future.
That’s why political action cannot end at the ballot box. If we want people to vote for something instead of against something, we need to give them something worth fighting for. That means building grassroots movements, shaping bold policies, and working together to push for the change we all know is possible. My campaign was never just about an election, it was about a movement for real solutions, real hope, and real community-driven change.
I knew going into this election that the odds were against me, but I still jumped in head first because I knew it was important to speak up for the solutions I believed could actually help people. Seeing community organizers tackle Canada's biggest issues head-on has inspired me and reinforced my belief in community action. I'm more ready than ever to work alongside them to improve Waterloo. We can’t afford to settle, we must demand better. And together, we will build something worth voting for.
