Jonah Gowans has wanted to be Prime Minister of Canada since he was eight. Now wiser at 22, he still wants to be Prime Minister, although his rationale has matured.
As a Brooks Secondary School student keen to learn more about political processes, Gowans attended youth parliaments, all-candidates meetings and even job-shadowed local MLA Nicholas Simons.
“I originally wanted to be boss of Canada so my mom wouldn’t be boss of me,” laughed Gowans. “Now it’s that I know politics is the best way to help the most amount of people.”
Currently a fourth-year political science student at University of Ottawa, a “stone’s throw” away from Parliament Hill, Gowans said he watched Canada’s 2015 federal election unfold as a youth volunteer, even meeting party leaders when they came to speak at his school.
“My class met Justin Trudeau and he actually told us to call him by his first name,” said Gowans. “Justin is really energetic and bubbly. He answered questions and everyone was in awe because of his political legacy.”
Gowans said he wanted to move to Ottawa to be near Parliament Hill and all of its workings. He said he was thrilled to vote for the first time in this federal election and wishes other young voters were as politically engaged.
“I’m annoyed at young people who didn’t vote,” he said. “If young people prove we are a voting demographic, our issues will be looked at.”
A supporter of the Liberal Party of Canada, Gowans said he waited until grade 12 before becoming a member.
“By the time I was 16 I’d followed four elections, two provincial and two federal,” he said. “I’d read all the party platforms and solidified that my views were in line with the Liberal party.”
In learning about the history of the Liberal party, Gowans said he has come to admire Liberal leader Lester B. Pearson. Prime Minister between 1958 and 1968, Pearson won the Nobel Peace Prize and is considered the father of modern peacekeeping.
According to Gowans, the Liberals have fallen a long way since Pearson, especially when it comes to the environment. However, he said he believes environmental policies will improve under Trudeau, particularly because of the new PM’s ability to bridge party divides.
“Green Party leader Elizabeth May will have his ear,” said Gowans. “I think we have entered a really interesting time for the environment.”
As for Gowans’ immediate future, he said he is hoping to work in the office of a Liberal MP in Ottawa and start paying off his student loans.
And when it comes to his dream of becoming Prime Minister, the next step would be running for Parliament.
“I would love to run for the North Island-Powell River seat,” said Gowans. “But I’m 22, so who knows how my life will go?”
