In March 2025, more than 300 young Canadians gathered in Ottawa at the Forum for Young Canadians National Summit. For more than 45 years, this program has been a uniting force, bringing young people together to deepen their understanding of Canada and learn from one another while growing their confidence and commitment towards democracy and civic engagement.
During the sessions, youth had the opportunity to meet Senators, MPs and political leaders as they went behind the scenes to see how decisions are made. The Summit empowers youth to develop leadership, communication, and teamwork skills while making lasting friendships.
During this year’s closing ceremony on March 6, our Chair, the Right Honourable David Johnston, 28th Governor General of Canada, offered up these words of encouragement to these youth who will become leaders in this country:
“Be ambitious and test yourself against challenges. Be kind to one another and be gentle to yourself.”
Canada is a beautiful, complex, successful experiment in democracy. We’re also a work in progress and these youth prove that the future is bright. Their curiosity, passion, and commitment to making Canada the best country it can be are inspiring. And we’re thrilled to be part of their leadership journey.
A special thanks to the House of Commons, Senate of Canada, Rideau Hall, Supreme Court of Canada, Elections Canada, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, The Samara Centre for Democracy, The Gordon Foundation and MediaSmarts for welcoming participants and sharing their knowledge.
We’re also grateful to the entire team from The Democratic Engagement Exchange at Toronto Metropolitan University and our amazing volunteers from across a variety of public service departments for their support in creating the right environment, and to Delta Hotels by Marriott Ottawa City Centre, Rain Digital, Character Creative, TPH (Albert St.), Traductions Hermès for their support.
Finally, we extend our deep appreciation to the Department of Canadian Heritage and all our funders who help make this program possible.
Forum for Young Canadians
For more than 45 years, Forum has been and continues to be a uniting force, bringing more than 25,000 young people together to connect and learn from each other.
