International Relations Students Tour Ottawa

International Relations Society delegation with Supreme Court of Canada Justice Malcolm Rowe (fourth from right), in Ottawa on February 20, 2018.

By International Relations Society

What can you do with a degree in international relations? Students from Trinity’s International Relations Program caught a glimpse of potential future careers as part of the International Relations Society’s (IRS) Mentorship Trip to Ottawa from February 19 to 21. This annual trip brings together first-year U of T students (hoping to enter the program) with upper-year mentors (who provide advice on everything from course selection to internships).

Led by IRS Co-President Andreas Kyriakos and VP Mentorship Sarah Ingle, students met with some of Ottawa’s leading practitioners of diplomacy law, and humanitarian assistance.

Highlights of this incredible trip included a visit to the Supreme Court of Canada, where the group met with Justice Malcolm Rowe (photo above). They discussed issues of diversity on the benches of Canada’s highest courts, as well as the political constraints of international law. Justice Rowe’s background in maritime law was of particular interest for the students, who raised questions about Chinese incursions in the South China Sea and advancements in deep sea mining.
The group’s next stop was the British High Commission, where students engaged with the chiefs of the mission’s foreign policy, trade and communications sections. Topics ranged from British geostrategic priorities post-Brexit and bilateral cooperation on artificial intelligence to reinvigorating the unique cultural ties between Canada and the United Kingdom.

Everyday realities faced by Canada’s own Foreign Service Officers were brought into focus the following day during a visit to Global Affairs Canada (GAC). Philip Pinnington (Trinity ’81), former Ambassador of Canada to Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro, spoke alongside colleagues about the evolution of the department and the changing nature of its workforce. Students were enthusiastic about GAC’s new graduate initiatives, but more circumspect on cautions of the impact of foreign service on families.

The visit was capped off with an outing to the national headquarters of the Canadian Red Cross. Trinity’s group was fascinated to learn about the structure of the organization and the heterogeneity of the work done by the Red Cross around the world.

“It was such a privilege to organize this visit” said Ingle. “In addition to building on a key IRS tradition, it was an honour to introduce international students in the IR Program to our nation’s capital.”

Feedback from participants was similarly effusive. The IRS Executive thanks those who supported the visit, including its many hosts in Ottawa, and looks forward to another successful Mentorship Trip in 2019.

Categories: Academic; International Relations; Student News