2025 Global Affairs Canada Study Tour: Understanding Canada

March 4, 2025 - From February 17 to 21, a group of 29 scholars gathered in Ottawa to take part in the 2025 Global Affairs Canada Study Tour: Understanding Canada. This annual event brings together international scholarship recipients to participate in a series of activities aimed at deepening their understanding of Canadian values, culture, and governance, while fostering academic collaboration and mutual understanding.

The participants were selected from the 2024-2025 cohort of short-term scholarship recipients under the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program, Study in Canada Scholarships and Canada-China Scholars’ Exchange Program. The tour was organized by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), which administers the three scholarship programs on behalf of Global Affairs Canada.

Representing 19 countries – Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chile, China, Colombia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Türkiye, and Uganda – the scholars are currently pursuing graduate studies or research in 16 postsecondary institutions across seven Canadian provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan.

A wide range of activities, including meetings with government, industry and education representatives, as well as visits to places of historical and cultural importance, provided a truly immersive experience. Key highlights included visits to the House of Commons, the Canadian Museum of History, and the National Research Council Canada. The participants also met with representatives from the Parliamentary Centre, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, addressing topics such as inclusive democratic institutions and Canada's innovative research landscape. A particularly impactful experience was a Blanket Exercise led by Indigenous facilitators, providing the scholars with a deeper understanding of the history and culture of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in Canada. The scholars also had an opportunity to meet with diplomats from their home countries to discuss the importance of strengthening academic and cultural linkages between Canada and other nations.

The 2025 Study Tour was a success, creating lasting connections for participants that will enhance their academic journeys and their lifelong ties to Canada.