The U.S. midterm elections are drawing attention on both sides of the border, including at the University of Windsor.
The University of Windsor’s Model Parliament, along with the Political Science Department, Model NATO, Political Science Society, and Pre-Law Society, held a watch party Tuesday evening.
About 40 students and professors gathered on campus to watch the results come in and discuss what they could mean for the future of American politics.
While the election is happening in the United States, students stated there’s plenty of reason for Canadians to be paying attention.
The outcome could have implications for the relationship between the two countries, including trade, border security, the economy and Canada’s dealings with the Trump administration.
For students studying political science and international relations, the night was also an opportunity to better understand the changing geopolitical landscape and what could come next.
Danny Zaid, fourth year political science student, says Canada’s relationship with the U.S. is significant.
“The fact that we’re living in Windsor at this time, I think it is setting a trajectory for how we as a city and then even as a province, how the next few years are going to be a little bit productive for us. The last few years have been difficult. Canadians have been feeling it. And I think this election represents a new hope, or at least we’ll have a better feeling of where we’re headed.”
Nihaal Dhaliwal, fourth year political science student, says what happens in the U.S. affects Canadians every day.
“We’re one bridge between Windsor and Detroit, right? All trade goes between Windsor and Detroit. And even when we saw the Gordie Howe Bridge opening up, we saw the little roughs it had with Trump, the negotiations and how they sort of went stagnant. Right now, being in Windsor, being at the University of Windsor, I mean, literally at our doorstep is U.S. politics.”
Ella Horner, third year English student and co-Vice President of Social Media and Events for Model Parliament, says it’s important to stay informed.
“It actually comes up in my English classes so much because now it’s starting to sway how our everyday lives are going. And it’s affecting our gas prices. It’s affecting how people who travel to school, like myself, I’m not originally from Windsor, I travel home for school breaks and now I’m starting to have to figure things out because gas is so expensive. It’s so much more important now.”
With Canada so closely connected to the American economy and political system, the results could have consequences that reach well beyond the U.S. border.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Mark Carney said he had a “good conversation” with U.S. President Donald Trump on trade relations.
-with files from CTV Windsor’s Robert Lothian