Bibi Hakim is shaping Canada's future
January 4, 2026
As early as Grade 4, Bibi Hakim was already saying she would one day become Canada’s prime minister.
That ambition took root after watching an older pupil she admired participate in student parliament where she saw young people come together to solve problems. A year later, while studying civics and visiting the Ontario Legislature, the North Kipling Junior Public School student closely observed Question Period, further deepening her fascination with how government works.
By Grade 8, Hakim was elected student body prime minister herself, a role in which she had a strong and successful tenure that reinforced her interest in leadership and public service.
In 2016, just out of high school, she took a concrete step toward that goal by setting her sights on working on Parliament Hill.
Today, Hakim has already achieved one of those early milestones, serving as a senior parliamentary affairs advisor in Ottawa.
Working behind the scenes on the national political stage, she is the only openly identifiable Indo-Caribbean senior staffer helping to guide the day-to-day business of government, an early marker in a journey she first envisioned years earlier.
In her role with Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons Steven MacKinnon, Hakim supports his parliamentary responsibilities by coordinating House business, preparing for Question Period, liaising with the Prime Minister’s Office and other ministers’ offices and helping advance legislation and government priorities through Parliament.
Transportation is one of the largest and most complex policy files in the federal government, touching almost every aspect of the economy and daily life. For the impact-driven young woman to be overseeing and supporting work on a file of this scale is a notable achievement.
“I have been there for two years now, and I have survived every shuffle,” said Hakim, reflecting on her time in the department.
Indeed, the pace of change at the top has been rapid.
Former Quebec Liberal Party leader Pablo Rodríguez served as Canada’s Minister of Transport until September 2024, when Anita Anand succeeded him and took responsibility for both the Transport and Internal Trade portfolios. Following the formation of Mark Carney’s new government in March 2025, Chrystia Freeland was appointed Minister of Transport and Internal Trade. When she later left Cabinet to become Canada’s special envoy for the reconstruction of Ukraine, MacKinnon succeeded her in the role last September.
On high-stakes files like transportation, institutional experience is essential as it ensures smoother transitions between ministers, protects long-term policy objectives and allows the government to function effectively despite political turnover.
Working with four transport ministers in two years and continuing to thrive underscores Hakim’s adaptability, institutional knowledge and political maturity well beyond her years.
Before joining Transport Canada, she worked at Global Affairs Canada, serving in the office of then International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan.
In that role, Hakim was part of the team supporting Canada’s international development and foreign policy priorities, contributing to briefing materials, stakeholder engagement and coordination with other federal departments and international partners.
The experience gave her early exposure to the intersection of diplomacy, development policy and government decision-making at the national level, further shaping her path in federal public service and political affairs.
That professional confidence did not come easily.
There was a time when Hakim was shy and introverted. In her first year of high school, she experienced severe bullying, an early challenge that tested her confidence but did not define her future.
“I attended North Kipling Junior School up until Grade 8, and when I started high school, most of the students around me had already been to at least two different schools,” she explained. “They had gone through the transition of meeting new people and having their routines disrupted. I was not used to that at all.”
The transition was jarring.
“The first day of Grade 9 completely disrupted my system,” said Hakim who led the development of a database and platform for the United Nations Population Fund regional and country offices to support monitoring and evaluation of the organization’s program priorities. “Everyone around me was trying to prove themselves and find their ‘crew’. Suddenly, I was isolated from the students I had been with for five years and I wasn’t prepared for that.
“I hated being at school for the first two months because I started getting picked on for being different. I was different in the sense that I already knew what I wanted, but figuring out how to get there was what I struggled with. Not having my core group of friends around made that even harder.”
Sometimes, it just takes one individual stepping in at the right time to change the direction of a young person’s life.
For Hakim, that person was Marty Munchinsky, her geography teacher at North Albion Collegiate Institute, who introduced her to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, an experience that would alter her path and open new possibilities.
Founded in 1956 by the late Prince Philip and open to young people between the ages of 14 and 24, the globally recognized development program helps young people build confidence, skills and resilience through real-world experiences. Participants progress through three levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold, with each requiring a deeper commitment and greater personal responsibility.
Hakim was hesitant at first, largely because she knew nothing about the program.
“For three weeks, my teacher was on my case, encouraging me to give it a try,” she recalled. “The only reason I finally agreed was because I wanted to get him off my back.”
Through the program, participants choose their own activities and work toward personal goals in volunteering, physical recreation, skills development, adventurous journeys and a residential project.
In 2017, Hakim achieved the Gold Award by learning photography, volunteering for a year at her high school, camping with other Ontario high school students for a week at Algonquin Park and completing the Toronto Police Service Youth in Policing Initiative (YIPI) program in the summer of 2015.
In hindsight, joining the Duke of Ed program turned out to be one of the best decisions she ever made.
“Up to that point, I saw myself as a high school dropout,” said Hakim who was a delegate at the United Nations Climate Change Conference of Youth in Glasgow in 2021. “If it hadn’t been for the Duke of Ed, I don’t think I would have been exposed to the people who pushed me toward a career I didn’t even know existed.”
While the program provided the structural platform for her growth, she took the initiative in Grade 8 to develop a mental health movement to address the challenges she observed and experienced in school.
The inspiration for The Lines Project came from a traumatic event during her middle school years when a friend attempted suicide due to domestic violence at home. She noted that while their school taught them about the impact of bullying, they were never educated on the effects of mental health.
After her friend’s attempt, Hakim observed a troubling silence.
“I went to the principal’s office to support her, but no one talked about it the next day,” she recalled. “I thought if I had these colourful lines on my hands, a conversation would begin, and we would learn something new.”
Though the initiative began as a grassroots school project, it became the foundation for her work with the Duke of Ed.
To raise awareness for the project, Hakim wrote to Prince Harry whose paternal grandfather founded the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. They first met at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto where she was a keynote speaker.
Bibi Hakim (l) meeting Prince Harry in 2017 in Toronto (Photo contributed)
They stayed in touch over the years and reconnected in February 2025 at the Invictus Games in Vancouver and Whistler where she served as a volunteer ambassador.
Inspired by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau whom she said was the reason she chose to attend university in Ottawa, Hakim carried those early ideas with her during her undergraduate studies.
There, she expanded her work into Project Breaking Barriers, a campus initiative that created safe spaces for students to decompress. It proved so impactful that the university established a dedicated scholarship for students facing mental health and financial challenges in recognition of her efforts.
Hakim’s advocacy around a federal mental health policy emphasized the need for accessible, affordable and inclusive services. Her policy work and engagement contributed to broader discussions that shaped mental health commitments put forward by all three major federal parties during the 2021 election, signalling a rare area of consensus on the need to strengthen mental health care across Canada.
Just before graduating from high school in 2015, Hakim met Trudeau through a student engagement session organized by then Member of Parliament Dr. Kirsty Duncan which brought young people face-to-face with the country’s political leadership.
When asked about her plans, she said she was considering studying business administration to become a fashion designer.
“The Prime Minister suggested I consider public policy or political science because of my years in student government,” she recounted. “He said he had heard I was good at it and encouraged me to try it. When I asked whether it was a degree, he laughed and told me I should consider it. He said I had the grades and suggested I try it for a year, adding that if I did not like it, I could always pursue something else.”
Hakim took the advice and went on to complete the University of Ottawa joint political science and public administration program with honours in 2020.
“I kept the PM abreast of what I was doing in university and every time he saw me in the halls, he would stop and ask how I was doing,” she recounted.
Bibi Hakim and Justin Trudeau at the 2023 Equal Voice gala (Photo contributed)
After completing university, Hakim spent 16 months as an Executive and Legislative Assistant in the House of Commons where she gained firsthand experience in the day-to-day workings of the federal government. In the role, she supported Members of Parliament by managing correspondence, co-ordinating schedules, preparing briefing materials and assisting with legislative research and committee work.
During this period, she was chosen for the highly competitive DiverseCity mentorship program, further strengthening her leadership skills and expanding her professional network within the public service.
Hakim later joined the parliamentary affairs and issues management team for the Minister of International Development and the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada where her work focussed on supporting the minister’s parliamentary responsibilities, monitoring emerging issues, liaising with stakeholders and government departments and helping to advance key policy and legislative priorities.
While working on Parliament Hill a few years ago, she was the only woman seated on the staff bench of the House of Commons International Trade Committee, a space that, at the time, was overwhelmingly male dominated.
She recalls Kyle Peterson, then the Liberal MP for Newmarket-Aurora, as one of the few who made room for voices like hers.
“He gave me the space to express my opinion, even when it wasn’t common for staff, especially women, to speak up,” said Hakim who last November represented Canada and supported the Crown at the International Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Event and Forum in Lagos. “That support meant more than he realized. There were not many women in those staff rows back then. Now, we are beginning to see a bit more balance.”
Throughout her journey, mentors continued to play defining roles, among them Toronto Police Staff Sergeant Ron Boyce whom she first met in Grade 3 when he visited her school to give safety talks.
At the time, she was terrified of Elmer the Safety Elephant, the child safety mascot used by Toronto Police in schools and community programs.
“Ron took me to the back of the class and told me I should not be scared of the mascot as it was friendly,” she said. “We later crossed paths when I joined the Ladies on the Rise program where he was a mentor.”
Marcia Brown started the mentorship and empowerment program to support young women, mainly from Black and other marginalized communities as they navigate education, career goals and personal development.
Bibi Hakim (r) with Pablo Milandu (l), Muhammad Hassan, Kwaku Agyemang and Arianne Sayedy at the Trust 15 Christmas celebration in December 2014 (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Stepping in one year as a last-minute MC for the organization’s Christmas party, Hakim was overwhelmed with nerves.
“I was freaking out because I wasn’t used to doing something like that outside my school community,” she said. “Ron and Bassey Osagie (he is a Staff Sergeant) pulled me aside, told me to look over my script and encouraged me to relax. They stood with me and functioned as a barrier, keeping people from crowding me before the event began. It worked.”
At the end of the event, Boyce gave Hakim his business card and encouraged her to stay in touch. In 2014, he told her about the YIPI program and urged her to apply.
“I felt compelled to help her because I could see she has leadership qualities and is very responsible,” Boyce said a decade ago.
Just as she had been hesitant with the Duke of Ed, she was unsure about the YIPI program, established in 2006 with the help of former provincial minister Mary Anne Chambers, because she didn’t know much about it.
Late Staff Sergeant Ron Boyce introduced Bibi Hakim to the YIPI program a decade ago (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
After some convincing, Hakim applied and was accepted into the program that caters to high school and university students, between 15 and 18, who come from City of Toronto-designated Neighbourhood Improvement Areas and often struggle to find summer employment.
Assigned to headquarters with ProAction Cops & Kids and the Chief’s Office, she was also the class valedictorian.
“Now I can say I am a new person because of the YIPI program,” Hakim said in her address 10 years ago. “I met people who inspired and encouraged me to persevere despite the challenges I face. I also learnt an especially important lesson along the way and that is not to wait for the perfect time. That does not happen unless you contribute to that perfection you are seeking.”
The program also transformed her perception of the police.
“I used to be scared of them and called them the tall, giant scary people,” Hakim admitted. “Now I see them as human beings and my friends. I am not afraid to approach an officer and say, ‘Hello, how are you doing?’”
Bibi Hakim delivered the valedictorian address at the 2015 YIPI graduation (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Boyce’s death from cancer last June was devastating for her.
“It hit me hard,” said Hakim who participated in the five-month CanStudyUS Virtual Fellowship at Toronto Metropolitan University in 2022. “I was in the middle of Question Period when I received the news, and I made six calls to make sure it was true. Whenever I came to Toronto from Ottawa, Ron was the first person I touched base with. When he was in Ottawa, he came to see me. He was the last person I gave a tour of Centre Block (the main building on Parliament Hill) before it closed in 2018 for rehabilitation and modernization. It is hard for me to put into words the support he gave me.”
Kirsty Duncan also played a lasting role. They first met when Hakim was in Grade 2, after she became separated from her class during a school field trip to Queen’s Park.
“At that time, I was inquisitive and asked a lot of questions,” she said. “Kirsty found me and let me know she was there to answer any questions I had. She also told me I had a bright future and encouraged me to stay in contact with her. Every time we crossed paths after that, she told me I was doing great and asked what I was doing next.”
While mentors shaped key moments, Hakim credits her Guyanese-born parents as her foundation.
“My mom pushed me to get good grades, and if I came home with a 90 per cent mark, she would ask about the other 10 per cent,” said the only child. “She also supported my involvement in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award because she understood it could open doors for me.
“On the other hand, my dad encouraged me to aim for the stars without insisting on a specific career path. He believed that if I could make a livelihood doing something I loved, that was good enough for him.”
Now, Hakim is paying that mentorship forward.
While home in Toronto over the Christmas holidays, she brought her 15-year-old cousin, Romel Sookram, to the federal building where she works when in the city, giving him the chance to shadow her and gain a firsthand look at public service in action.
Cousins Bibi Hakim and Romel Sookram (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
For the Lincoln M. Alexander Secondary School student, the experience was one he did not take lightly.
“I aspire to reach the heights Bibi has achieved,” said the Grade 10 student who hopes to become a commercial pilot. “Despite her heavy workload and busy schedule, she took the time to spend the day with me, and I am truly grateful.”
With years of experience navigating the complexities of the federal government, Hakim has set her sights on law school, alongside plans for a master’s degree in international studies or public policy. She has also expressed openness to seeking elected office, including the possibility of running in her home riding of Etobicoke North.
Underpinning those plans is a long-held ambition to become prime minister, making history as the first woman of colour and the first elected woman of colour to hold the office.
Hakim’s journey shows that ambition, resilience and purposeful action can transform dreams into tangible achievements. From a shy, bullied student to a prominent voice in federal government, she has consistently demonstrated that leadership is earned through dedication, courage and a commitment to service.
With her eyes on the highest office in Canada, she embodies the next generation of trailblazers, proving that vision, mentorship and determination can redefine what is possible.
