Inside Jamil Jivani’s ‘Restore the North’ Campus Tour
With a single question — “How do we restore the North?” — Conservative MP Jamil Jivani is sparking a national conversation about the struggles of young men in Canada.
The 37-year-old MP launched his “Restore the North” initiative last month, aiming to address policy gaps for young men — a group he says is overrepresented in statistics on crime, overdose, and homelessness. The project has now expanded into a campus tour that blends political rally, open debate, and recruitment drive.
At a recent event at the University of Toronto Mississauga, Jivani stood before about 50 attendees, joined by fellow Conservative MPs, inviting students to share their concerns about jobs, identity, and free speech.
“How do we restore the promise of Canada for as many people as possible?” Jivani asked the audience.
A Canadian Echo of Charlie Kirk’s Movement
The tour comes in the wake of the assassination of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, whose Turning Point USA events attracted massive student crowds. Jivani’s “Restore the North” campaign takes inspiration from Kirk’s model — encouraging open dialogue and political engagement among youth.
Unlike Kirk’s often confrontational events, Jivani’s sessions emphasize discussion and listening, though some questions stray into controversial territory.
Several attendees voiced concerns about immigration, job scarcity, and what they described as “anti-masculine” narratives on campuses.
One student, Brady Burns from Brock University, said it was his first chance to speak directly to someone in government about issues that concern him. Another, Stefano Piscione, 20, linked his difficulty finding work to high immigration levels, calling for tighter limits.
An Emerging Conservative Base
According to Conservative strategist Ginny Roth, Jivani’s outreach reflects a broader generational shift in the party’s voter base.
“When I was young, Conservative voters were old. Now, they’re young,” Roth said.
Jivani, a Yale Law graduate and author of Why Young Men, rose from challenging beginnings to become a voice for men who feel left behind. He has called for the end of diversity and inclusion programs, defended Christian rights, and was the first Conservative MP to advocate scrapping the Temporary Foreign Worker Program — later adopted as party policy.
Free Speech and Cultural Anxiety
At his Mississauga event, Jivani spent several minutes stressing the need to protect freedom of expression, particularly on campuses.
“Part of what we’re doing here is showing you’re not alone in how you think,” he told students. “You should be exposed to multiple perspectives to prepare for the real world.”
Some audience members identified themselves as part of the Dominion Society, an anti-immigration group advocating “remigration.” Jivani pushed back carefully, saying immigration reform must be handled without “pulling too many Jenga pieces out at once.”
Balancing Risk and Reward
Observers see both potential and peril in Jivani’s strategy. His tour resonates with young voters disillusioned by mainstream politics — but also courts controversy by entering the cultural battleground of gender and identity.
“Like so many things, there’s both upside and risk,” Roth said. “But real leadership requires taking some risk.”
Jivani wrapped up the first leg of his tour in mid-October, with plans to visit more campuses soon. Whether Restore the North becomes a defining movement for Canada’s Conservative youth — or just a bold experiment — remains to be seen.
