Queen's Law student makes it to top six in Canada's Next Great Prime Minister

Chris Horkins, Law'11, with former prime minister Joe Clark during the political "boot camp" for CBC's Canada's Next Great Prime Minister.

Self-described "political junkie" Chris Horkins, Law '11, finished in the top six in CBC's Canada's Next Great Prime Minister,a show where contestants compete for the title of "Canada's Next Great Prime Minister," including an internship and a $50,000 prize.

Though he didn't debate on national television on March 18, 2009, as one of the final four contestants, he did participate in two days of political "boot camp" after beating over one hundred other participants.  There, Chris dealt with a mock crisis, staged a press conference, and solved Canadian trivia quizzes.  His impromptu Canada Day Speech is currently featured on CBC's website.

To be selected as a semi-finalist, contestants must create a video in response to a set question.  They are then judged based on a "community challenge," their online activity and a phone interview.

"I ran on a generally progressive platform," said Chris.  "There were forums online that contestants could debate and talk about and I started a discussion that turned out to be pretty big."

Chris' platform was based on entrenching positive rights in Canada.  He wanted to create a second charter in the Constitution which guarantees social and economic rights, such as rights to healthcare and post-secondary education.   At boot camp, Chris was able to meet other contestants from across the country, as well as the host of the program, Alex Trebek, and former prime ministers Joe Clark and Kim Campbell.

Chris attributes his success to his political science background, his consistent attempts to remain visible within the competition by posting video challenges to other contestants online, as well as to his Queen's Law education, which familiarized him with the Charter and law in general.

"It's a great experience and a really good initiative - definitely something I'd recommend," said Chris.

For more information on Canada's Next Great Prime Minister visit: http://www.cbc.ca/nextprimeminister/