Practice a form of political participation that is open to almost anyone: writing an op-ed. Op-eds are short essays that express an informed opinion on an important public issue. Writing such a piece will also help you to understand opinion pieces you read.

Explore problems of democratic backsliding in Canada’s political institutions.

Originally, newspapers ran these essays opposite the editorial page (hence the name). They are signed by their authors, who usually have special knowledge on the subject matter. The Toronto Star regularly runs a feature called “The Big Debate” that consists of side-by-side “pro” and “con” op-ed pieces. You can see recent examples here: https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/thebigdebate.html

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