Department of Politics

In partnership with the Jarislowsky Foundation, Dr. Alex Marland (Politics) led the certificate’s creation, Acadia’s Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership and a Professor of Canadian Politics. From the outset, the program’s design was driven by accessibility and reach.

“A key target audience, for example, is political staff who are employed in capital cities throughout the region and would never be able to come to Wolfville to attend a class on campus,” says Dr. Marland. The certificate is available on campus and online, and will be offered in a fully asynchronous format through Open Acadia beginning in 2027, making it accessible to learners anywhere.

It is the only certificate of its kind among Canada’s five Jarislowsky Chair institutions that will be available entirely online. Learners can take things at their own speed; the certificate courses are self-paced and offered asynchronously (not everyone has to take in the lectures and turn in assignments at the same time). That also means that people who are ready and able to dive in headfirst can complete the certificate in as little as one year.

“Mr. Jarislowsky is fond of saying that we have training for accountants and lawyers, but not for politicians,” says Dr. Marland. “We need to support Canadians with knowledge about high ideals of elected office and good government.”

Nik Cutcliffe Kymlicka (’26) became the certificate’s first graduate this spring. His experience offers an early look at what the program delivers, and a preview of what it could mean for the much broader audience it was designed to reach.

The program helped sharpen his undergraduate research focus and will inform the master’s work he begins this fall in Political Science at Dalhousie University. But the outcomes most transferable to any learner, at any stage of life, were the ones that happened beyond the classroom.

“The field trips have broadened my mind to the different avenues in politics, both in the public and private sector,” he says. “These opportunities have also given me a chance to network with individuals in different places in politics.”

In June 2026, Nik visited Ottawa with Dr. Marland and fellow students for the Canadian Political Science Association conference, with travel supported by the Jarislowsky Foundation. The trip included a private tour of the Supreme Court of Canada, a meeting with the Deputy Clerk of the House of Commons, and an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the Centre Block rehabilitation project on Parliament Hill.

“I got to see the finalized plans of Parliament, along with how it is progressing, and some of the history of the building,” Nik says. “The Deputy Clerk taught us about his role in Parliament and the process of passing laws in Canada.”

Whether you’re 21 or 71, that kind of access — to institutions, senior public servants, and the networks that shape political life in this country — is available to anyone who enrols in this program.

Nik’s advice? “If anyone is contemplating taking it, I believe they should do it.”

[Note: This feature draws from a longer Acadia story on the Certificate on Democratic Leadership. Check it out HERE.]