Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, Talent: Owen Ebose
The Right Honourable Owen Ebose PC MP,
Prime Minister of Canada (2041-Forever)
The weekend before my interview with Owen Ebose, he and his fellow high-achieving misfits had the responsibility of hosting the seventeenth iteration of the Canadian High Schools Model United Nations, also known as CAHSMUN 2021. And as the CAHSMUN secretariat team, they were responsible for organizing the weekend-long conference.
To put it bluntly: that shit’s hard. I would know because I was part of another Model United Nations (MUN) conference’s secretariat team, and it’s anything but painless. You’ve got some people attempting to keep track of the numerous registrations, while a few in the team are figuring out which hard-to-solve topics and not-so-powerful committees to offer. You also have the rest pulling their hairs over how to have pre-pubescent teenagers debate world issues through the comfort of their home — it’s just fucking pain.
After the CAHSMUN team’s months of agonizing for that weekend, I am happy to report that despite the hurdles of becoming an all-virtual conference for this year, their work paid off. Delegates were enraptured with the debate and diplomacy within their Zoom rooms. I was also at CAHSMUN as one of the committee moderators, and delegates were only singing praises about their experiences. It may sound cheesy to say, but CAHSMUN 2021 wouldn’t have been that successful without the prowess and teamwork of its secretariat team.
CAHSMUN 2021’s Secretariat Team.
From left to right: Owen Ebose, Koby Chen, Betty Pan, Kevin Roe, Ellen Li, Emily Ni, Lincoln Lee, Peter Zhang, Jeremy Fang, Jae Wu Chun, Tina Shi
I once told Owen that the picture reminded me of a stock market graph. The height difference between Lincoln and Peter is a human representation of the Great Depression, while the one between Jae Wu and Tina shows the economic downturn in 2008.
One could also see this as the heartbeat trend-line of someone having a stroke.
I must say, although the excruciating work of being a secretariat member is (as stated previously) fucking painful, you get the company and support from a group of gifted high school students who were selected for their exceptional dedication to the different facets of Model United Nations. In that regard, the CAHSMUN team was a perfect blend of minds of the political, the technological, the artistic, and even the philosophical.
Skills and competence alone, however, do not make the team. Character and honesty make the team. One will feel at home with a team who you not only work with to make visions to reality but also cheer on when times call for celebrations. One will find solace with a team who is willing to hear the adolescent fears you have been harbouring or the lofty dreams you have been wanting to tell.
Fortunately, Owen was able to enjoy such benefits with his team. “I’m proud of my team,” Owen told me. “It’s a really great team. I gained some friendships, which is good, and I’m happy that we were able to — as Ellen (one of Owen’s CAHSMUN colleagues) put it — establish CAHSMUN as a global institution.”
Knowing the close-knit kinship that can develop within a secretariat team after working together for almost a year, I can only imagine the high levels of sentimentalism Owen and his friends were feeling the day they passed the baton to next year’s team. One of those signs of sentimentalism came from one of Owen’s fellow misfits, Koby Chen, who posted a rather wholesome ode to CAHSMUN 2021’s secretariat team on Facebook. He dedicated a paragraph to Owen, saying this:
“The amount of charisma (and uniqueness, nerve, and talent) you have really bolstered our Foundations and outreach program. I am so grateful for all of your savvy international connections, your light-up-a-room smile, and your horrendous dad jokes. I can’t believe you are besties with Jagmeet Singh (jealous that I didn’t end up on his TikTok too), and establishing a connection with his office was one of the most impressive things that happened this year. Outside of CAHS, your unwavering voice when it comes to youth politics, sustainability, and social justice is truly awe-inspiring. No one was surprised that you ended up at the big H, and no one will be surprised when you become Prime Minister one day. In 10 years, I’ll get to point at the TV and shout: ‘Hey!!! I worked with that guy!!!’ when you get elected.”
Although Koby can only speak for himself, it’s safe to say that Koby is speaking what everyone else is thinking: Owen Ebose is the man.
He’s got the swagger of Will Smith, the kind heart of the pope, and the ambitious mind of Hillary Clinton. You don’t get all that with only one person, but you do with Owen Ebose. Knowing that fact, I was going to take Koby’s words at face value; but after going through the transcripts and video of my interview with Owen, I wanted to verify if Koby was telling the truth...or a lie. After all, I am a “journalist”.
I’m really not, but the thought of me being one sounds like heaven, don’t you think?
The first claim that intrigued me was this:
“ I am so grateful for all...your horrendous dad jokes. ”
Owen, explain yourself.
Here, Owen’s posing as if Lebron James wanted to emulate Che Guevara.
He’s posing with his cat, conveniently named, ‘Cat’. This is not a joke. The name of the cat is ‘Cat’.
Owen: Have you watched Forrest Gump?
Mikael: Yes. *laughs*
Okay, so I already know what the joke is going to be. It’s going to be some riff of the famous line, “Run! Forrest, Run!” Let’s see if I’m wrong.
Owen: Oh you probably—do you know this one?
Mikael: Well no, but I wanna—I don’t know what your joke’s about.
I do know; but just out of kindness, I’ll let him take the floor.
Owen: If you were to gain access to Forrest Gump’s computer, what do you think his password would be?
Mikael: I think I know, but you can tell the joke.
It’s gonna be “1Forrest1.”
Owen: 1Forrest1.
Called it.
It should be noted that Owen acknowledged the level of the joke’s overuse. Nevertheless, despite being recycled humour, the joke was still somewhat funny in a genuine sense. Maybe it was the fact that Owen is the one saying it. Who knows? I must say, the wholesome dad humour is part of Owen’s wide appeal as a person. To provide further evidence of this part of him, here is what the first minute of our conversation entailed:
Mikael: I’ll just record right now. So the idea of this interview is that, you know, I’m tryi—
Owen: Can I drink Kool-Aid while we do it?
Mikael: Yeah! *laughs* I’m more than happy for you to drink that. If you’re thirsty, it’s fine. Right, so the point of this interview is for me to talk to who I consider fascinating people. So, before I ask you my series of ques—
Owen (shouting to his mother off-screen): Do you hear that, mom? I’m fascinating!
Owen’s train of dad humour seems to be a theme in many of his relationships, as explained by Koby himself.
“I can’t believe you are besties with Jagmeet Singh (jealous that I didn’t end up on his TikTok too), and establishing a connection with his office was one of the most impressive things that happened this year. ”
Now, being “besties” and making TikTok videos with the leader of the NDP is kind of a dad thing. I don’t know it for a fact, but I feel like it is. You can decide if that’s the case.
Nevertheless, it is quite impressive that he has a friendly relationship with Jagmeet Singh, albeit one that is only reserved for acquaintances.
“I wouldn’t say we’re friends. Like he’s a big-time NDP leader. He just met me a couple of times,” Owen told me. “I think he knows me by name. I think. If he were to see me, I think he’d remember my name, but beyond that, we just have a good working relationship.”
That ‘good, working relationship’ started from — as Owen alluded to during his explanation of how he met Jagmeet — his willingness to make connections despite the weird COVID times we’re living in.
“I did some work through my non-profit, Youth Empowerment Canada. We hosted a series of events where we had politicians come sit down with us and they talked to youth about today’s issues, particularly COVID-19 — and this happened around the time of the massive Black Lives Matter protest in the United States.”
One of the politicians who participated in one of the events was Anne Kang, who is currently the BC Provincial Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training. Anne was generous enough to not only attend one of Owen’s events but also bridging him with Jagmeet’s office. After making that connection, Owen was able to invite him to several events, including one hosted by CAHSMUN.
I’m not sure what Owen and Anne are talking about, but I assume they’re having a conversation about which colour on the rainbow sidewalk best matches their jackets.
Although their interactions were only brief (and probably less significant to Jagmeet), Owen was able to see a part of the NDP leader that most people won’t see in the media. “He’s very open with interacting with people. [He’s] a super down-to-earth kind of guy — and I was surprised to see that because a lot of times, politicians have this facade around them. You know, they have to be ready for the cameras all the time. But as Jagmeet [walked] into the room, he was laughing, making jokes, and [he was] great with the kids. So he’s just a genuinely good guy. Genuinely good guy.”
When I heard Owen’s description, I could have mistaken it for one that is about himself. Everything that he said about Jagmeet can also be said about him. Fitting for a potential politician, I would say. Koby took note of this as well in his Facebook post:
“...No one will be surprised when you become Prime Minister one day.”
I think that sentiment, although never thoroughly discussed, is somewhat ingrained in the minds of many people after getting to know Owen. I did have a brief Facebook Messenger conversation with one of his fellow CAHSMUN misfits, Jeremy Fang — who is, by the way, my favourite CAHSMUN misfit. I mean, not going to lie to you, but wherever he leads, I will follow. I suppose that’s a tame way of saying it.
Anyways, I digress.
Jeremy and I were talking about college applications. Owen’s name came up because I brought up the fact that he was applying to one of the same schools as Jeremy.
…
Mikael: it's thrilling to know that I sit with the next prime minister of Canada in class
Jeremy: hahahah when i told my parents about him, since they don't know him, I literally described him as the next PM
Jeremy (cont’d): like a political prodigy
Mikael: yeah, he's crazy good
…
These kinds of conversations, and just knowing who Owen is throughout my time with him, only prompted the bigger question of whether he will run for elected government.
It must be noted that he has successfully won two elections. The second time was for the Burnaby North student council presidency, which he won, but the victory was less profound, to be frank. The school wasn’t able to hold the election since the first wave of the coronavirus forced schools to shut down and switch to an online format. I don’t mean to downplay his success in becoming the president, but the circumstances made it all less sweet, in my opinion.
Then there was the first time he won, which can only be described through this sad, beautiful, tragic soliloquy:
. . .
Mikael’s Soliloquy
Once upon a time, Owen Ebose and I both ran for the Grade 9 Representative Role. When I heard that Owen was running, I made the appropriate first comment: ‘Fuck.’
He was—and still is—one of the nicest people I have ever met. Too nice for my tastes, frankly. I used to bet, and I still kind of do, that he kills birds with his bare hands or pushes tourists off cliffs. Anyone as nice as Owen should have an equally gruesome side within him. He is so nice that it’s too suspicious. (NOTE TO READER: Owen Ebose does NOT kill birds or tourists if that wasn’t clear.)
Considering that I was running against the definition of charisma (and uniqueness and nerve and talent), I didn’t try that hard. There was no chance for me to win. My chances of getting the job were so slim, I had a better chance of having a one-night stand with Winston Churchill (who is very much dead, last time I checked). In the end, he won and I lost. Out of kindness, the student government doesn’t share the actual results of the vote count; it’s fair to say, however, that he beat me by a landslide.
The End.
. . .
What a sad, beautiful, tragic student council affair right?
But aside from me avoiding a possible career of electoral losses, this story shows the potential Owen has in politics, which only makes me ponder even further about his future in politics.
He then went on about what his “ideal work-life” would be, which cascades into his professional bucket list—and let me tell you, it’s an extensive one.
“Well, I don’t know about what I need to achieve to be truly happy, but I’ll give you my dream work life. So for me, I like to teach, so I’d love to become a professor one day. Maybe political science or law. At the same time, I may get to advise governments on economics and foreign policy, and maybe I get to do non-profit work—very similar to Stacey Abrams. I’d be very happy [if that happens] because I get the freedom to focus on issues that matter to me while working with youth while working in government. It’d be somewhat similar work with what I’m doing now in my life, except, of course, being paid for it.”
One part of his dream is to be able to leave a legacy. “I’d like to, you know, kind of document my journey. I’d love to write a book one day. Whether or not that book is about me or an issue I’m working on, or about someone I know. Who knows? I very much enjoy writing. I’d love to settle down and write a book and teach and advise people and just be an advocate.”
Leaving any kind of legacy is no small feat, having to go the extraordinary number of miles to at least be a smudge in history. A political kind of history will be much harder, given the cutthroat substances that come with making that legacy. It chews up idealistic, honourable and well-meaning people and spits them out like the spinach that got in someone’s teeth.
But for Owen’s case, it’s a different one. He won’t make a legacy despite being an example of a person whose lunch will get eaten by politics. He’ll make his legacy because of it. His memoir (if he were to write one in the future) or my biography of him will entail a life road that, although a long and winding one, includes the realization of his dreams— or at least some of it. In that book, its writer will (and must) explain how Owen’s good intentions will jumpstart his ambitions in whatever he does, or how his honour will get him the trust of the powerful, the influential, and the successful in society. Lastly, and most importantly, the book will highlight the ideals that may have touched the hearts of the masses he hoped to reach, which allows him to become a prominent figure in our future society. Perhaps he’ll become Prime Minister when he finishes walking through that long and winding path.
Bold assumptions? Sure, but it’s not impossible when the person is Owen Ebose.
When talking about his legacy and his dreams, he keeps asking ‘who knows’. I suppose it’s a sign of him being cautious, so I want to take the role of being the one who knows where he’s going. I do know, and I bet you at least five bucks that he’ll have a pretty interesting future—a crimson future that will finally start in Massachusetts.
Recommended Song: Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve & Talent - RuPaul