Cole Kander

My path has always been shaped by a drive to understand systems and influence them for the better. I started with dreams of aviation, enrolling in flight school before realizing my true calling lay in the corridors of power and public service.

I earned my B.A. in Political Science and Government from the University of Alberta (2011-2015), where theory met practice and set the foundation for everything that followed.

My break into politics came early: working as Executive Assistant for MP Blaine Calkins in Ottawa in 2013. From there, I rose through the ranks - Legislative Coordinator for Her Majesty's Official Opposition, Senior Council Assistant and Executive Assistant for Edmonton City Councillor Jon Dziadyk, and now Government Relations Manager for Federated Co-operatives Limited, one of Canada's largest cooperatives.

Since 2015, I've been running Cole's Consulting, leading political campaigns across Canada. Strategy, war room operations, voter engagement, fundraising - I've done it all.

One of my most rewarding professional activities has been hosting and facilitating fireside chats with elected officials across all three levels of government. These are intimate, conversational sessions designed to go beyond the talking points and into the substance of real policy challenges.

I've hosted current and former Members of Parliament, Members of the Legislative Assembly, and municipal councillors for frank discussions about the issues that matter most to cooperatives and the communities they serve. Topics have ranged from agricultural policy and rural infrastructure to cooperative tax treatment, energy transition, and the future of the Co-operative Retailing System.

Alongside policy, these sessions explore what life is actually like as an elected official: the pressures, the trade-offs, the relationship between staff and elected members, and what it takes to pass meaningful legislation at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels.

These events bring together cooperative leaders, industry stakeholders, and government relations professionals for conversations that simply don't happen in a standard meeting room.