Bryan Detchou — 2026 Emerging Leader Award

Register now to join us at the 2026 Testimonial Dinner in Toronto, where we will be celebrating Bryan Detchou, Christiane Germain, Robert Fife, John Knubley and other exceptional Canadian honourees. 

The Emerging Leader Award is presented by TD Bank Group. 

Bryan Detchou had early exposure to politics. His parents, immigrants from Cameroon, Africa, encouraged civic engagement in their four children, growing up in Ottawa. As a teenager, Detchou volunteered during elections. Heroes from his youth adorn his office wall: Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Kofi Annan, Malcolm X, Barack Obama.  

“Because of the likes of these individuals, I really thought that I wanted to go into politics because you see a lot of injustices, and you think politics is the only way to remedy said injustices.” 

But then came an inflection point.  

At 18, he was one of 40 Canadians selected to the prestigious House of Commons page program, a longtime dream of his. At that time, he was studying political science at the University of Ottawa. “It was interesting to see the theory in class and then, as a fly on the wall in the House of Commons, to see how things work in practice. Sometimes, it follows what you read in the books, and often times, that was also a bit of a wake-up call in a sense because you really get to see the politics of politics, and some of the games.” 

That experience helped convince him to pursue a career he describes as “politics adjacent.”  

But that doesn’t mean the 30-year-old has sworn off pursuing elected office forever. “People go into politics for one of two reasons: to do something or to be someone,” David McGuinty, Minister of National Defence and longtime MP in Ottawa South once told Detchou when he was a teenager. Detchou has never forgotten that insight. “I certainly fall into the category of wanting to do something. So my goal because of that was always to gain as much experience outside of politics, in the real world, in Canada, abroad, to try to become the type of individual that if I were to go into politics, I would go with a clear vision and strong credentials and truly believe that I am someone who could contribute for the good.”  

“Because of the likes of these individuals, I really thought that I wanted to go into politics because you see a lot of injustices, and you think politics is the only way to remedy said injustices.” 

His work experience on the Hill and abroad is varied, often encouraged by mentors, including his father, Dieudonné Detchou, a lawyer with the Department of Justice. The younger Detchou served stints in the Office of the Speaker of the House of Commons; in the Office of The Honourable Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard from the Independent Senators Group (ISG); and the Office of the Usher of the Black Rod. In 2017, he went to l’Universitá degli Studi di Pavia outside of Milan to complete a Master’s in World Politics and International Relations.  

“I really wanted to step out of my comfort zone,” he explains of that choice, adding that a goal was also to become as fluent in Italian as he is in English and French. During that time, he pursued his longstanding interest in international criminal and human rights law by working for half a year as a legal intern at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands.  

Once back in Ottawa, Detchou joined Crestview Strategy. “I learned a lot about the other side of the coin,” he says. “I was able to work on many different files. … You get to learn about a lot of the different levers of Canada’s economy that sometimes you underestimate or you’re simply not aware of.”  

In 2023, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce came knocking with an invitation to lead their policy work in the natural resources sector.  

“It’s been quite a year,” he observes, clearly invigorated by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s efforts to unleash the potential of Canadian natural resources. He hears praise from industry insiders but also words of caution. “We cannot govern by announcements and press releases. … It’s easy for premiers to say, ‘We’re going to remove internal trade barriers.’ But then once you’re around the table and you have to identify the trade barriers you want to remove, suddenly it’s, ‘Oh, maybe not this.’ Or:  ‘Oh, not that, we need to protect that.’ The hard work comes in implementation.”  

“That was also a bit of a wake-up call in a sense because you really get to see the politics of politics, and some of the games.” 

Detchou acknowledges the resistance to the signed agreement with Alberta that aims to boost Canadian oil production and build at least one more major pipeline to tidewater. “Tensions are normal. They’re also very Canadian,” he says. “But what we don’t want is that these tensions lead to a failure to act.” 

He rattles off the opportunities: CANDU nuclear technology; the Pathways CCS project; critical minerals not only for electrification applications but also defence; clean tech; and LNG developments. “If we do it well, and we do it strategically, we can help displace dirtier sources of fuel elsewhere.  

But there are still existing policies that need remedying, he says. “Bill C-5 is great, but it does not prevent us from going back and fixing the government legislation that was seemingly so bad and so complicated that the government itself had to produce a law that allows you to circumvent it. Just because you’re not a project of national interest does not mean that you’re not contributing to the economy.” 

Foreign investors need “proof points” and stability, Detchou points out. “People are taking a look. But some people have been burnt in the past so I think they really want to see us demonstrate — less in rhetoric, more in terms of action — that this is truly a different government, a different country, a different vibe. … That’s why it’s even more important that we deliver, because a lot of eyes are on us.” 

Detchou is quick to acknowledge his mentors. In turn, he is focused on helping others, including through the 1834 Fellowship that encourages Black youth leadership. “In many of my roles, I’ve been the first Black Canadian, or the first Black [person]. I do see some changes. … [But] I’m a Millennial, and my generation and the younger generation are starting to lose hope. I want the same type of opportunities that the generation that came before us had.”