As she wandered the international corridors of power in Marrakesh, Morrocco, last month, Angela Bain ’21 mixed with world leaders and witnessed first-hand the neo-colonial clash of global haves and have-nots. It was an amazing journey and a possible steppingstone to an international legal career that began when she was a JD student at Osgoode.
Bain, who attributes her passion for international law to the international clinical and classroom experience she gained at Osgoode, attended the 2023 World Bank – International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual meetings as a delegate with Toronto-based Young Diplomats of Canada, a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization that promotes the leadership of young Canadians through international delegations, research projects and advocacy initiatives.
She currently works for the federal Department of Justice, where her main client is Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
During the five-day World Bank-IMF event, she met with Canada’s Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen. It was the first time in 50 years that the boards of governors of the World Bank Group and the IMF had held their annual meeting in Africa.
While development issues dominated the event, said Bain, the climate crisis also took centre stage alongside other critical issues facing the global economy, including pandemic preparedness. Two sessions that stood out for her were focused on the problem of worldwide money laundering by organized crime and oligarchs. The sessions inspired Bain to write an article on money laundering for the independent global affairs website International Policy Digest.
She said she is working to advance her career in international law and international policy, where more diverse and younger voices and viewpoints are desperately needed.
In pursuing that goal, Osgoode gave her a distinct advantage, she said. In her second year, she explained, she had the “incredible” opportunity to work at the Canadian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva as a student in the International, Transnational, and Comparative Law Program. In her third year, she added, she participated in the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot.
“These experiences complimented my coursework at Osgoode, which included Globalization and the Law, International Public Law, the International, Comparative and Transnational Law Capstone Seminar, and Refugee Law,” said Bain. “Overall, this inspired my passion for a career that combines international law and policy, development and diplomacy. And that passion motivated me to apply for Young Diplomats of Canada to learn more.”
Organizations like Young Diplomats of Canada offer an excellent opportunity for Osgoode students to witness international law and policymaking in action, she added.
“Often, policymaking seems like something that’s out of our hands or that happens in secretive discussions high up,” observed Bain. “So being able to observe it and see how the sausage is actually made puts you in a better position to criticize it – or you can imagine yourself contributing to it. I think that was super important.”