Christopher M. Michaud

Where I Come From

I was born and raised in Montréal, shaped by neighbourhoods like NDG, the West Island, and Saint-Bruno. Later in life, I spent years in both Toronto and Ottawa. Those experiences gave me a broad, grounded understanding of this country, its people, its pressures, and its possibilities.

I’ve spent my life building things: businesses, creative projects, ideas, and teams. Along the way, I’ve had successes I’m proud of and setbacks that taught me just as much. What I’ve always believed, and what I believe Canada represents at its best, is that no one is ever finished. You can begin again. Effort matters. Resilience matters. Progress is always possible.

That belief became sharper during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many Canadians, I found myself reassessing not only my own path, but the direction of the country itself. Living in Ottawa, close to the day-to-day workings of the federal government, I began to see more clearly the growing disconnect between how decisions are made and how Canadians actually live.

At the same time, something else became impossible to ignore.

Most Canadians are not living at the ideological extremes. We are practical people. We value respect, responsibility, stability, and common sense. We want institutions that function properly, communities that feel cohesive, and a country where people feel they belong.

That realization led me to found the United Canadian Centrists and to articulate what I call Canadianism, a civic philosophy rooted in five core principles:

Respect — treating one another with dignity and fairness
Responsibility — contributing to the strength of our shared national home
Stability — maintaining reliable institutions and a steady foundation
Common Sense — focusing on practical solutions over political theatre
Belonging — ensuring every Canadian feels included and valued

These are not abstract theories. They reflect how most Canadians already live and think. What has been missing is a political culture that consistently reflects those values.

That naturally led me to another conclusion: our electoral system no longer reflects the country particularly well either.

Too many Canadians vote in elections where their voices do not meaningfully shape the outcome. Across the country, candidates routinely win with only a minority of support while large portions of the electorate feel unheard. Over time, that weakens trust, fuels division, and leaves many Canadians feeling politically homeless in their own democracy.

This is not simply a political problem. It is a structural one.

That is why electoral reform became central to my work. If we want a calmer, more representative, and more functional politics, then more votes must genuinely count, representation must become more accurate, and Parliament must better reflect the will of Canadians.

I did not create the United Canadian Centrists to add another voice to the noise. I created it to offer a grounded and practical alternative, one rooted in the belief that most Canadians have far more in common than our politics currently allows us to see.

As a father and grandfather, I feel a responsibility to the country we leave behind. My goal is simple: strengthen the centre, restore trust in our institutions, and help ensure Canada remains a place where people can move forward, rebuild, and belong.

This is my story.

And it is why I believe we can build something better, together.