Matteo Rocca Tackles Senate Reform in National Simulation

July 23, 2026– This past May, Laurentian University Droit et justice student Matteo Rocca traded the classroom for the national stage, tackling complex constitutional issues at the Mock Constitutional Negotiations in Kingston, Ontario.

Organized by the Centre d’analyse politique - Constitution et fédéralisme (CAP-CF), the intensive four-day simulation brought together 22 elite bilingual university students from across Canada to debate and negotiate Senate reform. Rocca was given the heavy responsibility of representing the delegation for the Assembly of First Nations.

The experiential learning opportunity pushed Rocca well past standard classroom theory, requiring high-stakes negotiation and diplomacy.

"I learned that Indigenous Peoples continue to face significant power imbalances during constitutional negotiations, as they remain excluded from Canada’s constitutional amendment process," Rocca reflects. "Navigating these barriers while representing an Indigenous delegation was the highlight of my experience."

The intensive negotiations culminated in the drafting of the Kingston Constitutional Agreement, which successfully established new proposed safeguards, including guaranteed Indigenous representation in the Senate. The high-profile event also allowed Rocca to engage directly with Canadian Senators Pierre J. Dalphond and Julie Miville-Dechêne.

Rocca’s success comes as no surprise to the Laurentian community. The Sudbury native and Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School graduate has been a prominent campus leader, serving as President of the Law at Laurentian Students’ Association—where he transitioned the club into a fully bilingual format—and Co-President of the Model Parliament, where he welcomed Supreme Court Justice Michelle O’Bonsawin.

He credits close faculty mentorship from Dr. Nadia Verrelli, alongside crucial financial support from the Faculty of Arts, for making the off-campus opportunity possible.

The Kingston experience serves as the ultimate launchpad for Rocca's next major step. This September, he is heading to the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law through Laurentian’s competitive Cursus intégré pathway.

"There is a shortage of bilingual lawyers across Canada outside Québec, creating barriers to access to justice in French," Rocca notes. "Today, I am incredibly proud to say that I will have the opportunity to give back—doing for la Francophonie what la Francophonie did for me—by serving the Francophone community as a legal professional."