Thalmann, Singh and Punia: Why we built Next Campaign

POLICORNER is a media partner for Next Campaign, one of Canada’s largest gatherings on political campaigning, innovation and technology. Here, the co-founders explain the vision behind it:

Having spent years working on campaigns at different levels of government — and eventually coming together as colleagues on a municipal campaign in the spring of 2023 — three Canadians found themselves repeatedly having the same conversations. We had learned a great deal from one another’s experiences, from data and digital strategy to voter engagement and campaign infrastructure, and yet we kept returning to a shared frustration: there was no consistent, open space in Canada to exchange these insights across partisan lines.

We had all seen how campaign conferences in the United States brought practitioners together — operatives, technologists, and strategists openly sharing best practices, debating new tools, and learning from each other in real time. Those conversations were unapologetically tactical and focused on the future of campaigning. What stood out was not just the sophistication of the work, but the culture of openness. Looking around Canada, it was clear that no comparable space existed. And so, we decided to build one.

Political campaigning in Canada has evolved dramatically, yet the ecosystems supporting campaigners have not always kept pace. Too often, learning happens behind closed doors, siloed within partisan bubbles, or restricted to those with insider access. While ideological differences will — and should — remain, the mechanics of running effective, ethical, and modern campaigns are increasingly shared across the political spectrum. We believed Canada was ready for a different approach.

That belief became the foundation of Next Campaign.

From the outset, our goal was not to build another partisan conference or a networking event dominated by one political tradition. Instead, we set out to create Canada’s first explicitly multi-partisan conference focused on the practice of campaigning — strategy, technology, communications, data, fundraising, and field operations — rather than ideology. We wanted a space where campaign managers, candidates, non-profit advocates, municipal leaders, and political technologists could learn from one another, challenge assumptions, and sharpen their skills together.

Canada’s political environment makes this kind of space both rare and necessary. We operate in a system with strict spending limits, evolving digital regulations, increasing diversity, and rising voter fragmentation. At the same time, campaigns are being reshaped by AI-driven analytics, programmatic advertising, connected television, and increasingly sophisticated voter contact tools. Yet, access to practical training on these shifts remains uneven. Next Campaign was designed to close that gap by convening expertise from across parties, sectors, and levels of government.

The early response confirmed our instincts. Our first summit brought together hundreds of attendees from across Canada and the United States — campaign professionals, elected officials, non-profit leaders, students, and technology providers — demonstrating that there was a real appetite for a neutral forum focused on how campaigns actually work today. The conversations were frank, and, most importantly, constructive.

We did not build Next Campaign for ourselves or for established insiders. We built it for the next generation of campaigners and strategists — young people, first-time candidates, students, and emerging professionals who deserve direct access to the tools, knowledge, and networks that will make them effective. Canadian democracy depends on renewal. By lowering barriers to learning and fostering cross-partisan dialogue on the mechanics of campaigning, we believe we are helping ensure that the next generation innovates, adapts, and strengthens our political system rather than inheriting its blind spots.

Canada’s politics will only remain strong if the people running campaigns are prepared for the world as it is — and as it is becoming. Next Campaign exists to help make that possible.

Brett Thalmann, Harneet Singh and Hasneet Singh Punia are the co-founders of Next Campaign.

POLICORNER is a media partner for Next Campaign, one of Canada’s largest gatherings on political campaigning, innovation and technology. Here, the co-founders explain the vision behind it:

Having spent years working on campaigns at different levels of government — and eventually coming together as colleagues on a municipal campaign in the spring of 2023 — three Canadians found themselves repeatedly having the same conversations. We had learned a great deal from one another’s experiences, from data and digital strategy to voter engagement and campaign infrastructure, and yet we kept returning to a shared frustration: there was no consistent, open space in Canada to exchange these insights across partisan lines.

We had all seen how campaign conferences in the United States brought practitioners together — operatives, technologists, and strategists openly sharing best practices, debating new tools, and learning from each other in real time. Those conversations were unapologetically tactical and focused on the future of campaigning. What stood out was not just the sophistication of the work, but the culture of openness. Looking around Canada, it was clear that no comparable space existed. And so, we decided to build one.

Political campaigning in Canada has evolved dramatically, yet the ecosystems supporting campaigners have not always kept pace. Too often, learning happens behind closed doors, siloed within partisan bubbles, or restricted to those with insider access. While ideological differences will — and should — remain, the mechanics of running effective, ethical, and modern campaigns are increasingly shared across the political spectrum. We believed Canada was ready for a different approach.

That belief became the foundation of Next Campaign.

From the outset, our goal was not to build another partisan conference or a networking event dominated by one political tradition. Instead, we set out to create Canada’s first explicitly multi-partisan conference focused on the practice of campaigning — strategy, technology, communications, data, fundraising, and field operations — rather than ideology. We wanted a space where campaign managers, candidates, non-profit advocates, municipal leaders, and political technologists could learn from one another, challenge assumptions, and sharpen their skills together.

Canada’s political environment makes this kind of space both rare and necessary. We operate in a system with strict spending limits, evolving digital regulations, increasing diversity, and rising voter fragmentation. At the same time, campaigns are being reshaped by AI-driven analytics, programmatic advertising, connected television, and increasingly sophisticated voter contact tools. Yet, access to practical training on these shifts remains uneven. Next Campaign was designed to close that gap by convening expertise from across parties, sectors, and levels of government.

The early response confirmed our instincts. Our first summit brought together hundreds of attendees from across Canada and the United States — campaign professionals, elected officials, non-profit leaders, students, and technology providers — demonstrating that there was a real appetite for a neutral forum focused on how campaigns actually work today. The conversations were frank, and, most importantly, constructive.

We did not build Next Campaign for ourselves or for established insiders. We built it for the next generation of campaigners and strategists — young people, first-time candidates, students, and emerging professionals who deserve direct access to the tools, knowledge, and networks that will make them effective. Canadian democracy depends on renewal. By lowering barriers to learning and fostering cross-partisan dialogue on the mechanics of campaigning, we believe we are helping ensure that the next generation innovates, adapts, and strengthens our political system rather than inheriting its blind spots.

Canada’s politics will only remain strong if the people running campaigns are prepared for the world as it is — and as it is becoming. Next Campaign exists to help make that possible.

Brett Thalmann, Harneet Singh and Hasneet Singh Punia are the co-founders of Next Campaign.

POLICORNER is a media partner for Next Campaign, one of Canada’s largest gatherings on political campaigning, innovation and technology. Here, the co-founders explain the vision behind it:

Having spent years working on campaigns at different levels of government — and eventually coming together as colleagues on a municipal campaign in the spring of 2023 — three Canadians found themselves repeatedly having the same conversations. We had learned a great deal from one another’s experiences, from data and digital strategy to voter engagement and campaign infrastructure, and yet we kept returning to a shared frustration: there was no consistent, open space in Canada to exchange these insights across partisan lines.

We had all seen how campaign conferences in the United States brought practitioners together — operatives, technologists, and strategists openly sharing best practices, debating new tools, and learning from each other in real time. Those conversations were unapologetically tactical and focused on the future of campaigning. What stood out was not just the sophistication of the work, but the culture of openness. Looking around Canada, it was clear that no comparable space existed. And so, we decided to build one.

Political campaigning in Canada has evolved dramatically, yet the ecosystems supporting campaigners have not always kept pace. Too often, learning happens behind closed doors, siloed within partisan bubbles, or restricted to those with insider access. While ideological differences will — and should — remain, the mechanics of running effective, ethical, and modern campaigns are increasingly shared across the political spectrum. We believed Canada was ready for a different approach.

That belief became the foundation of Next Campaign.

From the outset, our goal was not to build another partisan conference or a networking event dominated by one political tradition. Instead, we set out to create Canada’s first explicitly multi-partisan conference focused on the practice of campaigning — strategy, technology, communications, data, fundraising, and field operations — rather than ideology. We wanted a space where campaign managers, candidates, non-profit advocates, municipal leaders, and political technologists could learn from one another, challenge assumptions, and sharpen their skills together.

Canada’s political environment makes this kind of space both rare and necessary. We operate in a system with strict spending limits, evolving digital regulations, increasing diversity, and rising voter fragmentation. At the same time, campaigns are being reshaped by AI-driven analytics, programmatic advertising, connected television, and increasingly sophisticated voter contact tools. Yet, access to practical training on these shifts remains uneven. Next Campaign was designed to close that gap by convening expertise from across parties, sectors, and levels of government.

The early response confirmed our instincts. Our first summit brought together hundreds of attendees from across Canada and the United States — campaign professionals, elected officials, non-profit leaders, students, and technology providers — demonstrating that there was a real appetite for a neutral forum focused on how campaigns actually work today. The conversations were frank, and, most importantly, constructive.

We did not build Next Campaign for ourselves or for established insiders. We built it for the next generation of campaigners and strategists — young people, first-time candidates, students, and emerging professionals who deserve direct access to the tools, knowledge, and networks that will make them effective. Canadian democracy depends on renewal. By lowering barriers to learning and fostering cross-partisan dialogue on the mechanics of campaigning, we believe we are helping ensure that the next generation innovates, adapts, and strengthens our political system rather than inheriting its blind spots.

Canada’s politics will only remain strong if the people running campaigns are prepared for the world as it is — and as it is becoming. Next Campaign exists to help make that possible.

Brett Thalmann, Harneet Singh and Hasneet Singh Punia are the co-founders of Next Campaign.

POLICORNER is a media partner for Next Campaign, one of Canada’s largest gatherings on political campaigning, innovation and technology. Here, the co-founders explain the vision behind it:

Having spent years working on campaigns at different levels of government — and eventually coming together as colleagues on a municipal campaign in the spring of 2023 — three Canadians found themselves repeatedly having the same conversations. We had learned a great deal from one another’s experiences, from data and digital strategy to voter engagement and campaign infrastructure, and yet we kept returning to a shared frustration: there was no consistent, open space in Canada to exchange these insights across partisan lines.

We had all seen how campaign conferences in the United States brought practitioners together — operatives, technologists, and strategists openly sharing best practices, debating new tools, and learning from each other in real time. Those conversations were unapologetically tactical and focused on the future of campaigning. What stood out was not just the sophistication of the work, but the culture of openness. Looking around Canada, it was clear that no comparable space existed. And so, we decided to build one.

Political campaigning in Canada has evolved dramatically, yet the ecosystems supporting campaigners have not always kept pace. Too often, learning happens behind closed doors, siloed within partisan bubbles, or restricted to those with insider access. While ideological differences will — and should — remain, the mechanics of running effective, ethical, and modern campaigns are increasingly shared across the political spectrum. We believed Canada was ready for a different approach.

That belief became the foundation of Next Campaign.

From the outset, our goal was not to build another partisan conference or a networking event dominated by one political tradition. Instead, we set out to create Canada’s first explicitly multi-partisan conference focused on the practice of campaigning — strategy, technology, communications, data, fundraising, and field operations — rather than ideology. We wanted a space where campaign managers, candidates, non-profit advocates, municipal leaders, and political technologists could learn from one another, challenge assumptions, and sharpen their skills together.

Canada’s political environment makes this kind of space both rare and necessary. We operate in a system with strict spending limits, evolving digital regulations, increasing diversity, and rising voter fragmentation. At the same time, campaigns are being reshaped by AI-driven analytics, programmatic advertising, connected television, and increasingly sophisticated voter contact tools. Yet, access to practical training on these shifts remains uneven. Next Campaign was designed to close that gap by convening expertise from across parties, sectors, and levels of government.

The early response confirmed our instincts. Our first summit brought together hundreds of attendees from across Canada and the United States — campaign professionals, elected officials, non-profit leaders, students, and technology providers — demonstrating that there was a real appetite for a neutral forum focused on how campaigns actually work today. The conversations were frank, and, most importantly, constructive.

We did not build Next Campaign for ourselves or for established insiders. We built it for the next generation of campaigners and strategists — young people, first-time candidates, students, and emerging professionals who deserve direct access to the tools, knowledge, and networks that will make them effective. Canadian democracy depends on renewal. By lowering barriers to learning and fostering cross-partisan dialogue on the mechanics of campaigning, we believe we are helping ensure that the next generation innovates, adapts, and strengthens our political system rather than inheriting its blind spots.

Canada’s politics will only remain strong if the people running campaigns are prepared for the world as it is — and as it is becoming. Next Campaign exists to help make that possible.

Brett Thalmann, Harneet Singh and Hasneet Singh Punia are the co-founders of Next Campaign.

POLICORNER is a media partner for Next Campaign, one of Canada’s largest gatherings on political campaigning, innovation and technology. Here, the co-founders explain the vision behind it:

Having spent years working on campaigns at different levels of government — and eventually coming together as colleagues on a municipal campaign in the spring of 2023 — three Canadians found themselves repeatedly having the same conversations. We had learned a great deal from one another’s experiences, from data and digital strategy to voter engagement and campaign infrastructure, and yet we kept returning to a shared frustration: there was no consistent, open space in Canada to exchange these insights across partisan lines.

We had all seen how campaign conferences in the United States brought practitioners together — operatives, technologists, and strategists openly sharing best practices, debating new tools, and learning from each other in real time. Those conversations were unapologetically tactical and focused on the future of campaigning. What stood out was not just the sophistication of the work, but the culture of openness. Looking around Canada, it was clear that no comparable space existed. And so, we decided to build one.

Political campaigning in Canada has evolved dramatically, yet the ecosystems supporting campaigners have not always kept pace. Too often, learning happens behind closed doors, siloed within partisan bubbles, or restricted to those with insider access. While ideological differences will — and should — remain, the mechanics of running effective, ethical, and modern campaigns are increasingly shared across the political spectrum. We believed Canada was ready for a different approach.

That belief became the foundation of Next Campaign.

From the outset, our goal was not to build another partisan conference or a networking event dominated by one political tradition. Instead, we set out to create Canada’s first explicitly multi-partisan conference focused on the practice of campaigning — strategy, technology, communications, data, fundraising, and field operations — rather than ideology. We wanted a space where campaign managers, candidates, non-profit advocates, municipal leaders, and political technologists could learn from one another, challenge assumptions, and sharpen their skills together.

Canada’s political environment makes this kind of space both rare and necessary. We operate in a system with strict spending limits, evolving digital regulations, increasing diversity, and rising voter fragmentation. At the same time, campaigns are being reshaped by AI-driven analytics, programmatic advertising, connected television, and increasingly sophisticated voter contact tools. Yet, access to practical training on these shifts remains uneven. Next Campaign was designed to close that gap by convening expertise from across parties, sectors, and levels of government.

The early response confirmed our instincts. Our first summit brought together hundreds of attendees from across Canada and the United States — campaign professionals, elected officials, non-profit leaders, students, and technology providers — demonstrating that there was a real appetite for a neutral forum focused on how campaigns actually work today. The conversations were frank, and, most importantly, constructive.

We did not build Next Campaign for ourselves or for established insiders. We built it for the next generation of campaigners and strategists — young people, first-time candidates, students, and emerging professionals who deserve direct access to the tools, knowledge, and networks that will make them effective. Canadian democracy depends on renewal. By lowering barriers to learning and fostering cross-partisan dialogue on the mechanics of campaigning, we believe we are helping ensure that the next generation innovates, adapts, and strengthens our political system rather than inheriting its blind spots.

Canada’s politics will only remain strong if the people running campaigns are prepared for the world as it is — and as it is becoming. Next Campaign exists to help make that possible.

Brett Thalmann, Harneet Singh and Hasneet Singh Punia are the co-founders of Next Campaign.

POLICORNER is a media partner for Next Campaign, one of Canada’s largest gatherings on political campaigning, innovation and technology. Here, the co-founders explain the vision behind it:

Having spent years working on campaigns at different levels of government — and eventually coming together as colleagues on a municipal campaign in the spring of 2023 — three Canadians found themselves repeatedly having the same conversations. We had learned a great deal from one another’s experiences, from data and digital strategy to voter engagement and campaign infrastructure, and yet we kept returning to a shared frustration: there was no consistent, open space in Canada to exchange these insights across partisan lines.

We had all seen how campaign conferences in the United States brought practitioners together — operatives, technologists, and strategists openly sharing best practices, debating new tools, and learning from each other in real time. Those conversations were unapologetically tactical and focused on the future of campaigning. What stood out was not just the sophistication of the work, but the culture of openness. Looking around Canada, it was clear that no comparable space existed. And so, we decided to build one.

Political campaigning in Canada has evolved dramatically, yet the ecosystems supporting campaigners have not always kept pace. Too often, learning happens behind closed doors, siloed within partisan bubbles, or restricted to those with insider access. While ideological differences will — and should — remain, the mechanics of running effective, ethical, and modern campaigns are increasingly shared across the political spectrum. We believed Canada was ready for a different approach.

That belief became the foundation of Next Campaign.

From the outset, our goal was not to build another partisan conference or a networking event dominated by one political tradition. Instead, we set out to create Canada’s first explicitly multi-partisan conference focused on the practice of campaigning — strategy, technology, communications, data, fundraising, and field operations — rather than ideology. We wanted a space where campaign managers, candidates, non-profit advocates, municipal leaders, and political technologists could learn from one another, challenge assumptions, and sharpen their skills together.

Canada’s political environment makes this kind of space both rare and necessary. We operate in a system with strict spending limits, evolving digital regulations, increasing diversity, and rising voter fragmentation. At the same time, campaigns are being reshaped by AI-driven analytics, programmatic advertising, connected television, and increasingly sophisticated voter contact tools. Yet, access to practical training on these shifts remains uneven. Next Campaign was designed to close that gap by convening expertise from across parties, sectors, and levels of government.

The early response confirmed our instincts. Our first summit brought together hundreds of attendees from across Canada and the United States — campaign professionals, elected officials, non-profit leaders, students, and technology providers — demonstrating that there was a real appetite for a neutral forum focused on how campaigns actually work today. The conversations were frank, and, most importantly, constructive.

We did not build Next Campaign for ourselves or for established insiders. We built it for the next generation of campaigners and strategists — young people, first-time candidates, students, and emerging professionals who deserve direct access to the tools, knowledge, and networks that will make them effective. Canadian democracy depends on renewal. By lowering barriers to learning and fostering cross-partisan dialogue on the mechanics of campaigning, we believe we are helping ensure that the next generation innovates, adapts, and strengthens our political system rather than inheriting its blind spots.

Canada’s politics will only remain strong if the people running campaigns are prepared for the world as it is — and as it is becoming. Next Campaign exists to help make that possible.

Brett Thalmann, Harneet Singh and Hasneet Singh Punia are the co-founders of Next Campaign.

POLICORNER is a media partner for Next Campaign, one of Canada’s largest gatherings on political campaigning, innovation and technology. Here, the co-founders explain the vision behind it:

Having spent years working on campaigns at different levels of government — and eventually coming together as colleagues on a municipal campaign in the spring of 2023 — three Canadians found themselves repeatedly having the same conversations. We had learned a great deal from one another’s experiences, from data and digital strategy to voter engagement and campaign infrastructure, and yet we kept returning to a shared frustration: there was no consistent, open space in Canada to exchange these insights across partisan lines.

We had all seen how campaign conferences in the United States brought practitioners together — operatives, technologists, and strategists openly sharing best practices, debating new tools, and learning from each other in real time. Those conversations were unapologetically tactical and focused on the future of campaigning. What stood out was not just the sophistication of the work, but the culture of openness. Looking around Canada, it was clear that no comparable space existed. And so, we decided to build one.

Political campaigning in Canada has evolved dramatically, yet the ecosystems supporting campaigners have not always kept pace. Too often, learning happens behind closed doors, siloed within partisan bubbles, or restricted to those with insider access. While ideological differences will — and should — remain, the mechanics of running effective, ethical, and modern campaigns are increasingly shared across the political spectrum. We believed Canada was ready for a different approach.

That belief became the foundation of Next Campaign.

From the outset, our goal was not to build another partisan conference or a networking event dominated by one political tradition. Instead, we set out to create Canada’s first explicitly multi-partisan conference focused on the practice of campaigning — strategy, technology, communications, data, fundraising, and field operations — rather than ideology. We wanted a space where campaign managers, candidates, non-profit advocates, municipal leaders, and political technologists could learn from one another, challenge assumptions, and sharpen their skills together.

Canada’s political environment makes this kind of space both rare and necessary. We operate in a system with strict spending limits, evolving digital regulations, increasing diversity, and rising voter fragmentation. At the same time, campaigns are being reshaped by AI-driven analytics, programmatic advertising, connected television, and increasingly sophisticated voter contact tools. Yet, access to practical training on these shifts remains uneven. Next Campaign was designed to close that gap by convening expertise from across parties, sectors, and levels of government.

The early response confirmed our instincts. Our first summit brought together hundreds of attendees from across Canada and the United States — campaign professionals, elected officials, non-profit leaders, students, and technology providers — demonstrating that there was a real appetite for a neutral forum focused on how campaigns actually work today. The conversations were frank, and, most importantly, constructive.

We did not build Next Campaign for ourselves or for established insiders. We built it for the next generation of campaigners and strategists — young people, first-time candidates, students, and emerging professionals who deserve direct access to the tools, knowledge, and networks that will make them effective. Canadian democracy depends on renewal. By lowering barriers to learning and fostering cross-partisan dialogue on the mechanics of campaigning, we believe we are helping ensure that the next generation innovates, adapts, and strengthens our political system rather than inheriting its blind spots.

Canada’s politics will only remain strong if the people running campaigns are prepared for the world as it is — and as it is becoming. Next Campaign exists to help make that possible.

Brett Thalmann, Harneet Singh and Hasneet Singh Punia are the co-founders of Next Campaign.