Our Values & Beliefs 
The seeds of On Canada Project Inc. were sown during a pivotal moment in history and a deeply personal chapter in our founder, Samanta Krishnapillai’s journey. This blend of global events and intimate experiences forged the core of what we are today.
Born from the vision of a young woman of colour on her own healing journey during the early months of COVID-19, our goal was to rally Millenials and Gen Z to collaborate and work together to meet the needs of the people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Samanta’s intent going into this journey is that she would do this until public health communication got better, and then OCP wouldn’t be needed, so she would fold it and look for a real job.
What happened was to the surprise of everyone, especially Samanta. Within eight months of launching OCP, its following had surpassed almost every single public health unit in the country on social media. Samanta realized that what she was doing was essential, unique and necessary for Canada. Hence, she and the community of OCP volunteers, over 150 young people between the ages of 18-35, started to talk about what it would look like if OCP wasn’t a temporary force for good but a long-term sustainable one.
What role did we want to play in this vast media landscape? Was true neutrality even achievable? And would we ever tone down our voices to suit the comfort of the mainstream? We soon realized that our DNA was intertwined with progressive values - values anchored in human rights and justice principles.
While we were forging our identity, the world was waking up. The shadows of white supremacy were being cast into the light, and we saw this as our cue—a chance to communicate with our community in a way that was raw, real, and unfiltered.
And as our family expanded, our internal conversations deepened. We've always aimed to create a haven where everyone can truly be themselves. Our goal? Ensuring every team member doesn’t just fit in but genuinely belongs, feeling safe to be their authentic selves in our midst.
It was in Early 2021, less than a year after Samanta launched OCP, that we established the following principles and values.
On UnSubscribing From Neutrality (when discussing issues related to human rights and injustices)On Neutrality
From the conversations we had about ensuring a safer space, both on our grid and within our team, we realized we didn't want to code-switch or side with oppressors. We wanted to be the change we wish to see in the world. The truth is that neutrality has been considered 'fair' and 'academic' for far too long, so when we came across a post by @the_rebelllious_history_teacher we adapted (with permission) it into our stucture below.
'be unbiased'
'it's not our place to tell people what to think'
'that topic is too polarizing'
'difference of opinions'
'watch your tone'
We've all heard things like:
'share both sides'
'don't tell people where you stand on issues'
'don't discuss politics'
'stay neutral'
'keep opinions to yourself'
'just stick to the facts
'Why Neutrality is Harmful
Facts and figures become more important than the human stories behind the names and dates.
Neutrality acts as a smokescreen that prevents people from realizing that everything is already centered in whiteness. This doesn't mean all white people are bad, but rather that white supremacy is foundational in our system and structures.
Failing to publically condemn white supremacy makes people of colour consciously and/or subconsciously feel unsafe. One way this presents is with code-switching
People think neutral is 'fair' and that fair and equitable mean the same thing.
Marginalized and/or vulnerable people don't genuinely feel cared for, seen, or accepted.
BIPOC people are expected to sympathize with their oppressors/the oppressor of their ancestors in an attempt to 'consider both sides'.
People are literally dying because of the colour of their skin, their sexuality and/or identity, and we have to present material critically to invite people into the discourse.
Neutrality is often code for 'let's gaslight people into thinking systemic issues doesn't exist'.
White terrorist acts such as land theft, genocide, and enslavement are sugar-coated, romanticized or ignored completely - both historically and present-day impact.
People miss out on valuable life lessons about what justice, empathy, and community look like in action.
Where this leaves us?
We aren't coming to you as experts in a particular area, but rather as peers learning alongside you (and showing our work via our grid).
A collectivist mindset is intrinsic to our WOC-founded organization, so hearing, amplifying, and collaborating with community is woven throughout our organization.
We are big fans of the Maya Angelou quote, "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." Perfection is a myth, and mistakes are inevitable. We openly own ours, and internally debrief them, striving to know and do better. When mistakes happen we hope you, our community, call us in (instead of call us out) and compassionately challenge us to do better.
We will always be evidence-informed, but still bring our compassionate, critical, and conversational tone to what we share.
We take a trauma and equity informed process to our work to get the perspectives of both our diverse team and our growing list of content advisors. Whenever possible, we work to collaborate with people who have direct lived experience. As we shift into a social enterprise structure, we hope to always flow resources back into these communities and creators.
Where this leaves you
We can't express how exciting it is to have all of you as members of our community!
Much like members of any community, sometimes we won't agree on stuff. We're okay with that, and we hope you will be too. We hope you compassionately challenge us to understand things differently if you believe what we're sharing is incorrect, and we hope that you understand that while we will read and listen to everything you say, that we get to decide how we approach issues and our stance on stuff.
We hope if we approach it this way, we can create an account that listens as much as it shares content and is reflective of our community. We want to work together, with you, to demand better of Canada, for Canada.
Think of us as an informed friend who is committed to bringing you critical, credible, and compassionate information on issues impacting Canadians.
Conscious Scaling to a Social Enterprise
As we scale On Canada Project from a passion project to a social enterprise it is important to us that you know that we’re determined to do business differently. While we all work within a capitalistic structure that is our current society, we still wholeheartedly subscribe to a feminine economy and the values that come attached with that.
When we take on client work, we’re clear to our partners that we retain 100% editorial control of our content and media that is shared on our socials. We will not compromise the quality or credibility of our content, regardless of who we work with. We are immensely proud of the trust and relationship we have with our community, and are committed to continuing to be critical, speak honestly, and not shying away from difficult or sticky conversations.
Learn more about our consulting arm here: Good Trouble Studios
OUR Bold Printcc/ future partners, clients and collaborators!Hey there! We’re all about championing change and telling stories that matter here at On Canada Project Inc. When we think about working with you, we get genuinely excited about the possibilities!
But let’s chat about what our partnership means:
Real Talk: Our content and online community? It's our baby. We're protective of it, and we’re protective of the trust we’ve built with over 150K+ people across Canada.
Content Outside Our Partnership: Our OCP original content (over 1000+ pieces shared) will always be under the editorial control of our media arm and Editor-In-Chief. Retaining editorial control is really important to us, and we appreciate your understanding of our commitment to our community and our values.
Content Partnership: If you are looking to get your message onto our platform, we’ll work with you to make sure the final message aligns with what you are comfortable with while still being true to our values.
Non-Content Related Partnership: We can always leverage our platform as needed into non-content related client projects, but whatever we share on our socials has to still feel authentic to our values and respectful to our community.
Keeping it Real, But Practical: We’re all about authenticity and pushing boundaries here at On Canada Project Inc. But we also get that everyone’s on their own journey, and what's normal for us might just be a tad spicy for others. And you know what? That's totally cool!
When we brainstorm a project with you, we'll always pitch two versions - one is what we think the dream scenario looks like, and the next is a scenario that matches your organization’s resources, political landscape and energy. Think of us as collaboration DJs, remixing a classic tune to meet your vibe!
We're here to meet you wherever you're at. Yes, we’ll share our vision of the gold standard, but we’re also game to tailor it to where your organization stands right now. Because, let's be honest, chasing perfection? It's like hunting unicorns. What's real and what works for you is where the magic happens.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: When you hire On Canada Project Inc. you should know that the experts and collaborators we bring on to work on this with us are, over 90% of the time, from historically systemically marginalized and neglected communities. We are big believers in spending that money in a way that allows us to live our values.
Look, we're not trying to scare anyone away! Our partnerships to date have been incredible and have allowed us to keep creating solutions that work for you while still being true to our values. With more organizations like yours collaborating with us, we see a future where our passion and your support come together to do some truly amazing things for Canada. We've built this bond of trust with our community by keeping things real, and we hope you'll get why that’s so important to us.
So, let's think of teaming up as a jam session – your support and our passion can make beautiful change together. Ready to create some magic?
