[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Johnson_Leo.jpg” caption=”Second-year economics student Leo Johnson is competing in the Canada’s Next Great Prime Minister contest. Photo by Susan Bubak.”]Leo Johnson could be Canada's Next Great Prime Minister. The second-year economics student is a semi-finalist in the CBC's nation-wide contest that asks young Canadians for innovative ideas on how to make their country a better place for everyone.

“I feel privileged,” says Johnson of the opportunity. “I hope to present the best image of McMaster.”

As part of the competition, Johnson will host a community engagement forum on Tuesday, Dec. 11 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hamilton Spectator Auditorium, where he will present his “One Great Idea for Canada” to a panel of experts, including McMaster professors and local community leaders, seeking their feedback. More than 400 people are expected to attend the event.

Johnson's idea, “An Identity through National Unity,” will focus on youth empowerment and engagement, economic development and the environment, foreign policy and diversity.

Hundreds of young Canadians auditioned for the competition. The four finalists will compete in front of four former prime ministers to determine the winner, who will receive $50,000. The show airs Sunday, March 23 at 8 p.m.

Johnson is involved in a long list of volunteer and community leadership activities. He is a member of the Governing Council for the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, the World University Service of Canada – McMaster University Chapter and the McMaster African Students Association. He also provides life skills training for young immigrants in Hamilton as part of the Settlement and Integration Services Organization.

But you don't need to be Canada's Next Great Prime Minister to make a difference.

Canada's young people are “an integral part of society,” says Johnson, “and community engagement is a unique platform to demonstrate what we are capable of.”