Jessica Daoud – Parliamentary Internship Report 2013

Parliamentary Internship Report:  Parliamentary Office of Federal Member of Parliament Elizabeth May – By: Jessica Daoud

Despite my lack of experience working in the political realm I applied to the NCCAR’s Parliamentary Internship Program. I would not have guessed that they would select me as one of four interns to work on Parliament Hill this summer. The opportunity was wonderful and I readily accepted it. I knew that I would learn a lot throughout the 6 weeks, and the experience I would gain would be invaluable.

During my internship, I met a lot of MP’s office staff who taught me a lot about the process of how bills are passed into law, and about the process and procedures of all actions that are taken at the federal government level. I also learned about the different committees that would meet when the houses would rise again in the fall, and the process of amending bills that would take place during these meetings. Through my 6 week internship with NCCAR, I have been asked to come back during the fall and do work on the Foreign Affairs and International Trade committee for the MP. It was only through this internship that this could have been possible for me, and I am deeply grateful to have been selected for this opportunity.

This internship allowed me to work with various types of correspondence as well. Part of my daily routine was to pick up the mail and sift through letters from constituents, various petitions, non-constituent letters and even event invitations from different organizations. At my MP’s office, we are sure to reply to each and every piece of correspondence we receive to our office. As you can imagine, this really helped me to strengthen my writing and editing skills. Additionally, I learned about the issues that were important to the MP’s constituents and other Canadians alike. Overall, I have walked away from this internship having learned more than I could have ever asked for. My experience was one of a kind and I can’t wait to start committee work in the fall!

I am deeply grateful that the NCCAR has given me this opportunity. I would encourage anyone who is thinking about applying to this internship to do so, it is an experience that will truly open your eyes to the inner workings of the federal government and like me, you might foresee pursuing a career in the government in the near future.

Posted on August 27, 2013