Report by Katie Gowrie
NCCAR Parliamentary Interns share their experience in the House of Commons
Ghaith El Mohtar decided to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. When he stepped into Elizabeth May’s office for the first time, she had no idea what to expect, but he knew some sort of journey lay ahead of him.
A six-week journey to be exact. Ghaith is just one of many young Arab-Canadian students that participated in the National Council on Canadian-Arab Relations’ parliamentary internship program this past summer.
“I hoped and prayed to embark on an experience that would teach me about the amazing cogs we call politicians and the democratic clock they keep ticking,” he says. “The worst-case scenario never materialized, luckily, and instead I did learn and grow in the way that I wanted to.”
NCCAR’s internship program is an opportunity for post secondary students second year and up to develop skills while working in the office of a Member of Parliament.
The program started in 1996 and is part of NCCAR’s Educational Program. It gives interns a firsthand look at the Canadian political process, and creates awareness of the challenges and opportunities the Canadian Arab community faces in the domain of Canadian politics.
Green Party Elizabeth May with NCCAR Intern Ghaith El Mohtar
Ghaith says he developed several skills during her placement, but they were centered on three tasks: filing, responding to letters, and drafting petitions. He says these tasks forced her to research different topics extensively, and learn to search for information in places she had never thought of.
“I feel that I am now much more familiar with government resources, and am less daunted by looking for information. I also discovered…more tools that I will surely use throughout my academic years.”
Sawssan Kari, an intern placed in the NDP office of Peter Julian, says she also acquired new research skills
“I met with the House of Commons librarian, and I was familiarized with the parliamentary search engines used for research purposes.”
She says by the third week, she was ready to apply what she had learned to administrative tasks, such as organizing bills and writing responses to letters from concerned constituents. She adds the internship required that she scan the news each morning to keep up with topics of discussion.
Kari says she wanted the placement because she needed practical experience to balance out the theory she was learning while studying political science at university.
“…John Locke and Thomas Hobbes just weren’t enough to keep me intrigued. When a friend emailed me the opportunity, I knew I would get practical learning experience in terms of the processes that take place in Parliament.”
Kareem Aly, an intern in Claude Gravelle’s office says he got lots of exposure to Canada’s parliamentary system through a research project his MP assigned to him. He was required to research a bill his MP planned to table in the upcoming parliamentary year.
“I got a very good sense of how bills move through the House of Commons and the Senate,” Aly says.
“I also got a clearer understanding on the positions of the various parties on particular issues. It was very interesting to see how politics work from an inside perspective.”
While the interns were placed in different situations and acquired different skills, all agreed the program had a positive impact on Arab-Canadian communities.
“It increases their visibility in the eyes of Canada’s chief legislators… [and] helps our image as positive, productive contributors to Canadian society…” says El Mohtar
Aly says his placement got him to feel responsible and accountable for Canada. As a young Egyptian-Canadian, he felt his two identities found a common ground.
“This experience is an excellent way to show Canadians who we really are and what we have to contribute to this country’s well being.”
-30-
Recent Comments