All Members of Parliament representing officially recognized parties are eligible to host a Parliamentary Intern except for cabinet ministers, party leaders, and the Speaker.
The Canadian Political Science Association has managed the Programme in cooperation with the House of Commons since the Programme was established with all-party support in 1969. To show our commitment to non-partisanship, each intern must work for one MP in government and one MP in opposition during two separate allocation periods. Parliamentary Interns are allocated among opposition parties based on their representation in the House. In the current Parliament, there will be five interns with Liberal MPs, three with Conservative MPs, one with an NDP MP, and one with a BQ MP during each allocation period.
Interns work closely with their MPs and their staff. They often assist with committee work – reviewing reports, meeting with advocates, drafting questions, and assisting in pre-committee and committee meetings. They also prepare questions and speeches for House debates, write editorials and press releases, and help draft Private Members Bills. MPs regularly invite interns to visit their constituencies, where they are called on assist with casework, public consultations and community meetings.
The interns interview all interested MPs who apply to host an intern (typically 60 – 70 per year). The interns then select their government and opposition placements as a group based on their own policy interests.
MP placements 2022-23
The Parliamentary Interns, the Parliamentary Internship Programme, and its stakeholders thank all the MPs who applied for interns this year and, most especially, those hosting interns in their offices.
During their first period (October 5, 2022 – February 3, 2023), the allocations are:
- Luc Berthold (CPC), Mégantic—L’Érable, QC – Intern Nina Sartor
- Larry Brock (CPC), Brantford-Brant, ON – Intern Nikhil Pandeya
- Nathaniel Erskine-Smith (LIB), Beaches-East York, ON – Intern Alyth Roos
- Greg Fergus (LIB), Hull-Aylmer, QC – Intern Madeleine Martin
- Andy Fillmore (LIB), Halifax, NS – Intern Sarah Rollason-MacAulay
- Lori Idlout (NDP), Nunavut, NT – Intern Melanie Bartosh
- Sébastien Lemire (BQ), Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC – Intern Sonja Tilroe
- Michelle Rempel Garner (CPC), Calgary Nose Hill, AB – Intern Nathan Mendel
- Arif Virani (LIB), Parkdale-High Park, ON – Intern Benoit Dupras
- Patrick Weiler (LIB), West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC – Intern Philippe Fleury
During their second allocation period (February 6 – June 22, 2023), the allocations are:
- Terry Beech (LIB), Burnaby North—Seymour, BC – Intern Nathan Mendel
- Stéphane Bergeron (BQ), Montarville, QC – Intern Philippe Fleury
- James Bezan (CPC), Selkirk-Interlake-Eastman, MB – Intern Alyth Roos
- Kody Blois (LIB), Kings-Hants, NS – Intern Nina Sartor
- Laurel Collins (NDP), Victoria, BC – Intern Madeleine Martin
- Terry Duguid (LIB), Winnipeg South, MB – Intern Sonja Tilroe
- Iqwinder Gaheer (LIB), Mississauga—Malton, ON – Intern Nikhil Pandeya
- Stephanie Kusie (CPC), Calgary Midnapore, AB – Intern Sarah Rollason-MacAulay
- Greg McLean (CPC), Calgary Centre, AB – Intern Benoit Dupras
- Jenna Sudds (LIB), Kanata—Carleton, ON – Intern Melanie Bartosh
“The Parliamentary Internship Programme is an exceptional program that offers a work-study experience for university graduates while at the same time providing Members of Parliament with the highest qualified assistants. These non-partisan interns participate fully in the parliamentary process and contribute to our Canadian democracy. I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to work with many of the interns during my time as a Member of Parliament and cannot stress how valuable an asset this program is to Members’ offices.”
“As a former Parliamentary Internship Programme intern from the class of 1994-95, I am personally familiar with the benefits and opportunities that this program gives young Canadians while working for Members of Parliament here in Ottawa. I have long been a supporter of PIP and since being elected in 2015, I’ve had the benefit of having 2 PIP interns work in my office. Both interns provided me with invaluable, professional and unmatched non-partisan research, writing and office support. The quality of the candidates who become PIP interns, selected through a highly competitive national process, means that only the “cream of the crop” are selected. This is evidenced by the work I’ve seen them perform in my office but also in the research projects they undertake and that I have been happy to support and promote. PIP was essential to my education and training, and allowing me to get where I am today and I would encourage all MPs to participate in this program and would encourage all young Canadians with an interest in Government to apply.”