What is the Parliamentary Internship Programme?

 

Overview

First envisioned by backbench Member of Parliament (MP) Alfred Hales in 1969, the Parliamentary Internship Programme (PIP) is a unique non-partisan educational initiative that each year gives twelve recent graduates the life-changing opportunity spend 10 months (September to June) working and studying on Parliament Hill and conducting study tours to other legislatures in Canada and abroad.

Interns receive a scholarship of $35,000 to support themselves during the Programme. Beginning in 2025-26, Interns will be enrolled as students at the University of Ottawa and will receive a graduate certificate in Public Administration upon completion of the Programme.

 

Programme components

The Programme has five main learning components:

  • Placements working with MPs
  • Intensive orientation to parliament and Canadian politics
  • A weekly three-hour “caucus” that combines an academic seminar and time for reflections on PIP activities
  • Study tours to other legislatures
  • An original research paper on Parliament or Canadian politics.

The Interns also attend briefing sessions with PIP sponsors, organize a series of informal “Brown Bag Lunches” with eminent Canadians, and participate in managing different aspects of the Programme’s operations and communications.

 

Placements with MPs

The PIP offers participants an unparalleled opportunity to learn about the operation of Canada’s democracy and gain practical research, writing, and communication skills by working directly for MPs. Each Intern completes two separate placements: one with an MP from the governing party and one with an MP from an opposition party.

During these placements the Interns perform a wide range of tasks to advance their MPs’ work as elected representatives, including writing speeches, researching and prepare briefing notes, drafting questions for Question Period, and supporting their MPs’ work in committees. They also typically visit their MPs’ ridings to see representation at the local level.

The PIP is the only federal legislative internship that requires each participant to work with MPs from both sides of the House, and Interns must be willing to potentially work with MPs from any party. Interns select their placements through a collective process after they interview all of the MPs who have applied to host (typically 60-70).

The Programme is also the only internship that is written into the House of Commons Members Bylaw, giving Interns most of the same privileges as MPs’ staff during their placements. The exact timing of the placement periods varies with the parliamentary calendar, but they typically run from the beginning of October to mid February, and mid-February to mid-June.

 

Orientation to Parliament and Canadian politics

To ensure that they are prepared for their placements, Interns spend the first three weeks of the PIP in an intensive orientation program featuring sessions on Parliamentary procedure, training on applied tasks like speech writing, and meetings with senior House of Commons officials, Senators, and representatives from each political party. They also have briefings with the previous Intern cohort and experienced political staff to learn about the diverse range of tasks they will perform in their placements.

 

Weekly PIP Caucus

The PIP Caucus, which runs every Wednesday morning from 9:00 to 12:00, has three main components. The meetings begin with a period for the Interns to share reflections on their placements, study tours, and other aspects of the PIP, and to seek support for any challenges they may be facing. The Interns then discuss Programme logistics to ensure the many tasks and projects, such as the planning for study tours or preparation of the annual Bulletin magazine, are on track.

After a coffee break, the second half of the caucus is devoted to an academic seminar delivered either by the Programme Director or a guest speaker. The seminars cover a range of topics on Canada’s politics and political institutions, such as the Crown, the role of Parliament, the influence of backbench MPs, Indigenous peoples, race and politics, and the operation of political parties. Seminars on the politics of the different study tour destinations also prepare the Interns to make the most of each trip.

 

Legislative study tours

The legislative study tours allow the Interns to learn about the strengths and weakness of Canada’s democratic institutions and responses to major policy issues by learning about the operation of democracy and the policy choices in other jurisdictions. This comparative perspective is a vital component of the Interns’ learning in the PIP, and the Interns themselves help to plan the trips to ensure they address the issues of concern to the group.

Each year the Interns conduct three study tours within Canada, visiting Nunavut, Ontario, Québec, and three study tours abroad:

  • Brussels – European Parliament, Belgian Parliament, and NATO Headquarters
  • United Kingdom – British Parliament in London and one of the three devolved legislatures (Northern Ireland Assembly, Scottish Parliament, or Welsh Parliament)
  • Washington, D.C. – U.S. Congress

The Interns also typically undertake an overnight trip to Montréal to visit Programme partners, such as Bombardier, BDC, Desjardins, and VIA Rail. The Programme pays the costs of the trips, including transportation, accommodations, and per diems for meals.

 

Research paper

The research paper is the Interns’ primary academic output during the Programme, and can touch on any subject related to Parliament, federalism, or federal politics. The Interns’ unique vantage point on Canada’s political system often leads them to focus their research on understudied or emerging issues that have yet to grad the attention of political scientists. The papers can be based on existing sources, but Interns are also encouraged to take advantage of their location within Parliament to undertake original research through interviews, surveys, or content analysis. The Interns present their finding each June at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences and at the Programme’s own Jean-Pierre Gaboury Research Symposium. Interns are also encouraged to publish their papers after the Programme if they wish.

 

Other Programme activities

Interns participate in a range of other activities throughout the year, including:

  • A “Brown Bag Lunch” series with eminent Canadians
  • Policy briefings and site visits with Programme sponsors
  • Organizing and hosting visits by counterpart internship programs from four provincial legislatures (British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Québec) and the U.S. Congress
  • Managing the Programme’s communications, including social media and newsletters.

The Interns also help to organize the interviews with MPs and the study tours.

 

Academic status and assessment

Beginning with the 2025-26 year, the Parliamentary Interns will be enrolled as full-time graduate students at the University of Ottawa and will receive a Graduate Certificate in Public Administration from the University upon the completion of the Programme in recognition of their learning through the year.

There is no formal assessment for the different elements of the Programme, but Interns must participate fully in each aspect of the Programme noted above and submit their research paper in order to receive their certificate.

 

Support for Interns

The Interns will receive a tax-free scholarship of $35,000 to support their learning. The Programme also reimburses at least $800 of each Intern’s moving expenses and provides a telecommunications allowance of $25 per month to offset the costs the Interns face using their personal cell phones for Programme activities.

While in the Programme, the Interns will also have access to the full range of student services at the University of Ottawa, including the student health plan, medical services, housing, athletic facilities, and more. In addition, the House of Commons provides each Intern with a laptop they can use in their placements.