U.S. Students Get First-Hand View of Canadian Government
What happens when you bring a group of U.S. university students to Ottawa and place them in internship positions with Canadian members of Parliament and senators? Sixteen young interns from seven different states found out recently as they participated in an internship program that gave them an insider's view of Canada's system of government.
The interns came to work on Parliament Hill through the Canadian Parliamentary Internship Program. This five-week program is directed by Dr. James T. Baker, a history professor at Western Kentucky University. Helen Graves, a professor at the University of Michigan, started the program more than 15 years ago.
One of this year's interns, Heather Randolph, was placed with The Hill Times and wrote an article about her positive experience. "What better way to understand a culture than to speak and work with its citizens," she said. "The experience has helped all of my fellow interns realize how essential Canada-U.S. relations are, not only to North America, but to the world."
Through the program, students from U.S. universities apply to be placed in the office of a member of Parliament or senator. There, they are given a variety of tasks to help them become acquainted with the Canadian parliamentary environment, including conducting research and interacting with constituents. The interns are not paid for their work and must cover their lodging costs at a University of Ottawa residence during their stay, where they get the chance to socialize with students in similar programs from Canada and other countries.
The U.S. interns received support from the International Academic Relations Division of Foreign Affairs Canada, through a competitive process held in the United States for the various Canadian Studies centres under the Canadian Studies Program.
This year, participating students not only got to see how Canadian government works, but also experienced the fast pace of the election process, as several were involved in their respective MPs' campaigns. Dr. Baker tries to place interns with all of the political parties if possible, matching students based on their political ideas and interests.
Overall, the program is a positive and valuable experience for the interns, who get to learn about Canada and the importance of Canada-U.S. relations, and to study a different form of democracy. "Canadians are open to us and just so nice to us," said Dr. Baker. "When they find these students are willing to put down money, give up their summer, come here and work for them, they are just so welcoming."
Links
|
