After a federal election, about one—third of Canadian Members of Parliament arrive on the steps of Parliament’s Centre Block as rookies. They emerge victorious from an often difficult nomination battle and general election campaign. They come from a wide variety of backgrounds and bring with them a diverse set of experiences and motivations, but with little—if any—experience in elected office or in the context of national public life.
Most of the MPs to whom we spoke matched this description. For nearly all of them, federal politics represented a career change. On average, they were 47 years old when they were first elected, having pursued other careers and interests mostly in fields outside politics and in cities and towns far from Ottawa.
So how did these accidental citizens feel upon arriving in Ottawa? And how did they navigate those initial weeks and months in office?
Most participating MPs recalled being filled with awe for the institution of Parliament, its history, and for the opportunity to serve. They believed that they were part of something important, and felt that the work awaiting them was a great challenge.
“I’ll never forget it,” recalled one MP, remembering his first day in the House of Commons. “It was overwhelming to be in that chamber... to feel the presence of those who have gone before you.” Another remembered feeling honoured, knowing that his constituents had granted him the latitude to speak on and advance issues in a way that only 308 other Canadians, his fellow MPs, had the opportunity to do. “It’s a huge privilege,” the MP said.
But the MPs also discussed feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what lay ahead. As is often the case for anyone starting a new job, many of the MPs we interviewed recalled their first days as a time of nervous expectation. “It is very exciting. We were all ushered in, and there was [the Prime Minister]… it was definitely exhilarating,” one MP recalled. Some MPs had never visited the capital before, amplifying their initial insecurity. “I have to say I knew very little about [how] Ottawa worked. I had never been there. The very first time I walked up to the doors of the House of Commons was after I was elected,” one MP said.
Many acknowledged that it was not something they’d ever imagined doing. “I was overwhelmed. I grew up modestly and never aspired to any of this stuff. I wasn’t one of those people who was thinking about this when I was 12. I was naïve,” one MP admitted. “All of a sudden I said, ‘I’m going to Ottawa.’ I had never planned to do that. It was just one of those things that happened,” said another MP.