We began the MP exit interview project to provoke new discussions on political leadership and the ways in which our democratic process can be improved.
Welcome to Parliament: A Job With No Description raises at least two sets of questions, which we outline below. We hope you will contribute.
As a
charitable organization, we are committed to fostering a greater understanding of Canadian democracy and making our work widely available to all Canadians. We are looking for feedback on how we can better present this material, and ideas on how we can share it with more Canadians. Please
contribute your thoughts below, or
contact us directly.
Two questions arising from this report
MP job description: This report indicated that MPs had varied, and often contradictory, views of the core purpose of an MP. Should there be a job description? If so, how do we decide what it should include?
Share your views.
Professional development for MPs: This report also highlighted how the MPs described feeling unprepared for their roles as Parliamentarians, and said they received little or no training or orientation. Can we improve the way newly-elected MPs are prepared for their position? Should we consider a longer transition period after an election? Should we also consider ongoing executive education-style training for MPs?
Share your views.
To follow the conversation in the media, please click
here.
Any other ideas or feedback? Please
contact us at any time.
Help us better share this material
We have collected over 140 hours of interviews (audio only) with 65 former MPs, including one prime minister, several political party leaders and many cabinet ministers. We strive to present this extremely multi-faceted data with you in an accessible, enjoyable and provocative way in order to advance our mission of strengthening Canada's democracy and encouraging others to do the same.
Thus far, this has largely been through magazine-style reports,
podcasts and through
media discussion and a
feature interview. We have also presented at several conferences, with a particular focus on educators of high school, college and university students.
If you have ideas or suggestions on how we can do this better, please share them
here, or
contact us directly. Thank you again for your interest in this important work.