Life Before Parliament: Overview
In every federal election, Canadians select a new group of MPs to serve in one of the most important jobs in Canada. They arrive in Parliament with the responsibility and latitude to govern our country. When did they first become interested or engaged in politics? How did they come to vie for the job? Was their ascent to Parliament the result of years of planning and a focused ambition? How did their experience compare to the general way a citizen might view politicians?
The answers are not what we expected, and contain few discernable patterns. While many MPs had at least one experience we might equate with a politician – such as parents who encouraged political debate at the dinner table, a degree in law or political science, a volunteer role with the local political party association, a stint as a municipal or provincial elected official or as an aide to a politician – only a few had most or all of these experiences.
Few of those we interviewed fit the mould we might commonly associate with a politician. Their backgrounds were varied. Few said they set out to be politicians. While some volunteered with a political party, sometimes actively, most did not participate in partisan activity for much of their lives. Most said they had not planned to enter politics, and that they chose a political career quite by accident.
Most of the MPs we interviewed were not raised on politics, with a couple of high-profile exceptions. MPs grew up in a wide variety of households, usually hundreds or thousands of kilometres from Ottawa. Over ten percent were not born in Canada, and many more were the children of immigrants. Most didn’t spend their young adulthood as members of the youth wings of a political party. And while the majority had university degrees, most studied subjects other than political science or law.
Those we interviewed pursued a range of jobs, professions and community interests. While some spent portions of their careers in roles we’d assume typical of a federal politician – lawyer, school board trustee, political staffer or a municipal or provincial politician – most spent approximately twenty years pursuing interests outside federal politics.
Perhaps surprisingly, over a quarter of those interviewed were involved in education as teachers, coaches, principals or academics. An even larger number were active in a host of business pursuits, working as proprietors, managers, salespeople and senior executives. Others came from professions such as journalism, accounting, engineering, nursing and social work. Ten percent had some military experience, and many more worked in the public sector in a variety of roles, from a civil service manager to a police officer to an air traffic controller. Several ran non-profit organizations. Two were clergymen. One was a Grand Chief. Their careers reflected the diversity of the country and the economy, although most enjoyed a middle-class lifestyle.