The Parliamentarians’ adjustment to public life was made more difficult by the lack of structured orientation to help them acclimatize to their new roles. Few recalled receiving organized support or formal training. “The orientation is terrible,” one MP declared. “You get there, they take you in the House, they give you a book [on] constituency rights and responsibilities, the former Speaker talks about being in the House, and that’s it. There’s no orientation. There is no training. There is nothing on how to be effective,” said another MP. “You learn by the seat of your pants,” admitted a third MP.
These new Parliamentarians acknowledged that their preparation was largely ad hoc and really only began once they arrived in Ottawa. “I was always amazed at how people go into it without having done any kind of homework,” one MP observed. Another argued that by the time MPs arrived in Ottawa, it was already too late. “[Orientation] should take place long before the election... Find out what the heck you’re getting into before you ever decide to run,” he said.
One MP observed that there was no opportunity to set goals or develop a plan. “It would be very wise to have someone encourage you to sit down at the beginning and say, ‘Okay, what is it you want to accomplish?’ It is such a busy life, you just tend to jump in and keep swimming. You should almost have to go on a retreat to think through what it is you want to accomplish,” she said.
Many MPs sought informal advice or mentors, but found that even that wasn’t always straightforward. “You’re getting tugged in every which way by different advice, so it was pretty confusing when we were first there,” said one MP. “You can ask…People would share with you and they’ll tell you. You just need to know the right question to ask and the right person,” said another.
Other times, more experienced Parliamentarians were unable to provide direction. One MP recalled asking for advice from a colleague, “He said, ‘I don’t know; I’ve been here for three years and I really don’t know.’ And I thought, ‘Gosh… It takes a long time to learn things.”
The only exception to this lack of guidance was that, upon their arrival, the majority of Bloc Québécois MPs to whom we spoke were assigned a mentor within the party. One Bloc MP was greatly appreciative of this support: “As a new MP, I was lucky to have a mentor, a fellow Bloc MP. He was a valuable aid through his advice.” Another Bloc MP said, “I had a good MP as a mentor; he had been there for a long time… I asked for his advice often. I didn’t even know that when the bell rang I was supposed to enter the Chamber. I didn’t know that; I didn’t know anything.” However, this seemed not to be a formal program since other Bloc MPs explicitly mentioned that they would have benefitted from mentorship.
Only a few MPs said they spent time learning Parliamentary rules and procedure. “Robert’s Rules of Order, all those books were there, I read them, I learned them, I sat and watched other people, and I didn’t participate much in the beginning. I really just absorbed,” said one MP. Another MP pointed out that it was rare for his colleagues to engage in that kind of preparation. “Next to nobody knows the rules of the House,” the MP said.
Even beyond the rules, many claimed to have had little or no knowledge of the methods, traditions or culture of Parliament. This was particularly the case for those elected as members of the Reform Party. “51 of us went and didn’t know a damned thing about the House of Commons… [We were like] deer in the headlights,” one Reform MP admitted.