Conclusion: What's next?
Our next publication will pick up with the MPs’ arrival in Ottawa and focus on how these citizens navigated their new lives and roles as Members of Parliament. A Member of Parliament may be among the most important jobs in the country, and yet there is no official description of the role; it is a position that can be and is interpreted in a variety of ways.
We will release a series of reports that elaborate on the nature of political leadership in Canada, based on the reflections of the MPs to whom we spoke. These reports will discuss how the MPs conceived of their job, how they spent their time as Parliamentarians, including how they worked through caucus and committees. They will also describe how these MPs view our political culture and reflect on their experience serving in a minority Parliament. We will also explore the relationships between MPs and civil society, either directly through their interactions with their constituents, with citizens’ associations and lobby groups, as well as indirectly, through the media. Finally, we will also share how the MPs describe their victories and frustrations, and the advice they have for strengthening our democracy.