This year marks the first year of a very special Parliamentary internship, created in memory of Jaimie Anderson.  A passionate Canadian who believed in the best of our politics (as Susan Delacourt writes in this touching article about the program, "it can be easy to forget that politics also attracts idealists, dreamers and people driven by a need to help others"), this paid internship provid... [More]

With all the kerfuffle about Question Period back in the news, we thought we would bring you a Question Period-themed Guess Who? contest. This week's quote comes a British Columbia MP who famously left his part to first sit as an independent, then join another party...if we told you which one, it would be too big of a hint. Guess which of the 65 participating MPs spoke the words below before noo... [More]

The second in a series on the new crop of MPs, here Samara volunteer Janet Rodriguez puts the spotlight on newly elected MP Manon Perreault. ***** On May 2nd, Manon Perreault, NDP candidate for the riding of Montcalm, faced the second biggest challenge in her life—and she cleared it with 53% of the vote. Ms. Perreault declared that it is a privilege to represent her riding of Montcalm and ... [More]

There has been a lot of coverage in the media about the age of the new MPs set to take their seats in Parliament next week. We know that Pierre-Luc Dusseault, at 19 years of age, is the youngest MP ever to be elected in Canada. But what about the rest of them? Is Dusseault's jeunesse indicative of the overall age of our new Parliamentarians? Samara and a group of volunteers--Janet Rodriguez, ... [More]

Congratulations to the latest winner of the Guess Who? contest! Nick Taylor-Vaisey from Ottawa, Ontario correctly guessed longtime Medicine Hat MP and political blogger the Honourable Monte Solberg (click here to read his quote). As his prize for the correct guess, Nick chose The Good Fight: Political Memoirs 1909–1958, by David Lewis from our list of Best Political Writing. *** Regular v... [More]

Our friends in Montréal, l'Institut du Nouveau Monde, are hosting this year's CIVICUS World Assembly in September. It is an opportunity for citizens, organizations, business, and government to come together from around the world to share their projects and techniques for improving civic engagement. Registration is now open, with a 60% discount for those who register before May 30th.

As promised, here's the clip to my interview with Steve Paikin on TVO's The Agenda, where we spoke about our third MP exit interview report, "It's My Party": Parliamentary Dysfunction Reconsidered." It's not as stern as the picture above suggests! The show producer, Allison Buchan-Terrell, wrote a terrific blog to accompany the show, which led to a great online discussion. We are extremely gra... [More]

Alison Loat will be discussing Samara's third report from MP exit interview project, "It's My Party": Parliamentary Dysfunction Reconsidered on the Agenda with Steve Paiken tonight. Check it out on TVO at 8pm. We'll post the video of the interview later in the week.

Samara's excellent team of volunteers have been busy compiling information on the new crop of MPs. Today we're posting the first in a series of blogs by Janet Rodriguez detailing the personal lives of these newly elected MPs.  Janet is a is a translator, interpreter, and host of "Sin Barrerras" ("Without Barriers") on Toronto's CHHA 1610 AM. ***** A busy grandma just got bus... [More]

The first post-election Guess Who? contest focuses the feeling of awe and grandeur that many of the participating MPs mentioned upon first setting foot in the House of Commons. This week's quote comes an Alberta MP who was a broadcaster, businessman, and prominent blogger. Guess which of the 65 participating MPs spoke the words below before noon EST on Thursday May 19th. We'll choose one winn... [More]

A few interesting events and publications in journalism-land: 1. Meet the minds behind Canada's new media start-ups: On Tuesday May 17, the Canadian Journalism Foundation is hosting a fascinating panel featuring the founders of four online media organizations: The Tyee, Open File, The Mark and IPolitics, 6:30 pm at the University of Toronto. Tickets, or information on how to follow online, a... [More]

Since last week's election, the media has been abuzz over the apparent inexperience of many of the new MPs set to arrive in Ottawa. The youngest MP in Canadian history, Pierre-Luc Dussealt was elected, as were a number of students and other young people. In future posts, we'll be discussing the age and professional backgrounds of the 41st Parliament. Here, we'd like to point to another way of thin... [More]

In Saturday's Ottawa Citizen, Ian MacLeod and Glen McGregor interviewed Professor Jon Pammett, a member of the Canadian Democracy Index academic team, on the impact that "political passion" can have on voter turnout: Detroit loves its cars. Seattle thrives on coffee. In Milan, it’s high fashion. And in Ottawa, where politics defines us, we vote like mad. So much so, four of the top... [More]

Below are the highlights of the coverage of Samara's latest report, "It's My Party": Parliamentary Dysfunction Reconsidered, including editorials, news stories, and radio shows. Pundits in papers from both left and right were actively in calling for further discussion on the issues raised in the report: The editorial board of the Ottawa Citizen notes that even with a change in seats per party ... [More]

Congratulations to the latest winner of the Guess Who? contest! Patrick Johnston from Toronto, Ontario correctly guessed longtime Thunder Bay MP the Honourable Joe Comuzzi (click here to read his quote). As his prize for the correct guess, Patrick chose Game Theory and Canadian Politics by Tom Flanagan from our list of Best Political Writing. *** Regular visitors know that our Guess Who? contes... [More]

**Updated on May 16, following a recount** This morning I was a guest on CBC Radio's Metro Morning with Matt Galloway (pictured here much as he looked at 6:30 this morning!), talking about whether the crop of young NDP MPs from Quebec is good for democracy, and what they can expect when the arrive on the Hill for the first time. It was a fun discussion, and I've summarized it below, but I fail... [More]

The Guess Who? contest has been on hold for a few weeks with the release of our latest report. We're back with an election-themed challenge. This week's quote comes from a long-serving Northern Ontario MP and cabinet minister. Here he discusses the importance of a personal connection for politicians. Guess which of the 65 participating MPs spoke the words below before noon EST on Thursday May 5t... [More]