The British Columbia legislative internship program.

• Author: Gerritsen, Theresa
• Position: Profile of a Unique Educational Experience

Canadian legislative intern programmes trace their roots back to March 10, 1969, when Alfred Hales, the Member for Parliament for Wellington, presented a motion to the House of Commons proposing an internship program be established to promote a better understanding of the national legislative process. This motion, gained the support of The Canadian Political Science Association, the Speaker of the House of Commons and party leaders. By September 1970, ten of Canada's brightest university graduates were invited to Parliament Hill to participate in what former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson described as, the most important experiment in parliamentary activity since 1867. Inspired by these events in Ottawa, the late Dr. Walter Young, a political scientist at the University of Victoria, advanced the idea of a political internship program catered to the needs of the British Columbia Legislature. By January 1976, Dr. Young secured the necessary support of the Speaker of the Legislature and BC's political parties and opened the doors to British Columbia's brightest university graduates for a five-month legislative internship program. This article describes the evolution and innovations of the BC Legislative Internship Program (BCLIP). It is written from the perspective of five interns who served in the 2003 BCLIP.

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BCLIP is a six-month program for recent university graduates seeking to supplement their academic interest in politics with hands-on experience in the Executive and Legislative branches of government. The program operates from January to June each year, coinciding with the province's spring legislative session. While initially modeled after Ottawa's PIP, the BCLIP has developed several unique characteristics that distinguish it from its federal counterpart. While the PIP and other provincial legislative internship programs receive funding from both public and private sources, the BCLIP relies solely on the public funds provided by the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Remaining publicly funded reaffirms the program's non-partisan and public status. The BCLIP is also distinct from the federal program in that it offers Interns the opportunity to experience the executive branch, whereas the federal model focuses exclusively on the legislative. This aspect of the program will be discussed at length below.

Throughout the course of the program, Interns gain experience in three distinct areas: Administrative, Legislative, and Academic. Each of these phases offers a unique learning experience in public affairs; by observing the daily workings of the Executive and Legislative branches, Interns supplement their theoretical knowledge of politics and parliamentary democracy with hands-on experience that cannot be replicated in any other environment.

Administrative Phase (Ministry Assignment)

At the...