The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Canadian Parliamentary Political Staffers.

AuthorWilson, Paul R.

Like so many other Canadians, political staffers working for MPs and Senators on Parliament Hill and in constituency offices navigated some dramatic changes in their jobs in the early months of the global pandemic. In this article, the author reports on survey responses from 175 of these staffers and individual interviews with 10 MP staffers (representing all officially recognized parties in the House of Commons) and one Senate assistant. He notes that many staffers reported working longer hours and experiencing challenging work-life balance when working from home, frustration from the lack of information they received about government programs relating to the pandemic, and stress from the effects of isolation and fears about their health and safety when working from their offices. He concludes first by reiterating the important role political staffers, and particular frontline constituency office staff, play in assisting Canadians navigate the federal bureaucracy and, second, by cautioning parties and the parliamentary administration that counselling and services for staffers may be needed to minimize the harmful effects of this unprecedented period.

Introduction

In the middle of March 2020, the emerging COVID-19 global pandemic dramatically altered the work of Canadian parliamentarians both on Parliament Hill and in their ridings. From then until the September Speech from the Throne, the House of Commons has convened only occasionally and, by agreement of the parties, with reduced numbers of MPs; the government's normal legislative agenda ground to a halt; standing committees were held online, if they have met at all; and travel restrictions, stay-at-home orders and social distancing measures have significantly curtailed MPs' presence in Ottawa and any face-to-face engagement with their constituents. In short, the normal parliamentary world has all but turned upside down.

This was equally true for the political staffers in the offices of MPs and Senators. These staffers support every aspect of their principals' activities, whether they work out of their MP's constituency office or on Parliament Hill. As shown in Figure 1, 61 per cent of MP and Senate staffers who responded to a survey said that "many things have changed about my job" since the start of the pandemic, and a further 9 per cent said "my job is totally different." Given the dramatic changes that took place as Canadians responded to the pandemic, this is not a surprise. But how exactly did their work change? Using interviews as well as survey data from the summer of 2020 (1), this paper explores how the pandemic impacted the work environment and duties of parliamentary political staffers in the spring and summer of 2020. It finds that, overall, staffers experienced an increase in their hours and anxiety as they struggled to respond to the increased requests for information and assistance from constituents, although this was more true for those employed in the offices of MPs than Senators. While many staffers adjusted to working from home, many continued to work in their usual offices, not all of whom chose or even felt safe doing so. This highlights the different working conditions staffers experience and also points to the need for continuing attention to the parliamentary staff culture, including its impact on mental well-being.

The Parliamentary Political Staff Community in a Normal World: An Overview

In contrast with the growing scholarship paid to ministerial political advisors (2), political staffers who are employed in the parliamentary context and work in the offices of Members of Parliament and Senators seldom receive focused study, although there are exceptions. Daniel Dickin, a political staffer himself, provides useful observations about the role of MP assistants on the Hill, while Peter MacLeod explores the work of staffers in constituency offices. Royce Koop, Heather Bastedo and Kelly Blidook's study of Canadian MPs in their constituencies considers staffers only obliquely but points to their role as facilitators and even delegates for their MPs. (4) Finally, some research has begun to examine the profile and work of parliamentary staffers through a gender lens. (4)

This paucity of research attention is surprising because parliamentary assistants are, by a wide margin, the most numerous species of political staffer in Ottawa. As table 1 shows, nearly 2,000 political staffers are paid by taxpayers to work in the offices of Canada's 338 MPs and 105 Senators in order to support the political (though not the direct party or electoral work) of parliamentarians. Altogether, also including political staffers employed in the offices of opposition party leaders and caucus research bureaus,5 there are three times as many parliamentary political staffers as there are political advisors who work with ministers, including in the Prime Minister's Office. (6)

MPs pay for their staff out of their office budget which, for the 2020-21 fiscal year, is set at $370,500 per MP, (7) with some MPs eligible for supplementary allowances based on riding size and number of voters. This budget must cover not only staff costs but most office expenses including rent, hospitality and some (though not all) travel. Within these budgetary limits, MPs have almost complete discretion to hire staff based on their best judgement for fulfilling their parliamentary duties, save that the maximum annual salary for any one employee is set at $89,700. (8) NDP MPs agree to hire staffers belonging to the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 232, (9) and so their terms of employment are subject to the negotiated collective agreement as well as the House of Commons budget rules.

MPs' main strategic choice is how to allocate between their Parliament Hill office in Ottawa and the constituency (or riding) offices located in their own electoral district. Almost invariably, MPs hire permanent staff in both the constituency and Hill offices. Typically, staff on the Hill deal with work related to legislation and lobbyists, committees, budgets and scheduling, though the latter can also be done in the riding. Dealing with constituent inquiries as well as supporting the MP with local events is usually handled by riding staff. Communications tasks, especially speechwriting, web site and social media management, drafting products such as householders and ten percenters, and media relations can be done out of either office, though working with the national media is often handled in the Ottawa office and local media from the constituency. However, strict categorization is impossible since MPs have different priorities and therefore allocate resources differently between their offices.

Table 2 shows the aggregate distribution of political staff by office and party based on the GEDS listing of staffers employed in MP offices in June 2020. On average, each MP employs a total of 5.2 staffers overall, with over twice as many in each constituency office (3.6) as on the Hill (1.6). Conservative MPs allocate somewhat more staff on the Hill (2.2 per office) than do the other parties, whereas Liberal and Bloc Quebecois MPs on average employ more staff in each constituency office.

Gender differences in how staff are allocated between ridings and the Hill are well established. (11) In June 2020 almost two-thirds of constituency staff (66 per cent) were female, including 70 per cent of CPC constituency staff, though only 56 per cent for the BQ. By contrast, over half of Hill staffers were male (55 per cent), ranging from 52 per cent male Hill staffers working for Liberal MPs and 79 per cent male Hill staffers with BQ MPs. These gender differences, especially the fact that constituency offices are heavily staffed with women, proved significant during the pandemic.

Senators also employ political staffers in their offices. Even in the new (mostly) nonpartisan chamber, senators still require staff to provide more or less the same range of services as MPs, though without direct constituency work. Altogether, as of June 24, 2020, there were 219 staffers listed on the Senate contacts web page. Most senators employ two or three staffers, though the Speaker, the government representative and other senators with leadership responsibilities usually employ more.

Parliamentary Staffers: Pandemic Working Conditions

The workaholic culture on Parliament Hill, is normally characterized by long hours, lack of job security, frequent receptions and work-related social engagements. How has the pandemic affected this work environment? For most staffers parliamentary pressures and the demands of the packed social calendar have eased. However, the weight of work hours has increased for a majority of respondents. This heavier work load has also been complicated by the challenge of balancing work with domestic duties and, for many, feelings of isolation from colleagues.

Hours worked per Week

Normally, staffers on the Hill tend to work longer hours than those in riding offices. According to a 2017 survey (see Figure 2), 36 per cent of MP Hill staffers average 50 hours or more of work per week versus only 17 per cent of constituency staff. This top end range is similar to the experience of ministerial policy staffers who average just under 60 hours a week. (12) Even in normal times apart from a pandemic this is cause for concern. Paul Wernick, a Liberal MP staffer, revealed to The Hill Times newspaper that the pressures of 60 to 70 hour work weeks led to "'deep depression'" and two suicide attempts. He said, "'The unwritten rule is that, "You need to work whenever I [the MP] tell you that you need to work.'"" (13)

Parliamentary staff working for MPs saw their hours increase during the pandemic. Overall, 58 per cent of survey respondents reported that they were working either somewhat more (30 per cent) or a lot more (28 per cent) hours a week during the pandemic than previously. Staffers in both Hill and...

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