1st MPP Placement: Noor and MPP Doly Begum

This past fall, I had the absolute pleasure of working with MPP Doly Begum, the Member of Provincial Parliament for Scarborough Southwest. MPP Begum serves as the Deputy Leader of the Official Opposition and the Shadow Minister for Public Transit with responsibility for Equity and Anti-Racism. She also holds the role of Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs at Queen’s Park. Throughout my placement, I gained meaningful exposure to the breadth of her responsibilities and developed a strong appreciation for the leadership, diligence, and care she brings to both her legislative and constituency work.

I was particularly excited to be placed in MPP Begum’s office because of my interest in her portfolio, as well as the opportunity to learn more about the Scarborough Southwest riding. As someone who relies on public transit every day, engaging with transit-related issues at a policy level felt both personally relevant and intellectually engaging.

During my placement, I was actively involved in a wide range of legislative and research tasks. I supported Question Period preparation by conducting background research, reviewing briefing materials, and pitching and drafting finalized questions for use in the House. I also contributed to drafting member statements, writing speeches and remarks, and engaging with and hosting stakeholders, advocacy groups, and class visits.

Research and writing formed a significant component of my role, allowing me to support MPP Begum’s work across her portfolios. I assisted with policy research and question development related to transit funding, service reliability, and equity-focused issues, as well as broader economic and fiscal matters connected to her committee work. I gained hands-on experience analyzing ministerial estimate reports to prepare questions for an estimates committee hearing, which I was pleased to attend and which provided firsthand insight into how government expenditures are reviewed. I also had the opportunity to engage in constituency affairs, which underscored the essential link between legislative work at Queen’s Park and the concerns raised by residents of Scarborough Southwest. I have had the opportunity to visit the riding and contribute to several research projects, support the planning of town halls, assist with social media work, and attend community events alongside MPP Begum.

It has been a delight working with this office over the past few months, and I am deeply appreciative of how welcoming and supportive the team has been. MPP Begum and her staff made a deliberate effort to include me in ongoing projects and discussions, ensuring that my placement was both educational and meaningful.

I would like to sincerely thank David for his generous mentorship, his trust in me, and his openness to my questions. I would also like to thank the constituency staff - Zach, Adnan, Krystyna, and Fayzul - for welcoming me so warmly and sharing their expertise in addressing local issues. Finally, thank you to MPP Begum for being a supporter of OLIP, for welcoming me into her office so graciously, and for being so open in sharing her knowledge and experiences. This is an experience I will never forget!