2nd MPP Placement: Steffi x MPP Catherine Fife

For my opposition placement, I had the honour of working in MPP Catherine Fife’s office, who is the finance and treasury board critic for the NDP. Throughout my placement, I enjoyed learning about the finance critic role, seeing a PMB through the process, and the workings of the finance committee. Typical activities included: drafting PMB legislation, researching topics related to fiscal management, writing letters and correspondence, stakeholder engagement, and social media content creation. 

It was really interesting seeing how money funds initiatives and programs, and how to monitor this money or as MPP Fife likes to say “follow the money.” Budget day was a particular fun marathon of a day and it was very interesting to see how each party approaches messaging. 

One of the most meaningful things I got to work on was MPP Fife’s PMB, Lydia’s Law Bill 189, which is about transparency and accountability in the justice system to support survivors of sexual assault. I was able to participate in many stakeholder meetings and see how such meetings can help shape and guide legislation. It was very informative to work with the legal team and see firsthand how legislation is drafted. Once the bill was tabled, it was very interesting to be involved with the media / stakeholder engagement behind the scenes in the lead up to debate date. Although the debate didn’t happen, it was fascinating to see the politics at play. 

These last four months have flown by! A huge thank you to MPP Fife, Karissa and the CO team for being so welcoming and making me feel like a part of the team.