My fall placement is with MPP Kaleed Rasheed, who represents the riding of Mississauga East—Cooksville as a member of the PC caucus.
The interns are more than a month into our first placements, and I feel as though we're all starting to understand the fast-paced rhythm of the Legislature.
My main responsibilities so far have involved preparing my Member for the legislature by helping to prepare his briefing notes or speeches. I do this by working closely with his Legislative Assistant Naila Mahmood. MPP Rasheed has also allowed me to sit in on a wide range of stakeholder meetings with him and his Communications and Stakeholder Relations staff, Kasia Kaminska.
On top of this, MPP Rasheed has been working on an exciting Private Member's Bill to recognize and stop cyberbullying in Ontario. It has the support of the Ministry of Education and I was recently able to see it "tabled" in the house for first reading.
I have also had the unique opportunity to assist with MPP Rasheed's duties as whip, which involves working closely with the Whip and his staff to ensure enough members of the party are in attendance when the legislature is sitting.
I am excited to learn more about the concerns of MPP Rasheed's constituents, and to see how his community work helps to address the common problems that people face in their everyday lives. MPP Rasheed also has an interest in cybercrime in Ontario, among many other issues. I look forward to learning more about research, speech writing, and stakeholder engagement while in his office. Thank you to MPP Rasheed and his staff for welcoming me so warmly onto their team!