For my Opposition placement, I am excited to be working with Laura Mae Lindo, Member of Provincial Parliament for Kitchener Centre. My placement was interesting because MPP Lindo has multiple critic portfolios which exposed me to a wide range of policy issues. She is the Opposition Critic for Colleges and Universities, Anti-Racism, the Chair of the Official Opposition’s first Black Caucus, and is a member of the Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills.
It has been great to see MPP Lindo’s involvement in her community and how she is constantly trying to translate community needs into what is going on at the Legislature. MPP Lindo is planning an event called the Black Excellence in Leadership Award (BELA) to recognize racialized women in her community that often go unnoticed. It has been great seeing how these events come together, and the community outreach that is needed for MPPs to be able to represent their communities and respond to their concerns.
She also has many Private Members’ Bills that she is working on. In the process of drafting these bills, I particularly enjoyed seeing the communication with constituents and stakeholders and seeing how their concerns inform the legislation. This has allowed me to experience how bills become law in practice and has helped me appreciate the amount of research and preparation goes into the process.
I want to give a big thank you to MPP Lindo and her amazing staff, Shailene and Julie, for their warm welcome! I am grateful to have spent time in her office and learned about the issues important to those in Kitchener-Centre.