On the cold but cheery afternoon of January 8th, the interns had the opportunity to virtually meet with Chair of The Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy, Mr. John Parker.
The Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy is a longstanding and important supporter of the Ontario Legislative Internship Programme. Founded in 1982, the society fosters its non-partisan commitment to enhancing parliamentary democracy through debate, discourse, and education. It is named after former British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, regarded widely as one of the greatest parliamentarians of all time.
As a former Ontario MPP and Toronto City Councillor, Mr. Parker is very familiar with the experiences of Ontario’s politics that interns are currently exploring, and offered us advice for out placements. We also had an exciting discussion on the role of the society and the legacy left by Sir Winston Churchill on modern parliamentary democracy.
Later, we shifted into discussions on the state of parliamentary democracy today, the evolution of parliamentary democracy through a time before the interns, and novel challenges that today it is facing, such as the rise of social media and social divisions.
The OLIP interns are sincerely grateful for the longstanding support of The Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy. It was an absolute pleasure to learn about the organization’s mission and activities in upholding the democracy we must be careful not to take for granted.
Thank you, Mr. Parker, and the Churchill Society, for the insightful discussions and ongoing support of our programme!
PS thank you for the reading list, Mr. Parker!
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