Miranda Roberts: Canadian Parliament intern gains political, cultural experience

Miranda Roberts of Hermon, Maine spent five weeks last summer working in the office of a member of the Canadian Parliament.

The only UMaine student to receive last year’s Canadian Parliamentary Internship, Roberts traveled to Ottawa with about 30 students from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, which partnered with UMaine for the program.

From May 8 through June 13, Roberts stayed at the University of Ottawa and worked in the office of Ben Lobb, a Progressive Conservative member of Parliament representing the Huron-Bruce electoral district in Ontario.

The political science student helped Lobb’s staff research legislation, respond to constituents and plan a social media strategy. She also attended committee meetings with Lobb, and gave tours of Parliament Hill to visiting constituents.

“I think one of the most important skills I gained was connecting with people you barely know in order to gain their trust. When talking to constituents or even other staffers, I needed to make them trust me so I could educate them on the legislation my office was working on,” she says.

Roberts, who also is pursuing minors in Spanish and international affairs with a concentration in Canadian studies, was interested in the internship because of family connections, as well as the opportunity to gain political experience.

Roberts’ ancestors are Acadians, not to be confused with Québécois or French Canadians, and Scots both living in New Brunswick before moving to the Pine Tree State. She fell in love with Ottawa and Canadian culture while visiting her brother who studied at Carleton University.

“My heritage was one of the factors, but the real reason I applied was because the opportunity to work in Canadian Parliament is such an educational and cultural experience that I couldn’t pass it up,” she says.

Throughout her internship, Roberts learned a lot about how the Canadian government works and how Parliament is run in comparison to the U.S. government. Although she was nervous before the start of the internship, Roberts says she quickly found her confidence.

“I thought I would just be fetching coffee and photocopying paper, but as soon as I got to my office I was put to work on responding to constituents,” she says. “I’m glad I had taken a Canadian government class before I arrived because my staffer recognized that I knew a lot about Canada and gave me more challenging tasks.”

She credits that Canadian government class taught by Howard Cody, which she took during her freshman year, with getting her hooked on Canadian politics and helping her feel prepared for the internship.

Living in Ottawa also provided many opportunities for Roberts to experience Canadian culture — from visiting museums to kayaking and zip lining. She also became close with the University of Michigan-Dearborn students and even flew to visit them at the end of the summer.

For students planning to apply for next summer’s internship, Roberts recommends studying the basics of Canadian government and history, as well as keeping an open mind.

“I was put in a conservative office thinking that I would not get along with my member of Parliament, but I found that having a member of Parliament that does not match up with you ideologically actually educates you more,” she says. “So don’t go into the internship with preconceived notions because they will limit you in the end.”

She also advises students to take every opportunity to experience Canada.

“You can spend the rest of your summer lying in bed if you want, but while you are in Ottawa, go out and do things that you wouldn’t normally do because you won’t regret it,” she says.

After Roberts graduates in May 2018, she plans to either move to Canada to work in a parliamentary office or stay in Maine to work in state politics.

The application deadline to apply for the 2017 Canadian Parliamentary Internship is Dec. 15. The program costs $3,000 and includes housing, as well as three transferable credits from University of Michigan-Dearborn. For more information, including how to apply, email Betsy Arntzen at arntzen@maine.edu.

Contact: Elyse Kahl, 581.3747