Davida joined Results Canada as a short term intern as part of her master’s program at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs in Ottawa. During her time with Results Canada, she had the chance to meet with her Member of Parliament (MP) for the first time. Here are her reflections on that experience:
“On my first day as an intern with Results Canada, my colleague asked for my postal code to find out who my MP was. Although I had never considered it before, my colleague and I chatted about the possibility of meeting with my MP to discuss global issues. The longer I worked with Results Canada, the more I realized that everyone should care about poverty and health crises around the world. During my internship I learned a lot about infectious diseases and the different organizations that are working hard to end epidemics like malaria, tuberculosis and HIV – important causes that need greater support! As the meeting grew nearer, I became excited at the opportunity to share my knowledge with my MP and I hoped that he would want to use his position as a Member of Parliament to help put these issues forward.
During the meeting, we discussed the work of Results Canada and some of the files I was working on. Our main topic of conversation, however, was the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. My MP was eager to hear about my views on poverty and was supportive of the work of the Global Fund. I felt happy that he was also interested in addressing poverty around the world. While it was a positive experience, I was relieved to have had the support from the Results Canada team in preparing for the meeting.
Overall, I think the meeting went well and it was a valuable experience not only for me, but for my MP. My advice for anyone who has never met their MP is to set up an appointment and go to the meeting prepared. Your MP represents YOU, so if you’re interested in a good cause, share it.”
Thank you Davida for stepping up and speaking up!
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