As a Policy Analyst at Music Canada, the MPP student was responsible for developing policy solutions and implementation options for policy issues that concerned Toronto’s live music community by employing research and analytical skills. The intern was also given the opportunity to directly consult on these issues with stakeholders and business leaders in the community.

A large portion of the MPP Intern’s responsibilities involved conducting primary and secondary research to support major research projects and strategic initiatives. This included reviewing academic and grey literature to analyze public policy issues related to labour market, macroeconomic and social trends. Additionally, the MPP Intern conducted quantitative and qualitative data analysis, including SPSS analysis, in support of one of their major research projects. The MPP Intern had the opportunity to present her research to other teams within the organization to support internal planning processes. Another part of her work involved supporting internal process evaluations. In order to evaluate the impact that specific processes were having on the organization, she developed interview guides for qualitative research, conducted interviews with staff, analyzed findings and synthesized the results.

As a Research Associate at the City of Toronto, in Employment and Social Services the MPP intern worked on two major projects: 1) the development of a municipal poverty reduction strategy for the City of Toronto, and 2) the development of a staff engagement framework for the division, which has 15 local offices across the City, and 2100 staff. On a day-to-day basis, responsibilities included drafting work plans, conducting literature reviews, contributing to research and analysis, engaging with various stakeholders from government and the community, developing briefing notes and writing reports. Among the major deliverables, the MPP Intern produced a research report on emerging practices in municipal poverty reduction across Canada, with recommendations for the City of Toronto.

As a Junior Analyst at the Canada School of Public Service, Government of Canada, in the Evaluation and Audit Coordination division, the MPP student was responsible for auditing and evaluating training programs provided to all federal public servants across Canada. The main project was to evaluate the quality and efficiency of the School’s service delivery of training. As a result of the intern’s extensive writing and research skills over 10 internal reports were produced that informed and supported senior management. The intern synthesized and presented data in a professional format, conducted quantitative and qualitative analysis to produce statements of findings, and provided a conclusion with recommendations. Other responsibilities included producing a number of high-level briefing decks for senior managers, providing research expertise for projects, and assisting in the development of new evaluative metrics for the Division.

As a Policy Co-op at OPS, the supervisors recognized that the School had already started the process of training the MPP students in the core competencies required of an Ontario public servant. SPPG had also already instilled in students an appreciation for what it meant to give the best non-partisan and evidence-based policy advice. The MPP Intern was fully prepared to take on assignments including the creation of formal briefing decks and notes for various levels of government, the production of exploratory research notes on new topics of interest to the Ministry, and the creation of various documents foundational to OPS partnerships, including RFPs and MOUs. MPP student was also asked on several occasions to give presentations to the team, providing new perspectives on areas relevant to the team’s policy agenda. The hard skills and political acuity the MPP student developed during the first year in the MPP program also proved particularly valuable when asked to act as EA to the ADM.

Internship with a leading Canada-based financial services group, in the Industry, Regulatory, and Government Affairs (IRG) department. MPP Intern contributed to nearly all of the key functions of IRG. Main tasks included writing briefing notes to prepare the CEO and senior executives for meetings with regulators or government officials, contributing to a monthly regulatory newsletter, monitoring any relevant regulatory developments and providing update reports, and drafting policy papers or lobbying materials in response to regulatory initiatives. The major project worked on was a 16-page recommendation paper on a pilot free trade zone in a major city in Asia. The paper was submitted on behalf of the organization to a special advisory council to the city’s municipal government, in order to improve the design of the experimental free trade zone. For research, the intern analyzed the official legal documents outlining the terms of the zone, publications by major think tanks and consulting groups, and conducted an environmental scan of similar free trade zones in other jurisdictions. The intern used the knowledge they acquired over the course of the internship regarding industry regulatory issues, particularly issues facing the organization, to guide the research and shape the recommendations. In the end, the intern was able to produce a well-informed paper advocating for economic policies that would support the organization’s strategic business objectives and promote a competitive, innovative financial service industry.