Jul 31, 2018 3 min read

When Shaun Hay crossed the border into Canada earlier this summer, it was his first time leaving the United States. But he didn’t stop at collecting a few souvenirs or purchasing a T-shirt to remember his trip – instead, he took a front-row seat to the inner workings of that country’s government through an internship in the House of Commons.

Hay, who lives in Peters Township and graduated last year from Winchester Thurston School in Pittsburgh, spent the first month of his summer vacation working in the office of a member of the Canadian Parliament. He completed the internship through a program at Ohio State University, where he is a rising sophomore studying political science and history.

Before leaving for Ottowa, Canada, Hay was required to take a semester-long course on the country’s system of government.

“You learn about the Canadian system in class, but when you’re there, you see how it actually works,” he said. “And it interested me in my own government and if it works the same way it is supposed to on paper.”

Hay made the trip with about 40 other college students, most of whom were also from Ohio State. While the general structure of the interns’ experience was similar, their work environments varied in terms of staff size. Hay was the only intern in his office, but worked alongside a part-time volunteer and had the guidance of his politician’s parliamentary assistant.

“Some interns went into their offices and there were like five other interns there,” he said. “So it was really nice because I got to have a more personal exchange with my (member of Parliament).”

Among the things Hay said he enjoyed the most about his time in Parliament was having certain responsibilities and a role to fill in the office. On top of handling a variety of logistical duties, Hay researched the intricate rules that govern committee proceedings for his politician, a member of the Conservative Party named Bev Shipley.

Since Hay’s internship stretched from May into mid-June, he observed first-hand how the tariffs President Donald Trump imposed on Canadian aluminum and steel disrupted the typical pattern of the country’s political proceedings. He described a symbolic moment at a post-tariff question period.

“The conservatives went up and recognized the importance of being a unified nation,” he said. “It was interesting because usually during the question period, parties like to attack each other viciously.”

Question periods occur daily in the House of Commons and give the opposition party, which is currently the Conservative Party, a chance to interrogate the governing party, now the Liberal Party.

While Hay was also in Canada for the 44th G7 summit, which started June 8, he was hardly able to witness the meeting’s proceedings since it took place in Quebec under heavy security. But he got the chance to visit the province with his fellow interns on a bus trip, which also swung by Montreal.

After his internship came to an end June 15, he and his father made the long drive home, stopping by Niagara Falls on the way.

“It’s nice to be back in America because you see your family, you see your friends,” he said. “But at the same time, you miss the excitement of going to Canada and seeing another country.”