The British Columbia Legislative Internship Program was established in January of 1976, patterned after the Parliamentary Internship Program introduced in the Canadian House of Commons in 1969. Faculty members of the then three major universities in British Columbia initiated the program. Today, the program is advised by the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria, Simon Fraser University, and the University of Northern British Columbia.
The general purpose of the program is to supplement the academic training of recent Canadian university graduates, with interns observing the daily workings of the Assembly firsthand and providing MLAs with additional assistance during the legislative session.
Each year, the British Columbia Legislative Internship Program selects a number of interns who are first placed in a government ministry and are later assigned as researchers and assistants to a recognized party caucus in the Assembly. The ministry and caucus assignments are designed to provide exposure to public policy making and the legislative process. Interns acquire skills and knowledge they can apply to their chosen careers and future life experiences. In the long term, it is expected that interns will contribute to a greater public understanding and appreciation of British Columbia's parliamentary democracy.
More information on the British Columbia Legislative Internship Program is available on the Legislative Assembly website
