OTTAWA- March 5, 2009 – Member of Parliament Ed Holder is pleased to provide the following article for use in your publication without charge.  

Non-Partisan Intern Finds A Good Match
With Rookie Member Of Parliament

It’s often been said that good help is hard to find.  Lately, though, Member of Parliament Ed Holder, has had some good help find him, in the form of Parliamentary Intern, Alexander Sculthorpe.

The Parliamentary Internship Programme, established in 1969, is non-partisan and annually provides ten young Canadians the opportunity to work on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, split between working 5 months with a Government MP and 5 months with an MP from an Opposition party.

In an interesting twist, it is the interns who, at the beginning of each year, conduct interviews with interested MPs to decide with whom they want to work.  This year, Mr. Holder was one of only ten Members to be selected by an intern for the first five-month rotation, as well as the only new MP to be selected.  Parliamentary Intern Alexander Sculthorpe, of Port Hope, Ontario, has been working with Mr. Holder since mid-December.

Mr. Sculthorpe has performed a wide range of tasks including speech writing, conducting research, and helping Mr. Holder in his role as a member of the International Trade Committee.    “It has been a fascinating year to be a parliamentary intern with all that has gone on in Parliament” said Mr. Sculthorpe, “and this has been an incredible learning experience for me.  Mr. Holder is always going out of his way to make me feel welcome, provide opportunities, and to meaningfully include me in his work.”

Mr. Sculthorpe got a chance to visit the riding of London-West with Mr. Holder at the beginning of February.  He attended Mr. Holder’s ‘Skate for Kids’ event on Family Day, and assisted him in a series of meetings with constituents and local community groups.  “Visiting the riding was definitely a highlight for me.  Mr. Holder`s passion for London is contagious” said Mr. Sculthorpe.

“Having Alexander has been a huge benefit for both of us.  He is so exceptionally bright and gives me great optimism about our future leaders.  I only wish we could work together longer.  He`s definitely set high expectations for future interns” said MP Ed Holder.

All Canadian citizens under 35 with a university degree are eligible to apply to the Parliamentary Internship Programme.  More information is available at www.pip-psp.org. 

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