Tradition meets innovation at the House of Commons
Long before the general election in October 2019, Robyn Daigle and her team at the House of Commons Administration were busy preparing to ensure newly elected MPs would be able to start their work in Canada’s 43rd Parliament as quickly and efficiently as possible. “I’ve been here for 13 years and have been through four elections,” she says. “It’s always an exciting time with a new parliament and new members.”
As a director within the human resources department, Daigle is responsible for supporting MPs in their role as employers. “In addition to serving as legislators and representing their constituents, members have to set up their offices and hire staff here on the Hill and also in their ridings,” she explains.
The House Administration has more than 2,000 employees, all dedicated to providing the assistance MPs need to do their parliamentary work. Under its new strategic plan adopted in April 2019, a key priority is to deliver improved support to members, by anticipating their needs and enabling them to access “a wide range of services without knocking on a lot of doors,” Daigle says.
Her team, for instance, has spent the past year developing an innovative orientation program for new MPs. “In the past, onboarding consisted of generic information sessions,” says Ismail Albaidhani, one of three senior learning advisors engaged in this initiative.
“We try to improve how we onboard members with every new parliament. So, leading up to this election, we conducted a ‘design thinking’ exercise focused on MPs, not us, to respond to their needs better during this critical period. We also contacted other parliaments in Canada and around the world to assess best onboarding practices.”
The new program created by Albaidhani and his colleagues includes a full-service digital learning platform that MPs can access whenever they want, from anywhere in Canada. For the first time, staff in constituency offices in all 338 ridings across the country will have equal access to the learning content, and in another first, once the orientation process is completed, the learning platform and content will be transformed into a continuous professional development program for members and their staff throughout their parliamentary lives.
A separate, smaller orientation program has also been launched as a pilot to update returning MPs on recent changes they need to know.
Albaidhani came to the House of Commons a year ago after working for the United Nations in Geneva and for other international organizations. “I wanted to support my country and our democracy in a direct way,” he says. “Now I feel lucky to be here. It’s far less hierarchical than other places I’ve worked, which is very attractive to me. The culture is uniquely agile and fluid. Leadership happens at all levels, and the focus is always on the MPs we support.”
Daigle also mentions the idea of leadership at all levels: “I look to Ismail and all my team for ideas to drive change, to take ownership of their files. We help to define the vision and our employees articulate it. We all learn something new every day.”
What makes the House of Commons Administration different from other workplaces, she adds, is a combination of tradition and innovation plus an intense sense of purpose and pride. “We work at the heart of our democracy. I do think this sets us apart. There are a lot of exciting places to work, but this one is exceptional.”
The House of Commons is full of hidden jewels
Wendy Gordon likens the role of her team within the House of Commons Administration to the jewels in a watch movement: they’re small, tough, resist friction, maintain stability and operate in a challenging environment.
As deputy law clerk and parliamentary counsel in the legislation services section of the office of the law clerk and parliamentary counsel, Gordon leads a group of 16 experts who help backbench MPs write private members’ bills and amendments to government bills. Legislation services is just one of many specialized groups within the House Administration, all dedicated to helping MPs do their work as effectively as possible.
“The goal of the House Administration is to enable members to fulfil their various parliamentary functions,” she says. “In our office we support the legislative function. Cabinet is served by the department of justice when bills are written, while backbenchers are served by legislation services.
“It’s very precise work – we’re dealing with the laws of the country – and there’s usually time pressure. The MP will describe the objective of the bill or amendment, and we’ll put it into words. We work in a confidential, non-partisan way, helping members navigate the complex legislative process and accurately express their ‘voice’ within it. We’re all aware of the high stakes involved.”
In the 42nd parliament, which ended in September 2019, Gordon’s team prepared 720 private members’ bills and drafted more than 6,500 amendments to government bills.
The team consists of 16 people, including lawyers, translators, jurilinguists and publications officers. Valerie Boudreau, manager of jurilinguist and legislative publication services, explains what a jurilinguist is: “We do the final revision of bills before they’re tabled in the House, to make sure the wording is correct in both official languages. We usually have a law background but may also be former translators.”
Boudreau practised law for two years, then decided she wanted a less traditional role, so she earned a master’s degree in legal translation. After working for a translation bureau, she moved to the House of Commons seven years ago.
“A friend told me about the work-life balance, which was appealing to me,” she says. “This is a very forward-thinking, 21st-century place in addition to its history and tradition. I feel my voice is valued – my age and gender aren’t an issue. My colleagues share a common passion for the law, with a sense that our work is very special, bigger than ourselves.”
The House of Commons honours the past and embraces the future
The position of Assistant Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms in Canada’s House of Commons was created in 1971. It supports an important function steeped in tradition within the Westminster parliamentary system, but here at home, there’s little that’s traditional about the newest person to hold the post in Canada.
Émilie Bourgoing, a Security Awareness Specialist with the House’s Corporate Security Office, is the youngest person to ever be appointed to the job. She is also about half the age of most other people who currently fill it.
Émilie’s background is different, too. While most candidates come from careers in police or security work, Bourgoing is a recent university graduate with a Bachelor of Criminology and Master of Project Management.
She is also among the first women to take up the time-honored duties, which include assisting the sergeant-at-arms in keeping order and decorum while the House sits and walking in the daily speaker’s procession.
That’s a lot of new ground to break for someone who started working at the House only a year and a half ago, but Bourgoing says she’s excited about taking on the added responsibility.
“From day one I’ve always felt respected, supported and valued here,” she says. “[People here] know I need challenges, so they give me challenges and opportunities to grow. I’m proud to have been asked.”
That’s because the House of Commons knows that long careers or robust resumes aren’t the only indicators of a good employee. Bourgoing might have seemed like an unconventional candidate on paper, but Sergeant-at-Arms Pat McDonell says he chose her for the role because her intellect, dedication and professionalism were undeniable.
“She has all the right qualities,” says McDonell. He had already noticed Bourgoing’s knack for presentations and interpersonal relations during meetings. When the position of Assistant Deputy came up, he recommended her for the role immediately.
“It’s the employer’s responsibility to recognize talent when we have it, and then nurture that talent,” he says, noting that his sole worry about choosing Bourgoing for the role was that she might not be interested.
“I want to continue creating a new mould that reflects today’s society, instead of being stuck in the past,” he says, noting that the tradition and history of the House should also include room for growth.
“It makes the workplace a lot more exciting to come to in the morning when we have a population that reflects the people we serve.”
Bourgoing, who donned her assistant deputy suit in December, says she’s honoured to be included in that tradition.
“If I could work here for a long time, that would be good,” she says with a laugh. “It’s a workplace unlike any other.”