This past week, the OLIP interns, along with our counterparts at the Manitoba Legislative Internship Program, had the honour of sitting down with the leader of Ontario’s Official Opposition, Andrea Horwath, for a very interesting discussion. Having been the leader of the Ontario NDP since 2009 and having grown the party’s seat count in the legislature during each subsequent election, Ms. Horwath has had a long and successful career thus far in politics. It was a pleasure to be able to delve into this wealth of experience with her.
Over the course of our conversation, Ms. Horwath discussed the state of post-secondary education in Ontario, the ability of the NDP to find common ground with the other opposition parties during the pandemic, and her experience leading change within her own party. She was able to provide us with fascinating insight into what it is like to be the leader of a political party and the challenges that come with the position.
On behalf of all of the interns, we want to thank MPP Horwath for taking the time to meet with us and answer our many questions!