On October 15th, the OLIP Interns had the unique opportunity to meet Tim Murphy, the former Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Paul Martin and former MPP. Interestingly, Mr. Murphy was also a former OLIP Intern! As such, he was very interested to hear from us, whether it be our stories, ideas, or about our time in the programme so far. Mr. Murphy was both pleased and prepared to answer any questions we had, and he made sure to go into great detail and depth in his responses.
Mr. Murphy gave us a greater understanding of how decisions are made by Prime Ministers, Ministers, and leaders. In his time working for Prime Minister Martin, Mr. Murphy was instrumental in deciding political and policy strategy. It was intriguing to hear about this process, and how it functioned in the Martin Government in particular. It was especially fascinating to hear from someone involved in the process about the multitude of considerations that go into making policy decisions, and how those considerations are prioritized.
Throughout our meeting, Mr. Murphy cultivated conversations with the Interns as he was curious to get to know us equally as much as we were to know him. He asked us our perspectives as young professionals and as young people who are engaged with politics and policy. Our meeting turned into a great conversation covering diverse topics like the impact of social media on politics, the public perception of politics, and the differences between the various levels of government in Canada. Several interns came away with new-found interests and energy to do further research to learn more.
Mr. Murphy’s experience in politics, public affairs, and policy is extensive, and his knowledge of politics and law runs deep. Overall, our discussion was both fascinating and inspirational. A big thank you to Mr. Murphy for taking the time to have such an engaging discussion with the OLIP Interns. We appreciated the opportunity to learn from you!