
Driving down Highway 7 to Ottawa recently I had a solid three hours to visualize what my week as a policy intern with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) would be like. And in all honesty, it went as I envisioned it - a high energy week in the bubble of federal politics. It was a flurry of meetings, including joining my counterparts at the Sault Ste. Marie, Hamilton and Windsor chambers to support them during their presentation to the International Trade Standing Committee. I also participated with those chambers in meetings with a BC MP and the Ontario Regional Policy Advisor to the Minister Responsible for Small Business. A breakfast session presented by IPolitics called Troubled Waters: Clean Water for First Nation Communities? was an eye-opening, frank and important conversation on the politics, need and desire to find solutions. I had the opportunity to dine in the Parliamentary Dining room; tour the Ottawa office of my local MP, Maryam Monsef, Minister Status of Women; attend an event at the newly constructed Ottawa Innovation Centre; conduct one-on-one meetings with the policy team; and, during the weekly policy staff meeting, inform them about the issues facing Peterborough.