Brainstorm a 21st Century job description for Canadian Members of Parliament

Doors open: 6pm
Event Begins: 630pm
Location inside the library: The Browsery (located on main Floor)

---BACKGROUND---
In 2009 Samara Canada conducted Exit Interviews with non-returning Members of Parliament. Its purpose was identify many of the problems found inside the Canadian Parliament and their report looked at everything from nomination contests to the hiring of political staff.

But perhaps one of the more damning – and often overlooked – elements of their research is that there is an alarming level of misalignment as to the actual job description of a Member of Parliament.

Below are a couple of excerpts from their report:

"In the same way that there is little consistency in MPs’ backgrounds, there is little agreement among MPs in their explanations of the core purpose of a Member of Parliament."

"When we asked participants to describe the role of an MP and how they thought about the job, there were nearly as many responses as there were MPs."

---MAGNA CARTA---
There is a saying often used in the Open Government community:

Government is a 19th Century Institution.
Using 20th Century Tools.
To Solve 21st Century Problems.

Canadian Parliament is 150 years old and it is based on the Westminster System which dates back to the Magna Carta in 1215.

---THE MEETUP---
It is time we examined what it means to be a Member of Parliament and define an official job description that meets the needs of the 21st Century.

That is why we invite you to join us as we spend a few hours exploring this question:

"What should be the job description for a Canadian Member of Parliament in the 21st Century?"