On Sunday, Sept. 7, Prime Minister Stephen Harper asked the Governor-General of Canada to dissolve Parliament in preparation for an Oct. 14 federal election, in hopes of establishing a majority Conservative government. This election has already impacted students at the Laurentian Leadership Centre, Trinity Western University’s satellite campus in Ottawa.

Nineteen TWU students are currently attending the LLC for the fall semester, enrolled in courses and assigned customized internships in their particular fields of study. Students interning in parliamentary offices, however, faced difficulty landing their intended placements due to the dissolving process, which left those offices closed.

“It really wasn’t until just a few days before students arrived [at the LLC] that it became evident that there would be an election,” said LLC director Dr. Janet Epp-Buckingham. When she contacted potential parliamentary supervisors enquiring about taking on student interns, one-third of them said “no.”

Epp-Buckingham was forced to look at other internship options, namely non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and political campaigns. Students met the reshuffling with mixed reactions and results.

“It made me a little disappointed that I won’t be able to work with my original internship,” said fourth-year education student Austin Jean, who had hoped to intern with Conservative Party MP Ron Cannan of Kelowna.

Kendall Grant, a fourth-year international studies major who was to intern with the Minister of Public Safety and Security, said he initially felt uncertainty.

“I knew I would find something, [but] I had been pretty confident about the original internship,” he said.

Grant has since been placed with the Make Poverty History Campaign, and expects this change to be applicable to his studies.

“Being in international studies, my current NGO placement is just as relevant and will probably allow for an even wider diversity of opportunities, including the political sphere.”

Ashley Chapman, a third-year communications major who was expecting to work in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is in a similar situation; she will instead intern with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, creating video productions to raise awareness of social issues that candidates will be expected to acknowledge in the election.

“At first, I was disappointed, but now I realize that I wouldn’t have thrived in a stressful situation during an election,” said Chapman. “At the PMO, it would have been a lot busier during the election.” She said she is excited for “the freedom to explore the issues that [she’s] passionate about.”

Some incidents of shuffling have been less drastic. Matt Buys, a recent TWU graduate with a Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours), hoped to intern with former parliamentary secretary of finance Ted Menzies. Now, Buys will be involved in Menzies’ reelection campaign.

“I’m stoked,” said Buys. “I like having things thrown up into the air and seeing where they come down. That’s where I thrive.”

While most changes have been secured, two students are still waiting to hear where they will be placed.

“It was kind of unexpected,” said Danielle Tracy, a third-year business administration major. “I know I’ll get something else, [but] it’s still a little disappointing,” she said.

Finding the right placement for students on very short notice has proved to be difficult, but, as Epp-Buckingham said, “That’s part of being engaged in politics.”