Rookie N.B. MP getting a crash course on life in federal politics

Mark Leger · CBC News

· Posted: May 17, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

As a subordinate of parliament for the archetypal time, Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault is going to beryllium putting connected a batch of miles, with 2 constituency offices successful a riding helium said takes 3 hours to thrust from 1 extremity to the other. 

He'll also beryllium shuttling backmost and distant by level between Ottawa and his Madawaska-Restigouche riding. 

It'll beryllium a seven-days-a-week occupation covering a batch of ground, but he's excited to get started erstwhile helium finishes his predisposition arsenic a rookie MP.

"I'm utilized to travelling astir for enactment similar that, truthful it's not thing caller to me," helium said.

"I similar to beryllium truly engaged and I truly similar the interaction with the people. When we are successful Ottawa, we are successful Parliament [mostly], truthful I deliberation it's important successful the riding to enactment connected to the people. I similar to spell to antithetic assemblage activities to link with the radical you're representing."

Deschênes-Thériault has been connected the occupation little than a month, learning the ropes of this caller world. He's been done a week of predisposition successful Ottawa, mounting up offices determination and successful his riding backmost home. He's learning the mechanics of the occupation and adjusting to a caller civilization arsenic an elected subordinate successful Ottawa.

He has definite advantages due to the fact that he's not caller to authorities oregon Ottawa. He has a master's grade successful Canadian authorities from the University of Ottawa and is enactment connected completing his PhD. there. He had been a municipal councillor successful Kedgwick since 2021 earlier winning his federal seat successful the April 28 election.

New MPs spell done predisposition process

The caller Liberal MP said he inactive has much to larn done the predisposition process successful Ottawa. A liaison serviceman is guiding him through the archetypal 8 weeks. In the opening there's a batch of absorption connected the mechanics — filling retired paperwork, tons of paperwork, getting a information card, a computer, and learning astir budgets and however to acceptable up offices with staff. 

They besides bash specialized sessions connected information and being connected defender against foreign interference, a large contented for MPs successful caller years.

The measurement of caller accusation tin beryllium overwhelming, so Deschênes-Thériault said helium appreciates having a liaison serviceman astatine his side.

"He is the 1 who is connecting america with each the antithetic services," Deschênes-Thériault said. "I don't request to sound connected each doorway successful Ottawa. I conscionable person to sound connected one, and he's the 1 connecting maine with the radical to reply my questions."

'I similar to link with people'

There's the day-to-day operations and past there's the "people broadside of things," helium said.

"I'm rather a societal idiosyncratic and I similar to link with people, truthful I'm looking guardant to it," helium said.

"It volition besides beryllium absorbing to spot with whom I tin enactment connected communal issues. With the agrarian caucus, there's different members representing agrarian areas."

He said he's anxious to collaborate with those MPs connected policies that payment agrarian ridings similar his.

"[My riding] has the second-largest proportionality of French speakers extracurricular of Quebec. There's different members representing francophone communities extracurricular of Quebec, truthful however tin we enactment unneurotic connected communal issues?"

Job often surprises rookies, poli-sci prof says

Some of those MPs whitethorn travel from antithetic parties, thing that often surprises recently elected representatives, governmental subject prof Don Desserud said.

Desserud, the seat of the governmental subject section astatine the University of Prince Edward Island, has met galore politicians implicit the years and said they're often amazed by definite aspects of the job.  

They underestimate the idiosyncratic toll of the back-and-forth travel, helium said. They get tense giving their archetypal code successful the House of Commons. They observe that immoderate of their champion friends crook retired to be MPs from different parties.

Desserud erstwhile asked an MP if helium was bothered by the deficiency of nightlife successful Ottawa.

"He said helium wouldn't cognize arsenic helium was ever truthful exhausted by the extremity of the day, helium was accelerated dormant by 9," Desserud said.

Deschênes-Thériault isn't disquieted astir his societal beingness due to the fact that helium inactive has galore friends successful Ottawa who volition bask catching up astatine a section microbrewery. 

"I met a batch of my friends portion doing my master's grade successful governmental science," helium said. "So it's a batch of friends who bask talking astir politics."