Newly elected Member of Parliament Evan Solomon take his seat before the start of a orientation program on Parliament Hill May 5, 2025 in Ottawa.Dave Chan/The Globe and Mail
For many years, Evan Solomon covered politics in Ottawa as a journalist, but on Monday, he was attending classes on how to be an MP.
The former host of CTV’s Power Play and Question Period was among new MPs attending the first in a series of sessions to instruct new members about operating on Parliament Hill.
“In some senses, I feel like a race-car driver who drove a Formula One race car in a lot of races,” said Mr. Solomon, elected the Liberal MP for Toronto Centre in last week’s federal election.
“And now I have been locked in a room and someone said, `Go build a car.’ Now you have to learn to be mechanic, and it’s very different and very humbling.”
Monday saw the first of 117 students – rookie MPs – attending the classes held by the administration of the House of Commons in an office complex across the street.
The members like Mr. Solomon were to be briefed on the challenges of setting up offices, hiring staff, getting up to speed on Hill security, and learning about digital systems and the layout of the Commons.
There is also instruction on the events that take place when Parliament opens – something set to happen later this month – and the rules on decorum and voting.
Members of the media were allowed in as MPs assembled for the first class and ushered out as the actual instruction began.
As the classes started, Commons officials explained the program at a news conference.
The classes are part of a continuing program of instruction for new MPs that includes the appointment of liaison officers for new members to guide them through the work of setting up their offices, and other necessities.
They have to hire staff and figure out the best approaches for handling administrative issues.
In addition to their base annual salaries of $209,800, MPs receive $429,600 a year to cover costs related to operating offices in their constituencies and on Parliament Hill.
There are also supplements based on the number of voters in ridings and for ridings of more than 500 square kilometres.
The current structure of classes and support began after the 2019 election when rookie MPs were invited to Ottawa for the programs.
Various forms of orientation had been offered since 1993, but the administration of the House of Commons shifted to the current approach because it was seen as more efficient, said Scott Lemoine, one of the two co-chairs of the Members Orientation Program.
Newly elected Members of Parliament Leslie Church shake hands with Linda Lapointe before the start of a orientation program on Parliament Hill May 5, 2025 in Ottawa.Dave Chan/The Globe and Mail
Conservative MP Burton Bailey, elected in the Alberta riding of Red Deer, arrived in Ottawa at 1:30 a.m. Monday to be in place for the day’s classes.
In an interview, he said that he has been working to get up to speed on credentials for MPs and learning how to do House business such as taking part in votes by phone.
“I’m overwhelmed. It’s just a lot to take in,” Mr. Bailey said in the lobby of the building where he was going to classes with other MPs.
He noted that his predecessor had resigned so he was starting from scratch in setting up his operation as an MP. “I had nothing. There was no office. There’s no phones. There’s no nothing.
“So, the first step for me becoming an MP was to come here to actually get a computer, get a phone, and get credentials so that I can actually order equipment so that I can have a constituency office.”
In the midst of all that, Mr. Bailey said he received an e-mail, saying there would be orientation classes this week.
The former executive assistant to an Alberta cabinet minister said he has been to Ottawa before but found this trip very overwhelming.
“As soon as I caught my bearings, and realized where I was, I felt much better,” he said.