About the Project

From 2008-2011 Samara conducted the first ever systematic series of exit interviews with former Members of Parliament. In total, 80 interviews took place in the homes and communities of former Members of Parliament who sat in the 38^th, 39^th and 40^th Parliament.  The discussions formed the basis of a series of research reports and the best-selling book Tragedy in the Commons. This research has been cited by academics over 60 times and is informing the work of current MPs—the book has been referenced in Parliamentary debates and it helped inform the creation of the Reform Act.

Exit interviews are a tool used by the corporate world to capture experience and learn what worked well and what could work better.

Samara believes this practice should be applied to transform Canadian politics.

This Time

With a new exit cohort from the 41^st Parliament with over a 1000 years of collective Parliamentary experience, it’s time to revisit the exit interview process with new questions, new themes and new results. We want to continue to build this national archive—to create an historic record for future scholars, parliamentarians and citizens. We will compare how practices and norms change over time and explore topics we missed last time.

Like last time, we are travelling across the country and visiting these former MPs in their communities. We are looking at new ways to share the stories of these former MPs with as many Canadians as possible through channels like educational programming, reports and events like a live exit interview. The possibilities are endless.

How you can help

"Participating in Samara’s Exit Interviews was a really positive experience; it was also a chance to continue to have an impact, in a different but useful way."

-Paddy Torsney, Former MP

Tragedy in the Commons