Every year, Senator Thanh Hai Ngo offers Vietnamese-Canadian post-secondary students the opportunity to come serve as interns on the Hill over the summer. Senate Speaker George Furey invited this year’s interns to the Red Chamber to hear about their experiences on the Hill. In fact, Speaker Furey worked in the field of education for several years in Newfoundland and Labrador and as such, he attaches particular importance to educational programs and internships.

“These sorts of initiatives provide students with an opportunity to learn about the principles of democratic government and parliamentary procedures in Canada, and my colleague Senator Ngo is to be congratulated for his ongoing dedication to providing students with this incredible experience,” said Speaker Furey.

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The objective of this Internship Program is to provide Vietnamese-Canadian youth with marketable skills and practical work experience in human rights awareness, communication and office administration that will prepare them for future professional and academic experiences. Successful candidates will also have the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the Senate Chamber, engage in Canadian politics, and take part in publishing an annual report on Human Rights in Vietnam. This is my fourth year offering this program and it has proved to be a rewarding experience for all who have been involved. I hope that in the future I will continue to be able to develop future leaders through this program.

Senator Ngo

I’m from Mississauga, Ontario, and am currently a student at University of Toronto. Over the course of this internship I’ve gained a much better understanding of our government institutions, including the two houses and the processes they operate under. I feel that it’s important for us as Canadian citizens to have an understanding of how our country is governed. In this way, we will be better able to make informed political decisions.

Khiem Hoang

Hello, I’m from Calgary, Alberta. I’m a third-year student at University of Calgary and am currently studying to become a speech pathologist. I decided to use this internship program as an opportunity to broaden my horizons because as a young Canadian I believe that it’s important to understand how our country is governed and how we are able to make an impact on it.

Nina Nguyen

I’m currently a fourth year student at Carleton University. This experience so far, has been very rewarding and I’ve gained a greater appreciation for those working in public service. From this internship opportunity I hope to gain more working experience as well as a better understanding of how both the Upper and Lower Chambers operate.

Annie Vang

I’m from London, Ontario, currently going into my third year at Western University in Political Science. I’m very happy to be working here with Senator Ngo and with all my other colleagues/interns. This is not an opportunity that a lot of people get, and every single day is a new learning experience for us. We do a lot of interesting stuff too – like for example the other day our team had the opportunity to meet Rona Ambrose.

Nicholas Dang

Click here to learn more about Senator Ngo’s Summer Internship program

Note to readers: The Honourable Thanh Hai Ngo retired from the Senate of Canada in January 2022. Learn more about his work in Parliament.