In the summer of 2015, the Off Script team began interviewing former Nova Scotia MLAs. We chose to interview former MLAs - most of whom had no intentions to seek re-election - since they had fewer reasons to filter out or sugar coat what they might tell us about the realities of everyday politics. All of our interviews were on the record, but what we heard didn't sound much like the usual scripts.
Most of the interviews were candid. Before we began, the project team felt quite informed and in-the-know about what was happening in politics in our province. As the interviews progressed, we gained a much fuller understanding of the Nova Scotia legislature and the realities of being an MLA. We created the podcast to share what we've learned with you.
Each week we unpack one small piece of politics in Nova Scotia.
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How this project got started
This project was, in part, inspired by the work of Samara, a national organization that conducted exit interviews with former Members of Parliament, the Off Script project began with the intention to conduct similar research in Nova Scotia. Samara had written reports, and eventually published their research in a book called Tragedy in the Commons: Former members of parliament speak out about Canada's failing democracy.
This podcast was launched with small start-up grant from Democracy 250, but to keep it going we need support from listeners like you. Support the podcast with a monthly donation of $3, $5, or $8 per month here.
This project has been a labour of love that has been fueled by curiosity. Hundreds of volunteer hours have gone into bringing it to this point. Your donations will go directly to covering the costs of production for the episodes to come.
If you like what you're hearing, consider becoming a monthly donor.
Project Team:
Podcast Co-Hosts: Mark Coffin, Sandra Hannebohm
Research Lead: Louise Cockram