Year 4 of the PIE program was challenging yet innovative for GreenPAC. Due to the fall election, Interns could not immediately start with MP partners; they instead worked on GreenPAC-directed learning projects and supported environmental initiatives in the Senate until MPs were sworn in. The program also demonstrated remarkable resilience, contending with a federal election and ongoing uncertainty from COVID-19, as well as unforeseen challenges such as the trucker occupation of Ottawa and leadership changes in the Conservative Party.

Some notable successes in Year 4 include the expansion of the program from four to a record-breaking seven placements, as well as the formal launch of a specialized program stream in sustainable agriculture and themed placement in low-carbon economy. We also expanded our alumni engagement and facilitated an ongoing relationship with our alums and Interns. Additionally, the program hosted its second FLIP Summit in January 2022. A full-day, online public event, FLIP 2.0 brought together an impressive list of current and former decision-makers, scientists, policy leaders, and youth/nonprofit advocates for a dialogue around the theme: "breaking political barriers to environmental leadership in Canada." Furthermore, the trial placement of our first-ever placement in the Senate of Canada was considered a huge success. The creation of the Senators for Climate Solutions Group, bringing together 44 Senators, was supported by three of our Interns and is set to be officially launched in the fall of 2022. Senator Coyle, the group's co-founder alongside Senator Kutcher, acknowledged the team of interns from GreenPAC as "essential members of the team in getting Senators for Climate Solutions up and running."  

GreenPAC is excited to continue our work in advancing the anti-oppressive agenda throughout our processes - recruitment, program evaluation, and program development. In Year 5, GreenPAC will have its most diverse cohort yet, with 90% of Interns identifying as belonging to one or more equity-seeking groups. In 2022-2023, we will launch our first specialized stream for Indigenous Interns and start our second cohort for Sustainable Agriculture, furthering the agenda of integrating underrepresented youth into the political decision-making sphere. We will also continue our work in supporting the Senate of Canada and Members of Parliament in its capacity to integrate a climate lens throughout its work as we collectively advance Canada's environmental agenda through our PIE Program.