Month: July 2020
Sketches of Parliaments and Parliamentarians of the Past
Sketches of Parliaments and Parliamentarians of the Past
Sarah Ramsland: Pioneer in Politics and Library Service After winning a by-election caused by the unexpected death of her husband, Sarah Katherine Ramsland became Saskatchewan’s first woman MLA in 1919. Serving until her defeat in 1925, Ramsland then made the transition into the province’s Legislative Library from 1926 to 1930. Noted for her dignity, firmness, and forthrightness, Ramsland is celebrated in Saskatchewan for her pioneering role as first female MLA, her pioneering contributions to library services, and for keeping her watchful eye on the Library Reading Room for one hundred years!
Melissa K. Bennet
Continue reading “Sketches of Parliaments and Parliamentarians of the Past”
Parliamentary Bookshelf: Reviews
Parliamentary Bookshelf: Reviews
Government Information in Canada: Access and Stewardship. Amanda Wakaruk & Sam-chin Li, Editors. Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 376pp.
Last summer when Nova Scotia hosted the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (Canadian Region) annual conference I worked the information desk. There were times when we weren’t very busy, so I started to read Government Information in Canada: Access and Stewardship edited by Amanda Wakaruk and Sam-Chin Li. As an information professional, the subject area was of great interest to me and I ended up reading it avidly at the desk. Some delegates asked me what I was reading so intently, and I think I may have disappointed them when I showed them the cover. But, they shoudn’t have been.
New and Notable Titles
New and Notable Titles
A selection of recent publications relating to parliamentary studies prepared with the assistance of the Library of Parliament (November 2019 – February 2020)
Bowden, James W.J. “The founders’ Senate – and ours.” The Dorchester Review 9 (2), Autumn/Winter 2019: 55-65.
The Canadian Region
The Canadian Region
New Nunavut Speaker
Aggu MLA Paul Quassa, a former premier of Nunavut, was elected Speaker of the territory’s assembly on February 26 in a secret ballot over MLA Tony Akoak. Former Speaker Simeon Mikkungwak had resigned from the position one day earlier citing personal reasons.
Speaker Quassa called the election “a great moment for me and my family and for Nunavummiut because it’s an honour to be a Speaker of the House, wherever we are, in any jurisdiction.”
Treasures of the Library of Parliament
Treasures of the Library of Parliament
The Treasures of the Library of Parliament include items from its rare books, art and artefacts collections, as well as the architecture and fixtures of the Library building itself. This article, which highlights each of these four facets, was compiled from submissions written by the Library of Parliament’s Preservation Group for the Library’s Treasures web page.
Compiled by Lane Lamb, Janet Bennett, Josée Gagnon, and Dominique Parent
Continue reading “Treasures of the Library of Parliament”
Parliamentarians Discuss Parliamentary Libraries
Parliamentarians Discuss Parliamentary Libraries
As one of the principal clients of Parliamentary Libraries, many parliamentarians see the inherent value in these institutions – even if their own jurisdiction doesn’t have one. In this modified roundtable discussion, the Canadian Parliamentary Review has compiled interviews with four parliamentarians discussing how and why they use their Parliamentary Library, or what they do when they don’t have access to one.
Participants: Shane Getson, MLA, Liz Hanson, MLA, Nathan Neudorf, MLA and Kevin O’Reilly, MLA
Continue reading “Parliamentarians Discuss Parliamentary Libraries”
Controlling the language used to describe the topics raised in the Parliament of Canada: A political and linguistic challenge
Controlling the language used to describe the topics raised in the Parliament of Canada: A political and linguistic challenge
Words matter – especially in a bilingual environment where there are political sensitivities. As an impartial resource for Canadian parliamentarians (and others) that produces and collects many documents, the Library of Parliament maintains a controlled vocabulary internally to facilitate access. In this article, the author outlines the Library of Parliament Subject Taxonomy and discusses two challenges related to its development: language neutrality and the interlinguistic equivalence of concepts between English and French.