Author: revparlc

The Oldest Parliamentary Rules in Quebec and Canada

Article 7 / 13 , Vol 38 No.4 (Winter)

The Oldest Parliamentary Rules in Quebec and Canada

This article presents a brief history of the oldest written rules of the first “Canadian provinces” and introduces two unpublished manuscripts on the Rules of Quebec and Lower Canada.

From the fourteenth century until the early nineteenth century, parliamentary procedure in the House of Commons was more a matter of custom and practice rather than explicit written rules.2 It was not until 1810 that the Commons officially codified some of its procedures as Standing Orders.3

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Courting Controversy: The House of Commons’ Ad Hoc Process to Review Supreme Court Candidates

Article 8 / 13 , Vol 38 No.4 (Winter)

Courting Controversy: The House of Commons’ Ad Hoc Process to Review Supreme Court Candidates

In 2006, Canadians were introduced to a new ad hoc parliamentary process to review Supreme Court candidates prior to their appointment. This article explores how the English-language news media framed this appointment and review process. The authors note the media emphasized conflict surrounding the process over its scrutiny of the candidates themselves and conclude that it remains an open question whether the process of parliamentary vetting actually provided a meaningful educative function for Canadians.

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Parliamentary Bookshelf Vol 38 No 4

Article 9 / 13 , Vol 38 No.4 (Winter)

Parliamentary Bookshelf

Ces constitutions qui nous ont façonnés : anthologie historique des lois constitutionnelles antérieures à 1867 Guy Laforest, Eugénie Brouillet, Alain-G. Gagnon et Yves Tanguay, Presses de l’Université Laval, Québec, 2014, 372 pp.

Guy Laforest Eugénie Brouillet, Alain-G. Gagnon and Yves Tanguay. The Constitutions that Shaped Us: A Historical Anthology of Pre-1867 Canadian Constitutions, McGill-Queens University Press, Montreal, 2015, 360 pp.

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New and Notable Titles Vol 38 No 4

Article 10 / 13 , Vol 38 No.4 (Winter)

New and Notable Titles

A selection of recent publications relating to parliamentary studies prepared with the assistance of the Library of Parliament (September 2015 – November 2015)

Andreychuk, Anita Raynel. “Codes of conduct: Developing an ethics and conflict of interest code.” Parliamentarian, (Issue 2, 2015): 112-15. Continue reading “New and Notable Titles Vol 38 No 4”

CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene Vol 38 No 4

Article 11 / 13 , Vol 38 No.4 (Winter)

CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene

New Senate Speaker

On December 3, Governor General appointed George Furey as Speaker of the Senate, replacing Conservative Senator Leo Housakos.

Furey, who sits as an independent Senate Liberal, is a lawyer from St. John’s who was appointed to the Senate in 1999 to represent Newfoundland and Labrador on the advice of Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

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Sketches of Parliament and Parliamentarians Past: Under the Crimson Cloth: The Story of Canada’s Confederation Table Vol 38 No 4

Article 13 / 13 , Vol 38 No.4 (Winter)

Sketches of Parliament and Parliamentarians Past: Under the Crimson Cloth: The Story of Canada’s Confederation Table

Canada’s historic Confederation Table has returned to the province of Quebec for the first time in more than 100 years for a special exhibit – but its home is now Saskatchewan.

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Know Your Mace: Nunavut Vol 38 No 3

Article 1 / 10 , Vol 38 No 3 (Autumn)

Vol 38 No 3Know Your Mace: Nunavut

On April 1, 1999, the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut sat for the first time. Six artists collaborated on the design and creation of Nunavut’s Heritage Mace and Working Mace: the late Mariano Aupilardjuk (Rankin Inlet), Inuk Charlie (Cambridge Bay), Paul Malliki (Naujaat), Mathew Nuqingaq (Iqaluit), the late Simata Pitsualak (Kimmirut) and Joseph Suqslaq (Gjoa Haven). The Heritage Mace is kept on permanent display in the Legislative Assembly Precinct. The Working Mace sees daily service during sittings of the House and other occasions requiring its presence. Both Maces are 150cm in length. A narwhal tusk forms the shaft of the Heritage Mace. A synthetic material forms the shaft of the Working Mace. A quartz crystal is set into the tip of the Heritage Mace. A 2.25-carat diamond is set into the tip of the Working Mace. Materials that are common to both Maces include amethyst, black quartz, citrine, garnet, granite, lapis lazuli, silver, soapstone, quartz and white marble. One of the ongoing outreach initiatives of the Office of the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is the biennial Mace Tour, during which the Speaker visits schools and other facilities across Nunavut’s 25 communities to display the Mace and to discuss the work of the institution that it helps to safeguard. Earlier this year, the Speaker and the Mace paid visits to the communities of Baker Lake and Gjoa Haven.

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Community Outreach: Bringing Parliament to Life

Article 2 / 10 , Vol 38 No 3 (Autumn)

Community Outreach: Bringing Parliament to Life

The Community Outreach program offered by the Parliamentary Protocol and Public Relations Branch of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario brings the experience of Queen’s Park to communities and schools in a way that transcends financial and distance barriers. Participants get a hands-on experience learning about how Ontario’s parliament works, the responsibilities of the three levels of government, and civic engagement.

Learning the responsibilities of government and how the electoral and legislative process works is something every Ontarian should be familiar with. Unfortunately, travel costs preclude every resident from travelling to their federal, provincial and territorial assemblies to get a first-hand look at legislatures in action. To bridge this distance, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario has created the Community Outreach Program. Groups of children, young adults and ESL (English as a second language) learners have all gained an opportunity to learn the basics of parliamentary processes through this service. Shaped around the participating group’s existing knowledge, the program aims to fill the gaps of what they don’t know in an informative and entertaining way.

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Roundtable – Life After Parliament: The Role of Associations of Former Parliamentarians Vol 38 No 3

Article 3 / 10 , Vol 38 No 3 (Autumn)

Roundtable – Life After Parliament: The Role of Associations of Former Parliamentarians Vol 38 No 3

At some point in time every current parliamentarian will become a former parliamentarian. In recent decades associations representing former parliamentarians have formed to provide transitional assistance to and maintain and foster social links that developed among these men and women during their time in legislatures. In this roundtable the Canadian Parliamentary Review brought together members of several provincial associations of former members who spoke of their organizations’ work and how they might be able to offer their wealth of parliamentary experience to assist current research and outreach projects of legislatures.

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