Author: revparlc

Review of the Statutory Offices of Newfoundland and Labrador: Reconsidering Oversight Structures

Article 4 / 11 , Vol 46 No. 4 (Winter)

Review of the Statutory Offices of Newfoundland and Labrador: Reconsidering Oversight Structures

Statutory officers hold an essential role in the Canadian parliamentary structure, but one that has been described as operating in a “constitutional twilight zone” underscored by their largely ad hoc development. In this article, the author describes a chaotic series of events in Newfoundland and Labrador which prompted the province’s Minister of Justice and Public Safety to launch a review of the operations of statutory offices. As a researcher for retired Justice Robert Fowler, the person tasked with conducting this review, the author explains how greater definitional clarity, added oversight, and processes for managing conflicts and independently evaluating officers seeking reappointment were among Justice Fowler’s general recommendations. Although the author notes the effectiveness of the team’s proposed recommendations nor their implementation cannot and should not be presumed, the Review of Statutory Offices hoped to reaffirm the role of statutory officers in promoting good governance. This article is based on the author’s analysis of the cited publicly available materials.

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Destroying “Foul and Filthy” Committee Evidence: Revisiting a Peculiar Private Bill and a Senate Scandal

Article 5 / 11 , Vol 46 No. 4 (Winter)

Destroying “Foul and Filthy” Committee Evidence: Revisiting a Peculiar Private Bill and a Senate Scandal

A unique and dramatic set of events unfolded in the Senate of Canada when Mary Matilda White petitioned Parliament for a divorce bill in 1888. She was the first petitioner since Confederation to allege her husband’s impotence and the ensuing committee procedures involved a medical examination. What happens next is a scandal that resulted in the Senate ordering the destruction of a committee’s evidence. This article recounts this peculiar tale from the annals of Canadian parliamentary history. NB: Quoted source material in this article contains language that is anachronistic and offensive. As such, reader discretion is advised.

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Canadian Network Created to Promote High Standards of Trust and Political Leadership

Article 6 / 11 , Vol 46 No. 4 (Winter)

Canadian Network Created to Promote High Standards of Trust and Political Leadership

A unique partnership among five universities, funded in part by Montreal philanthropist Stephen Jarislowsky, has created what’s believed to be a first-of-its-kind network in Canada to promote ethics and high standards of ethics, trust, and political leadership. In this article, the authors describe the program’s aims and outline past and planned events and activities. The authors conclude with a call to parliamentarians, political staff, and non-partisan parliamentary employees to share ideas with and make requests to the program’s chairs.

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The State of Civic Education: A Roundtable

Article 7 / 11 , Vol 46 No. 4 (Winter)

The State of Civic Education: A Roundtable

If the children are our future, will a healthy participatory democracy be a part of that future? How are schools and non-governmental organizations doing in terms of teaching young people (and, for that matter, all people) to understand their society and the various ways we seek to answer the fundamental civic question: how we live together as a public? In this roundtable, the Canadian Parliamentary Review asked five individuals involved in various aspects of civic education to offer their thoughts on where we’ve come from, where we are, and, ideally, where we want to go when it comes to teaching and engaging the public.

*This is an edited and revised transcript compiled from three discussions with participants.

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The Canadian Scene

Article 8 / 11 , Vol 46 No. 4 (Winter)

The Canadian Scene

New House of Commons Speaker

Greg Fergus, Member of Parliament for Hull- Aylmer, was elected as the new Speaker of the House of Commons on October 3, 2023. Replacing outgoing Speaker Anthony Rota, Speaker Fergus becomes the 38th Speaker and the first Black Canadian to serve in the position. He defeated six other challengers, including Chris d’Entremont, Carol Hughes, Alexandra Mendes, Sean Casey, Elizabeth May, and Peter Schiefke.

Since his first election as a Liberal MP in 2015, Speaker Fergus has served on several parliamentary committees and as Parliamentary Secretary to a number of cabinet ministers including the President of the Treasury Board and the Minister of Health. One of the Directors of the Canada-Africa P a r l i a m e n ta r y Association, Speaker Fergus also founded the Parliamentary Black Caucus and served as its co-chair for six years.

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A 25-day Tenure: The Story of the First Indigenous Parliamentarian Elected in Canada

Article 11 / 11 , Vol 46 No. 4 (Winter)

A 25-day Tenure: The Story of the First Indigenous Parliamentarian Elected in Canada

In January 1831, Tekarihogen John Brant became the first Indigenous parliamentarian elected in Canada. Twenty- five days later he was out of office. A year later he was dead. It would be more than a century before a second First Nations Member would be elected to another Canadian legislature, and almost two centuries before Ontario would see another provincial parliamentarian of First Nations ancestry and community citizenship. In this article, the author recounts the short life and political career of a member of a famed Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) dynasty.

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A Focus on Parliamentary Support Services

Article 1 / 12 , Vol 46 No. 3 (Autumn)

A Focus on Parliamentary Support Services

If you ask a member of the public to picture a federal parliament or a provincial or territorial assembly, the two images that spring to mind most often would be the buildings themselves, and the various MPs, senators, MHAs, MLAs, MNAs, and MPPs who sit in the chambers within them.

But spare a moment to think about the people who maintain these buildings, who work to support parliamentarians as they fulfill their constitutional roles, and who enable these democratic institutions to welcome tens of thousands of visitors each year in person and speak to countless others through an online presence.

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Working life on the Hill

Article 2 / 12 , Vol 46 No. 3 (Autumn)

Working life on the Hill

Members of Parliament (MPs) are the institution’s most public face. Supporting them are the skilled and dedicated employees of the House of Commons Administration (House Administration), who anticipate MPs’ needs and deliver personalized, streamlined, quality services.

As one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers, the House Administration is committed to helping its employees realize their full potential. It offers them many opportunities for career development and advancement, and even opportunities for a career change if they would like to try something new in a different field. As the House of Commons supports a hybrid and flexible workforce, its employees have been able to work in a hybrid format since 2020. The hybrid work environment is a combination of remote and on-site work, meaning that some employees may work on-site on a full-time basis, while others may alternate between working on-site and from home.

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