Category: Feature
The Canadian Scene
The Canadian Scene
New Nova Scotia Speaker
Danielle Barkhouse (MLA for Chester- St. Margaret’s) was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia on September 5, 2024 over Lisa Lachance (Halifax Citadel-Sable Island) and Rafah DiCostanzo (Clayton Park West).
Speaker Barkhouse had served as Deputy Speaker since November 3, 2022.
Members of Parliament Feel Safer In Ottawa Than In Their Own Constituencies. Why?
International Perspectives On Constituency Office Safety
International Perspectives On Constituency Office Safety
After a decades-long political career in the United Kingdom, on January 31, 2024, Conservative Member of Parliament Mike Freer announced he would not be running for re-election. In his announcement, which came five weeks after the firebombing of his constituency office, Freer cited ongoing threats to his personal safety as precipitating his departure. In this interview, Freer recounts the events that led up to his early political retirement, outlines some of the personal security precautions he employed while a high-profile target, and offers advice to Canadian parliamentarians who are concerned about their personal safety in their homes, constituencies, and constituency offices.
Interview with Mike Freer
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Security Measures In Riding Offices: Responsibilities And Challenges
Security Measures In Riding Offices: Responsibilities And Challenges
In response to an increase in the number and seriousness of threats directed against elected officials, Quebec’s Assemblée nationale mandated its security directorate to enhance protective measures both in the parliamentary precinct and in the province’s 161 main and satellite riding offices. In this article, the author outlines how the directorate’s advice, security screening, and the introduction of new physical infrastructure have assisted the Assemblée nationale’s goal of strengthening its security culture.
Nathalie Roy
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Consistent Constituency Offices: The Case For Minimum Standards Of Records Management and Maintenance
Consistent Constituency Offices: The Case For Minimum Standards Of Records Management and Maintenance
When a parliamentarian is defeated, retires, or otherwise creates a vacancy, what happens to their constituent case files? Are they shredded? Transferred to the next parliamentarian? Returned to the constituent? Stored someplace for an indeterminate period? Who gets to decide where these documents and this information goes? Parliamentarians who may experience partisan control while in their legislatures tend to have greater independence and freedom to manage constituency matters that come through their office. But this freedom can create havoc for constituents and tie up limited resources if their successor must rebuild the file from scratch. Establishing minimum requirements for constituent records management and maintenance can provide a sense of stability, continuity, and institutional memory when there is turnover of elected officials. In this article, the author explains why the current independent business model of constituency offices ought to be replaced by a regulated professional model that better serves the interests of constituents while still protecting a parliamentarian’s independence and ability to innovate or customise service delivery.
Bricks and Mortar Not Required: Pop Up and Mobile Constituency Offices
Both Sides Now: A Roundtable With Parliamentarians Who Previously Worked As Constituency Office Staff
Both Sides Now: A Roundtable With Parliamentarians Who Previously Worked As Constituency Office Staff
Many newly-elected parliamentarians have little or no experience with the day-to-day activities that occur in constituency offices. Setting up such an office and hiring and training staff likely entails on-the-job learning and a lot of trial and error. However, some incoming parliamentarians have previously worked as staff members in these types of offices. In this roundtable, the Canadian Parliamentary Review speaks with two parliamentarians who have gained experience as both a constituency office employee and employer. This unique perspective allowed them to better empathise with staff, provide them with effective training, and offer their parliamentary colleagues support when they had questions about starting up or managing these offices. However, both participants noted that it can be a challenge to delegate responsibilities they previously had as staff members. They conclude with a call for more non-partisan collaboration among parliamentarians to establish best practices or manuals for these offices. They also suggest political parties should make a point to retain institutional knowledge by speaking to longtime parliamentarians and staff about their experiences to help other parliamentarians and staff from having to reinvent the wheel as there is electoral turnover.
Judicial and Legislative Cooperation at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario: The Legislative Process of Estate Bills
Judicial and Legislative Cooperation at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario: The Legislative Process of Estate Bills
Separation of powers between the branches of government is a well-known principle of our democratic system. However, there is a unique parliamentary procedure in Ontario whereby the judiciary plays a role in the scrutiny of proposed legislation. In this article, the authors explain how an Estate Bill is one of the last remnants of the Assembly’s judicial role, describe the legislative process of such bills, and offer a case study of this process in action. They conclude with a call for discussion about whether there is merit in judicial review of other types of legislation provided it would be a worthwhile use of judicial resources and be conducted in a way that did not infringe on the principle of separation of power.
Mapping Canadian Leaders’ Use of YouTube
Mapping Canadian Leaders’ Use of YouTube
Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial party leaders have an established and active presence on several of the most popular social media platforms, including Facebook, X/Twitter, and Instagram. Party leaders tend to be much less active on the video-sharing platform YouTube. With news media taking note of the success federal Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre has found on this platform, the authors of this article sought to learn if it portends a shift in the extent it is used. They conclude that, to date, YouTube has still not joined the ranks of other popular social media platforms, likely due to the cost of production, the time it takes to create a YouTube video, and the disproportionate levels of engagement compared to content posted elsewhere. However, the authors hypothesize that with two other federal leaders, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of the Liberal Party and Jagmeet Singh of the New Democratic Party, increasingly producing Direct to Viewer content in advance of the next general election, Canadian politicians may at some point in the future make use of this technology as much as their American counterparts.
Andrew J.A. Mattan, Aidan Harris, and Tamara A. Small