CSPG: Working together: Parliamentary, cabinet, caucus, and/or representative collaboration across the levels in Canada
Category: Feature
The Foundations of Parliamentarism in Quebec, 1764–1791
The Foundations of Parliamentarism in Quebec, 1764–1791
Employing research from his doctoral dissertation, the author breaks with the consensus position that the first meeting of the House of Assembly of Lower Canada on December 17, 1792, marks the beginning of parliamentarism in Quebec. Instead, he traces a rudimentary form of parliamentarism back to 1764 and shows how it developed over nearly 30 years.
On December 17, 1792, the first members of the House of Assembly of Lower Canada met in the chapel of the episcopal palace in Quebec City. This historic event is considered the beginning of parliamentarism in Quebec. But I must break with this consensus interpretation. In my doctoral dissertation on the origins of parliamentarism in Quebec, entitled Aux sources du parlementarisme dans la Province de Québec, 1764–1791, I show that the foundations of parliamentarism in the province precede the Constitutional Act of 1791.1
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Visible Minority Candidates and MPs in the 2019 Federal Election
Visible Minority Candidates and MPs in the 2019 Federal Election
Fifty individuals with visible minority origins won their way into Parliament in the federal election of October 31, 2019 – the largest number of such MPs ever to be elected. However, the achievement is tempered somewhat by the fact that the increase from the 2015 election is fairly modest and the population-based deficit in representation is about where it had been in that previous election. On the other hand, when candidates are taken into consideration, the picture that emerges for 2019 is somewhat more positive. The evidence points to the parties, at least in their local guises, continuing to do more to champion visible minority candidacies. Indeed, it is possible that the candidate data yield a better indication of the openness of the electoral process to minorities than simply a tally of the number of visible minority MPs elected.
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Parliamentary Relatives
Parliamentary Relatives
The political history of Quebec has many examples of parliamentarians with family connections. In some instances, family members even sat at the same time. This was the case for Quebec Premier Louis-Alexandre Taschereau and his son Robert, who both sat in Quebec’s Legislative Assembly from 1930 to 1936.
Siblings also sat at the same time on several occasions: brothers Daniel and Pierre Marc Johnson sat together from 1985 to 1987, representing different parties. Their father was Daniel Johnson Sr., who had served as Premier of Quebec from 1966 to 1968. Interestingly enough, both brothers also served as Premier. In another case, sisters Hélène and Françoise David sat in the National Assembly from 2014 to 2017: one in government, one in opposition.
Assessing The Reform Act as a tool of parliamentary reform: one step forward, one step back
Assessing The Reform Act as a tool of parliamentary reform: one step forward, one step back
Two general elections have been held since the 2015 Reform Act was passed by Canada’s Parliament. In this article the authors assess its success in rebalancing the relationship between individual MPs and their parties, discuss why many MPs remain reluctant to openly challenge their leaders’ authority, and conclude that institutional or legislative changes alone will likely not change the culture that has permitted power to be concentrated in a leader’s office.
Chagnon v. Syndicat de la fonction publique et parapublique du Québec: Implications of the Supreme Court of Canada’s Decision for the Law of Parliamentary Privilege
Chagnon v. Syndicat de la fonction publique et parapublique du Québec: Implications of the Supreme Court of Canada’s Decision for the Law of Parliamentary Privilege
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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
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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.
Specialized Resources for Parliamentary Libraries
Specialized Resources for Parliamentary Libraries
Parliamentary libraries are specialized environments, requiring dedicated and unique resources to support their client-centered reference service. Staff add value to collections and information sources using their knowledge and understanding of the local parliamentary context. Examples provided from Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador highlight the customized products and tools developed by these libraries to meet the needs of parliamentary library clients.
Heather Close and Andrea Hyde
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