Category: Feature

Honouring Indigenous Languages Within Parliament

This entry is part 2 of 8 in the series Vol 42 No. 2 (Summer)

Honouring Indigenous Languages Within Parliament

Canada has ‘two official’ languages, but neither one is one of the original languages of this land. As an Indigenous parliamentarian who speaks Cree, the author believed it was important to be able to make substantive statements in parliament in this language. This language informed the principle of his worldview and the worldview of some of his constituents. In 2017, the existing standing orders and policies of the House of Commons prevented his address in Cree from being translated to his fellow MPs. Despite receiving advice to use one of Canada’s two official languages, the author decided to continue with his speech as planned. Subsequently, he raised a prima facie  case that his rights as a parliamentarian had been violated and worked with the Regulations Committee (PROC) to change the standing orders. In this article, he explains his thoughts about this issue and reveals how he came to a decision to challenge the status quo in an effort to be true to himself and his people.

Robert-Falcon Ouellette, MP

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Parliamentary Business Seminar on Parliamentary Diplomacy

This entry is part 7 of 11 in the series Vol 42 No. 1 (Spring)

Parliamentary Business Seminar on Parliamentary Diplomacy

On Friday, November 16, 2018, the Canadian Study of Parliament Group held a Parliamentary Business Seminar on Parliamentary Diplomacy, inviting experts to discuss various aspects of parliamentary involvement in foreign affairs. One panel explored how parliamentary diplomacy occurs in Canada while a second panel gathered current and former parliamentarians who participated in parliamentary diplomacy to offer their personal and professional reflections.

Paul EJ Thomas and Charlie Feldman

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Looking back on 200 years at Province House

This entry is part 5 of 11 in the series Vol 42 No. 1 (Spring)

Looking back on 200 years at Province House

More than 200 years ago work began on a building that would become a central part of Nova Scotia’s political and administrative future. Province House was not only a functional place where parliamentary debate could take place and government business could get done, but also a work of art. In this article, the author tells the story of its construction and how the province is celebrating its bicentennial.

David McDonald

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Parliament and Parliamentary Reform: The Enduring Legacy of C.E.S. Franks

This entry is part 4 of 11 in the series Vol 42 No. 1 (Spring)

Parliament and Parliamentary Reform: The Enduring Legacy of C.E.S. Franks

In 2018 we lost one of the most significant voices participating in the study, discussion, and promotion of Canada’s parliamentary democracy. C.E.S. Franks’ was well known amongst scholars for his decades of work based at Queen’s University; but he was also known among the Canadian public as an expert commentator frequently sought out by journalists who covered Canadian politics. In this article, the author pays tribute to Franks by highlighting his seminal work, The Parliament of Canada (1987), and explaining how its insights remain relevant to any debate on how and why Parliament could or should be reformed.

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Improving gender representation in Canadian federal politics and parliament

This entry is part 3 of 11 in the series Vol 42 No. 1 (Spring)

Improving gender representation in Canadian federal politics and parliament

How can we establish equitable gender representation in Canadian politics and parliament? What obstacles stand in the way of this goal? And, what can serving Canadian parliamentarians tell us about the challenges they have either experienced or witnessed among their colleagues. In this article, the authors use primary interviews with six MPs and a secondary literature review to explore theories used in support of methods designed to improve gender representation. They conclude by suggesting that methods to improve gender representation in politics need to be fulsome and diverse.

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New Brunswick’s ‘Hung Legislature’ of 2018: Completing the Trilogy of Legislative Oddities

This entry is part 2 of 11 in the series Vol 42 No. 1 (Spring)

 During the past 30 years, New Brunswick’s Assembly has witnessed a trio of legislative oddities. First, in 1987, one party won every seat in the Assembly, meaning there was no opposition presence among MLAs. Second, in 1994, changing standings among caucuses in the Assembly created a situation where two opposition parties had an equal number of seats and vied to be recognized as the Official opposition. Third, and most recently, a general election resulted in New Brunswick’s first minority parliament since 1920. The incumbent government attempted to demonstrate it retained the confidence of the Assembly despite losing its majority, but was defeated when the House met to consider the Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne. After briefly summarizing the first two oddities, the authors deal substantively with the third and explain how the precarity of a minority parliament and policy differences among the four parties in the Assembly could mean the electorate will return to the polls well in advance of the province’s next fixed election date.

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Understanding Voter Turnout in Canada: What Data Do We Lack?

This entry is part 1 of 11 in the series Vol 42 No. 1 (Spring)

Christopher H. Achen 

 Voter turnout, particularly among youth, has been in decline over the past few decades. Federal officials have expressed concern about this trend. Although they have sought help from researchers to understand the reasons for the lack of participation in hopes of reversing it, scholars lack some of the information they need to confidently advise policymakers and their fellow citizens on how to get more ballots cast. In this article, the author outlines the main factors/variables which explain voter turnout. He then explains why researchers require supplementary information that only official government records can supply to properly consider these variables. Two sources of official information are highlighted as being particularly relevant—official turnout records and unemployment surveys with a voting supplement. The author concludes by offering three recommendations for how to make this information available to researchers while still taking steps to protect Canadians’ privacy.

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Temporary Special Measures: A Possible Solution to Get More Women Into Politics

This entry is part 14 of 15 in the series Vol 41 No. 4 (Winter)

Temporary Special Measures: A Possible Solution to Get More Women Into Politics

In some ways, the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories has been a trailblazer in terms of diversity of representation in Canada. Since full responsible government returned in 1983, a majority of its MLAs have been Indigenous, as have all but two of its premiers. Moreover, Nellie Cournoyea became the first Indigenous woman to become premier of a province or territory in Canada and only the second woman ever to hold a premiership in the country. In terms of electing women to the Assembly, however, it has lagged behind many other jurisdictions. Currently only two MLAs are women (10 per cent of the Assembly) and since 1999 the Assembly has only surpassed this number of women MLAs once – three (or 15.8 per cent in 2007). In order to become a more representative body, the territorial Assembly unanimously adopted a motion to ensure at least 20 per cent of MLAs are women by 2023, and at least 30 per cent of MLAs are women by 2027. In this article, the author explains the concept of temporary special measures to achieve this goal. She outlines the experience of Samoa, another small jurisdiction with Westminster roots in which women were substantially underrepresented in parliament, to demonstrate how the NWT might reach these benchmarks. She concludes by noting that temporary special measures are one way of increasing women’s representation in assemblies, but others may work as well depending on the jurisdiction’s political culture and institutions. Continue reading “Temporary Special Measures: A Possible Solution to Get More Women Into Politics”

Inclusive and Diverse Leadership in Parliamentary Politics and Beyond

This entry is part 13 of 15 in the series Vol 41 No. 4 (Winter)

Inclusive and Diverse Leadership in Parliamentary Politics and Beyond

It’s undeniable that there are systemic barriers which prevent certain people from fully participating in society. Inside and outside of parliamentary politics, there has been much discussion and debate about the kinds of barriers women face. In this article, the author explores how a tendency for women to take on caregiving roles for children, and increasingly the elderly, is one such barrier to full participation – particularly for caregivers who are single. She writes that parliamentarians can and should lead by example by finding creative ways to eliminate these barriers in their own organizations and professional development activities. Continue reading “Inclusive and Diverse Leadership in Parliamentary Politics and Beyond”

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