Nothing About Us Without Us: Representation of People with Intellectual Disabilities and Their Interests in Parliament

This entry is part 7 of 10 in the series Vol 44 No. 4 (Winter)

Nothing About Us Without Us: Representation of People with Intellectual Disabilities and Their Interests in Parliament

Amélie Cossette is a 2020-2021 Parliamentary intern. She holds an honours bachelor’s degree in Conflict Studies and Human Rights from the University of Ottawa and is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Fundamental Rights at Université Laval. As someone who has a loved one with an intellectual disability, she suggests that this research project be read, in part, as a heartfelt plea for an ableist society to do better.

Messaging, Partisanship and Politics: Discourse in Standing Committees in a Minority Parliament

This entry is part 6 of 10 in the series Vol 44 No. 4 (Winter)

Messaging, Partisanship and Politics: Discourse in Standing Committees in a Minority Parliament

Valere Gaspard is a graduate student at the University of Ottawa, a research fellow at Western University’s Leadership and Democracy Lab, and an alumnus of the Parliamentary Internship Programme (2020-2021). This is a revised version of the essay he wrote as part of his internship.

(Re)Building Behaviour: How the B.C. Chamber Influences Politics, and How B.C. MLAs Want to Change It

This entry is part 3 of 10 in the series Vol 44 No. 4 (Winter)

(Re)Building Behaviour: How the B.C. Chamber Influences Politics, and How B.C. MLAs Want to Change It

Rachel McMillan and Abby Koning are 2021 B.C Legislative Interns.

Unfinished Business: A Snapshot of Recent Government Bill Practice

This entry is part 2 of 10 in the series Vol 44 No. 4 (Winter)

Unfinished Business: A Snapshot of Recent Government Bill Practice

Charlie Feldman is the President of the Canadian Study of Parliament Group and a member of the Law Society of Ontario. Any views expressed in this piece are his own and not those of any employer.

Governing by Time Allocation: The Increasing Use of Time Allocation in the House of Commons, 1971 to 2021

This entry is part 1 of 10 in the series Vol 44 No. 4 (Winter)

Governing by Time Allocation: The Increasing Use of Time Allocation in the House of Commons, 1971 to 2021

In its Winter 2000–2001 issue, the Canadian Parliamentary Review published the first study on the use of Standing Order 78 (commonly known as “time allocation”) in the House of Commons. “Silencing Parliamentary Democracy or Effective Time Management? Time Allocation in the House of Commons” chronicles the use of time allocation between December 1971 and June 2000. This article by the same author provides an update on the use of time allocation in the two subsequent decades, thus covering the periods from the 28th Parliament (1968–1971) to the 43rd Parliament (2019–2021).

The Non-Partisan Paradox: Overcoming Gender Disparity in the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly

This entry is part 5 of 9 in the series Vol 44 No. 3 (Fall)

The Non-Partisan Paradox: Overcoming Gender Disparity in the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly

Christopher Yurris is enrolled in a Master program in Political Science at McGill University. He worked as a summer student at the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories in 2021.

Continue reading “The Non-Partisan Paradox: Overcoming Gender Disparity in the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly”

Thoughts on Prayers: An Analysis of Prayers in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, 2003-2019

This entry is part 4 of 9 in the series Vol 44 No. 3 (Fall)

Thoughts on Prayers: An Analysis of Prayers in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, 2003-2019

This article highlights some of the ongoing work on legislative prayer being conducted by the research team of the BC Humanist Association (BCHA). Since 1984, the BCHA has provided a community and a voice for Humanists, atheists, agnostics and the non-religious in BC. Humanism is a worldview that promotes human dignity without belief in a higher power. Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff is the Research Coordinator for the BCHA, and has a PhD in politics and international studies from the University of Cambridge. Ian Bushfield is the Executive Director of the BCHA. Dr. Katie Marshall is a member of the board of the BCHA and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Zoology at the University of British Columbia. Ranil Prasad and Noah Laurence were summer researchers with the BCHA, and their positions were supported in part by the Canada Summer Jobs Program.

A Fire, a Chair, and Crested Notepaper: Canada’s Coat of Arms at 100

This entry is part 3 of 9 in the series Vol 44 No. 3 (Fall)

A Fire, a Chair and Crested Notepaper: Canada’s Coat of Arms at 100

Forrest Pass is a curator with the Exhibitions and Online Content Division at Library and Archives Canada. Between 2009 and 2013, he was Saguenay Herald at the Canadian Heraldic Authority and has researched and written extensively about Canada’s symbolic heritage.

A century ago this autumn, Canada adopted a new coat of arms. In this article the author recounts the events that prompted discussions for a new design and notes how Parliament and parliamentarians affected the selection in unexpected ways.

Continue reading “A Fire, a Chair, and Crested Notepaper: Canada’s Coat of Arms at 100”

Regrouping in the Senate of Canada

This entry is part 1 of 9 in the series Vol 44 No. 3 (Fall)

Regrouping in the Senate of Canada

Scott Tannas was the person elected during Alberta’s 2012 Senate nominee elections. He was appointed to the Upper Chamber as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2013. On November 4, 2019, he joined the Canadian Senators Group and has served as its interim leader since that time.

Following the introduction of a new application process for the Senate which introduced a large number of non-partisan appointees to the Red Chamber, a group of Independent Senators formed a caucus called the Independent Senators Group (ISG) in 2016. Later joined by Senators who had previously been a part of either the Liberal or Conservative caucuses, the ISG soon grew so large that other caucuses of independent Senators formed, including the Canadian Senators Group (CSG) and Progressive Senate Group (PSG). In this article, the author explains how this process unfolded and why he believes the new independent caucuses in the upper chamber are fundamental for the Senate to exercise unwhipped, unvarnished, and unimpeded sober second thought.

Continue reading “Regrouping in the Senate of Canada”

Planning for the Rehabilitation of Centre Block: The House’s Experience

This entry is part 2 of 12 in the series Vol 44 No. 2 (Summer)

44n2e_21_kulba

Planning for the Rehabilitation of Centre Block:
The House’s Experience

Susan Kulba is the Director of Real Property Services at the House of Commons and overseas the Centre Block Rehabilitation Program.

Continue reading “Planning for the Rehabilitation of Centre Block: The House’s Experience”