Category: Roundtable
In Conversation with Women Speakers
In Conversation with Women Speakers
Although relatively few women have held the position of Speaker in Canada’s parliamentary assemblies, six women currently preside over 15 chambers across the country. In this roundtable, the Canadian Parliamentary Review editorial intern Geneva Fuina spoke with four women Speakers about why they sought out this position, what has surprised them about their role, and what changes they’ve implemented.
Continue reading “In Conversation with Women Speakers”Women First Ministers: Working To Make The Exceptional Completely Unremarkable – An Interview with Kate Graham
Women First Ministers: Working To Make The Exceptional Completely Unremarkable – An Interview with Kate Graham
Canada has had only 16 women first ministers. To date, no woman first minister retained has assumed that position, or retained that position, after more than a single general election. Why is that? And why, as of the date of publication, are there only two woman first ministers currently holding office? These are questions Kate Graham has explored in research that has produced two seasons of a podcast, two books, and much discussion among audiences to whom she has spoken. In this one-on-one interview, Canadian Parliamentary Review editorial intern Annie Dowd asks this author and professor how Canadians can change the trend line and ensure the governments we elect are more representative of populations they serve.
Bricks and Mortar Not Required: Pop Up and Mobile Constituency Offices
Reaching a Critical Mass: A Roundtable with Black Parliamentarians
Reaching a Critical Mass: A Roundtable with Black Parliamentarians
In our democracy, a parliamentarian has a duty to represent the interests of all people in a particular constituency or district. But parliamentarians who belong to communities that extend beyond their electoral district often find they assume a secondary responsibility to bring attention to community interests and/or share some common experiences with other parliamentarians who are part of these communities. In this roundtable, Canadian Parliamentary Review Intern Kaitlin Gallant spoke with three Black parliamentarians to discuss their experiences campaigning, as members of legislatures and political parties, and about the value of Blacks caucuses and multiparty organizations such as the Canadian Congress of Black Parliamentarians. *Responses from two separate telephone conversations were compiled into a transcript which was then reviewed and revised by all participants.
Participants: Patrice Barnes, MPP, Tony Ince, MLA, David Shepherd, MLA Moderated by Kaitlin Gallant
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The Independents: A Roundtable Discussion with Independent and Independently-Minded Parliamentarians
The Independents: A Roundtable Discussion with Independent and Independently-Minded Parliamentarians
On January 18, 2024, the Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy welcomed three parliamentarians to discuss the experience of Independent parliamentarians and independently-minded partisan parliamentarians in Canada. Moderated by Professor Alex Marland, roundtable participants included Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin, an MLA who won re-election as an Independent after previously being elected with a party, Bobbi Ann Brady, an MPP who was elected as an Independent without previously being elected with a party, and Scott Simms, a backbench MP who spent time on both the government and opposition sides of the House. Topics included the pros and cons of sitting as an Independent or as a party member, the constraints of party whips and “messaging,” and how these parliamentarians carved out a degree of freedom while either inside or outside of a party during their time in office. The session was dedicated to the memory of Peter Russell, author of Two Cheers for Minority Government: The Evolution of Canadian Parliamentary Democracy and other works, who passed away shortly before the event. *This transcript has been edited for length and clarity. The original recording of the event is available on the Churchill Society’s YouTube Channel.
Canadian Network Created to Promote High Standards of Trust and Political Leadership
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.
The State of Civic Education: A Roundtable
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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Building Connections and Sharing Best Practices: Parliamentary Service Organizations
Building Connections and Sharing Best Practices: Parliamentary Service Organizations
Parliaments do not operate as silos. Parliamentarians are keenly aware of debates occurring among their colleagues across the country and internationally. Legislation adopted in one jurisdiction is often studied and consulted when another parliament is considering a similar issue. And, every year, parliamentarians attend meetings and conferences, such as the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s gatherings, to meet their counterparts, discuss their roles and systems of governance, and forge important networks to exchange information. Many parliamentary service staff have developed their own organizations for similar reasons. In this roundtable, the Canadian Parliamentary Review invited representatives of some of these groups to discuss the work their membership does and how their membership benefits from participating in groups that facilitate networking and information sharing.
Participants: Gerry Burla, Andrew Henry, Deanna Wilson, and Bruce C. Young