Category: Sketches of Parliament

Fifty Years of the Office of the Assembly

Article 8 / 8 , Vol. 47 No. 2 (Summer)

Fifty Years of the Office of the Assembly

This year, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Office of the Assembly and is organizing various events to commemorate the milestone. Over the course of those 50 years, the Office of the Assembly has evolved from very humble beginnings to become a modern, independent organization committed to providing impartial, professional support to Ontario’s Parliament.

Joanne McNair

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Selflessly Stepping Aside: One MPP’s Kindness for Another’s “Double Crown”

Article 11 / 11 , Vol. 47 No. 1 (Spring)

Selflessly Stepping Aside: One MPP’s Kindness for Another’s “Double Crown”

Ontario’s first two women Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) faced a dilemma. Who would be sworn in first? The woman whose last name gave her priority? Or the woman who, if sworn in first, would be known as the first woman parliamentarian elected federally and provincially in Ontario? This is the story of one woman’s selflessness and two women’s pathbreaking achievement. 

Kaitlin Gallant

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Parliamentary Relatives: New Brunswick’s Carr Brothers

Article 1 / 11 , Vol 46 No. 4 (Winter)

Parliamentary Relatives: New Brunswick’s Carr Brothers

With more than 34 years of parliamentary service combined, the Carr brothers are New Brunswick’s version of a political dynasty.

Jody was the first to enter provincial politics. He was just 23 years old when he won the seat for Oromocto-Gagetown in 1999 during Bernard Lord’s Progressive Conservative landslide. He held the riding for 19 years, serving as Minister for the departments of Education and Early Childhood Development and Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, before deciding not to re-offer in 2018. He is now a lawyer in Fredericton.

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A 25-day Tenure: The Story of the First Indigenous Parliamentarian Elected in Canada

Article 11 / 11 , Vol 46 No. 4 (Winter)

A 25-day Tenure: The Story of the First Indigenous Parliamentarian Elected in Canada

In January 1831, Tekarihogen John Brant became the first Indigenous parliamentarian elected in Canada. Twenty- five days later he was out of office. A year later he was dead. It would be more than a century before a second First Nations Member would be elected to another Canadian legislature, and almost two centuries before Ontario would see another provincial parliamentarian of First Nations ancestry and community citizenship. In this article, the author recounts the short life and political career of a member of a famed Kanyen’kehá:ka (Mohawk) dynasty.

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Some Assembly Required: PEI Democracy Turns 250

Article 12 / 12 , Vol 46 No. 3 (Autumn)

Some Assembly Required: PEI Democracy Turns 250

Two hundred and fifty years ago, the Governor of St. John’s Island (present day Prince Edward Island) scraped together the only 18 men in the colony he deemed potentially “respectable representatives” for its first elected Assembly. Over the course of two days, they passed 13 pieces of legislation – including retroactively approving actions the Governor had taken over the past three years and an act that required getting the Governor’s approval before anyone could leave the island. It was an inauspicious start to PEI’s democracy, but it did pave the way for what would become a thriving province. In this article, the author traces the earliest days of democracy in PEI.

Sean McQuaid

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A Most Engaging Legislative Proposal

Article 11 / 11 , Vol 46 No. 2 (Summer)

A Most Engaging Legislative Proposal

Although a hard-working parliamentarian might be said to be “married to their job,” they may hope to enter a more romantic form of union during their time in office – and indeed, maybe even in the Chamber! But, is such a proposal in order according to Bourinot? Can there be a new Act of Union? Will a parliamentary page be the ring bearer? Of course, none of this really matters to the two people who, for a brief moment, become the sole focus of every eye in the Chamber. Unlike the normal Question Period (which we are reminded again and again is not called Answer Period), when a parliamentarian pops the question to their partner from the floor of the Assembly, they will be waiting with bated breath to hear a definitive response. In this article, the author outlines some occasions when everlasting love was a standing order.

Charlie Feldman

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Start the presses! The first bilingual published document in Canada

Article 1 / 7 , Vol 45 No. 2 (Summer)

Start the presses! The first bilingual published document in Canada

John Bushell, the owner of the first printing press in what was to become Canada, is well remembered for publishing the first newspaper in the land. However, he also has the distinction of publishing what is believed to be the first bilingual document in the country’s history. In this article, the author explains the story behind this unique and historic government document.

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