Fifty Years of the Office of the Assembly

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

Joanne McNair is a Table Research Clerk at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario (LAO). This article was prepared with contributions from David Bogart, Communications Officer at the LAO.

What is the Office of the Assembly?

The Office of the Assembly is the administrative branch of the Ontario Legislature, in effect, the civil service of the Legislative Assembly. The Legislative Assembly has the power to regulate its own proceedings and internal affairs. This includes the power and right to take necessary staffing, and other, measures required to support the daily activities of Ontario’s Legislature, and to protect the conduct of parliamentary business from outside interference.

The creation of the Office of the Assembly, with the Speaker as its Chief Presiding Officer, and the establishment of the Board of Internal Economy (BOIE) in December 1974, affirmed the formal independence of the Legislative branch from the Executive and Judicial branches of government.

Administrative and Financial Organization Pre-1974

Traditionally, it is the parliament itself, under the authority of the Speaker, that exerts full control over its own security, its administrative organization, and its finances. For example, shortly following Confederation, the Canadian House of Commons assumed control over its administration by establishing its own governing body, the BOIE, under the authority of the Speaker.1

The situation was very different in Ontario. From Confederation until 1974, the Speaker and the Clerk of the Assembly did not have responsibility for the Estimates (the spending requirements) of the Legislature, or the right to administer the Assembly’s budget or to control staffing matters. The government controlled all aspects of personnel, pay, and policy areas such as security, office space allocation, and public information, with all staff, including the Clerk, employed by the Ministry.

Prior to 1974, the Assembly’s Estimates were divided between various government departments. The Legislative Library fell under the jurisdiction of the Department of Education, which was responsible for all libraries in the province, while the repair, maintenance and upkeep of the Legislative building was included in the Estimates of the Department of Public Works. A separate “Department of Legislation” included the payroll requirements of Assembly staff, including the Speaker and Clerk. Over time, the Assembly’s Estimates and administrative functions were consolidated under the mandate of the Ministry of Government Services (now the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement) via its Legislative Services division.

When the decision was made in the 1880s to build a new parliament building — the current building — the architect, R.A. Waite was engaged to prepare plans for a “new Provincial Parliament and Departmental Building” that would include not only a Legislative Chamber, but ample accommodation for “the several departments, and their offices” of the government.2 When the building officially opened in April 1893, most of the office space housed Ministry departments and staff. The Legislative Assembly itself had minimal staff, and Members did not have their own office space. As the government’s office space requirements continued to grow, a separate, six-storey East Block was constructed from 1925 to 1928 to house the required offices. A southern addition to the building was completed in the early 1930s. The East Block was renamed the Whitney Block in 1966 in honour of Sir James Pliny Whitney, Premier of Ontario from 1905 to 1914.

During this period, the Speaker’s authority did not extend beyond the Chamber. The Ministry also controlled the area that today forms the Legislative precinct – a collection of offices and areas under the jurisdiction of the Legislature at Queen’s Park – with the Sergeant-at-Arms responsible for security within the Chamber only. By the 1960s, the administration and upkeep of the Legislative Building and surrounding grounds were the responsibility of the Ministry of Government Services.

The Ontario Commission on the Legislature

In 1972, the House appointed the Ontario Commission on the Legislature to study the function of the Legislative Assembly and review the services, facilities, and benefits provided to MPPs.3 Also known as the Camp Commission after its Chair, Dalton Camp, it tabled five reports between May 1973 and October 1975. The First Report dealt with the matters of compensation and allowances provided to Members of Provincial Parliament; the Second Report considered the administration of the Legislature and services to Members; the Third Report examined political party financing; the Fourth Report looked at House rules and procedure, and the Fifth Report considered various other matters touching on the physical facilities and media coverage of the Legislature. 

The Commission’s Second Report was of the view that the administration of the Ontario Legislature “had not grown and developed along lines consistent with modern parliamentary democracy,” that is, a Legislature independent in all respects from the government.4 In particular, the Commission contended that the independence of the Legislature would be incomplete as long as the government controlled the precincts of the Legislature. The Commission also noted the preparation of several special reports and papers dealing with the matter of the Office of the Speaker over the years. These reports contained similar proposed recommendations to what the Commission now suggested.

In researching and preparing its Second Report, the Commission consulted with the Speaker, Clerk, and Members of the Ontario Legislature, as well as with dozens of representatives from both the Canadian and UK Houses of Commons, and from the National Assembly of Quebec.5 Its main recommendation was that the Legislature be regulated by its Members and its principal elected officer, the Speaker, and that a permanent administrative framework be established.6 The Legislature should be able to meet its own needs for services and resources in order to carry out its business as it saw fit. The report put forward many recommendations to achieve this goal, including:

  • amending the Legislative Assembly Act to recognize the Speaker as the Chief Administrative Officer of the Assembly with responsibility for the preparation of the Assembly’s Estimates;
  • giving the Speaker the comparable rank and status of a Minister;
  • putting the Legislative Building under the Speaker’s authority and designating the space in the building as being under the administration of the Legislature. Subsequently, this would require all the Government departments located in the Legislative Building to vacate those offices. Ministers could retain offices in the Legislative Building, but not ministries.

The Report also called for the creation of a new administration headed by the Speaker that would include a BOIE and be responsible for policy and operations. It was recommended that the Clerk become the Chief Permanent Officer of the Assembly, responsible for assisting the Speaker with both procedural and administrative duties. The Sergeant- at-Arms, at the time a sessional appointment, should remain in charge of the security of the Chamber when the House was sitting, while a new Director of Administration should also be appointed Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms, responsible for the security of the Legislative Building.7

In a ministerial statement delivered to the House on June 25, 1974, the Chair of Management Board of Cabinet announced the Government’s decision to accept most of the recommendations put forward in the Second Report of the Ontario Commission on the Legislature that related to the Office of the Speaker, the Office of the Clerk, and the establishment of the Office of the Assembly, but not those that related to the security arrangements.8 The legislation establishing the Office of the Assembly was Bill 170, the Legislative Assembly Amendment Act, 1974 (No.2). Most of the Bill, including section 3, which established the Office of the Assembly, came into force on Royal Assent, which occurred on December 20, 1974.9

How the Office of the Assembly has Evolved Since 1974

When the Office of the Assembly was established in 1974 as a non-partisan entity that was separate and distinct from the government, its financial and administrative policy-making functions were given to a BOIE that was also created through amendments to the Legislative Assembly Act. In 1974, the Board was chaired by the Speaker and composed of three Members of the Executive Council plus one additional Member representing the government party, and one Member each from the Official Opposition and the party with the third-largest membership in the House. Today, the Board is chaired by the Speaker and is composed of an equal number of Members representing the government party and the other recognized parties combined.10

Control of the Legislative building was transferred from the Ministry of Government Services to the Speaker in stages, beginning with an Order in Council signed in 1975.11 This was followed by another Order in Council signed in 1978, that transferred more (but still not all) of the building, including the Legislative Library, to the control of the Speaker.12 By 1988, the Assembly was actively seeking greater responsibility for the Legislative Building and precinct, including building maintenance, custodial services, and groundskeeping. That year, the Office of the Assembly and the Ministry of Government Services signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in which the Assembly finally assumed physical control of the entirety of the Legislative Building and its precinct consisting of the building, grounds and first and second floors of the Whitney Block where its offices were also located.13 The MOU was amended in 1992 to expand the Legislature’s control to the third floor and parts of the basement and to finalize the transfer of service delivery responsibility.14

Security Services

When the Office of the Assembly was established in December 1974, protection services for government buildings, including the Legislative building, were provided by the Ontario Government Protective Service (OGPS). In 1974, the Speaker gained authority over security for the Legislative building and was granted the power to establish security guidelines. However, authority for the operational control over the OGPS special constables and Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers rested with the head of the OPP detachment, while the Ministry had decision-making authority over staffing of OGPS and OPP officers.

In response to a series of incidents that led to a tightening of security measures in the Legislative precincts in the 1990s, the Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly reviewed the question of security and recommended that the Assembly have its own, independent, stand-alone security service.15 As a result, the security services previously contracted from the OPP and the OGPS were assumed by the Assembly, which created its own Legislative Security Service. Matters of security (e.g., policy making, policy implementation, recruitment) are now under the control of the Assembly, with the Speaker and the Sergeant-at-Arms having authority over such matters.

Branches, Divisions, and Service Delivery

The Ministry of Government Services had established a Legislative Services Division in 1972 that oversaw the delivery of supporting services to the Legislative Assembly. The transfer of the responsibility for the delivery of various services to the Office of the Assembly was a gradual process. The amendments to the Legislative Assembly Act adopted in December 1974 established the Office of the Assembly consisting of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, the Clerk of the Assembly, the First Clerk Assistant, the Sergeant-at-Arms, the Director of Administration (which was a new position to be filled), and “such other employees as may be required” for the proper conduct of business. The new Office of the Assembly had to establish its own divisions and branches before it could assume responsibility for service delivery. By 1979, the Office of the Assembly included a Director of Administration, who oversaw the Finance Office, the Personnel Office, Hansard, Purchasing, and the Legislative Library, which had been transferred to the Assembly in 1976.

The Office of the Assembly expanded significantly in the 1980s, with the establishment of several more divisions and branches, including Legislative Research, Information Services, Technical Services and Systems, Broadcasting, Precinct Properties, Parliamentary Public Relations, and Committees. All in all, the transfer of service delivery took almost two decades to complete, with the Ministry of Government Services maintaining responsibility for the delivery of some services into the 1990s.

The Office of the Assembly Today

Since 1992, the Office of the Assembly has continued to expand and reorganize to best serve the needs of Ontario’s Parliament. As it marks its 50th anniversary, its administration is still headed by the Speaker and the Clerk who are responsible to the BOIE. Instead of just a handful of offices though, the Office of the Assembly now consists of 16 branches consolidated under five divisions employing nearly 500 highly skilled individuals who are dedicated to serving the province’s Legislature.

To celebrate and raise awareness of the anniversary, a variety of initiatives aimed at engaging both internal and external audiences were launched during spring 2024. These included the design of a 50th anniversary logo in both English and French that will appear on Office of the Assembly documentation as well as on a selection of items that will be made available through the Legislative Assembly Gift Shop and at special events. Internal activities also include the preparation of a time capsule, an anniversary-themed awards program, videos highlighting Assembly staff and their unique talents and responsibilities, and a group staff picture taken on the Legislature’s south grounds. Office of the Assembly branches are encouraged to create projects and work that spearhead new directions for their areas, using the anniversary year as a benchmark towards future innovative developments.

Externally, public awareness of the history, purpose and function of the Office of the Assembly is being shared in several ways. These include via a social media campaign highlighting key moments and achievements in the Office’s history, a print and digital brochure available at the Legislative Building and online at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s website, and a poster graphic featuring pictures and a timeline of events posted in a common area of the Legislative Building. A press kit will also be available to support media interest.

The legacy of the Office of the Assembly’s 50th anniversary should yield lasting memories of a milestone celebration while also serving as the starting point of a new era for the organization in its preparation for the challenges of the next half- century.

It’s also hoped that the anniversary provides opportunities to raise public awareness of the office’s important role in supporting Ontario’s parliament in a neutral and independent way – key factors in bolstering the Province’s democracy for all its citizens. 

Notes

  1. An Act respecting the internal Economy of the House of Commons, and for other purposes, S.C. 1867-68, c. 27.
  2. Eric Arthur, From Front Street to Queen’s Park, (Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Limited, 1979), p. 60.
  3. Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Journals, June 9, 1972, p. 117.
  4. Ontario Commission on the Legislatures, Second Report, December 1973, pp. 1–2.
  5. Ibid., pp. 69–71.
  6. Ibid., pp. 10–33.
  7. Ibid., p. 19.
  8. Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Debates, June 25, 1974, pp. 3655–6. Similarly, the amendments to the Legislative Assembly Act adopted in December 1974 that created the Office of the Assembly included the specification that security, even in those parts of the building under the control of the Speaker, would be enforced by same personnel enforcing security in the rest of the building, the Ontario Government Protective Service (OGPS). Legislative Assembly Amendment Act, 1974 (No. 2), SO 1974, c 116, ss 93(2) and (3). The OGPS oversaw security in the building until 1997. See the section “Security Services” for more information.
  9. The exception was s 2 of the Act (supra note 8), concerning the payment of an indemnity for party House Leaders, and funding for the party caucuses, as well as the provision of a secretary or personal assistant to every Member, which applied retroactively to April 1, 1974.
  10. Legislative Assembly Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. L.10, s 87(1). A recognized party is a parliamentary party caucus with a recognized membership of at least 10 per cent of the total number of seats in the Assembly, as defined in section 62(5) of the Act.
  11. Order in Council Number 131/75, dated January 5, 1975.
  12. Order in Council 3195/78, dated November 8, 1978.
  13. Memorandum of Understanding Transferring Service Responsibilities for the Legislature from the Ministry of Government Services to the Office of the Assembly, August 29, 1988.
  14. Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Government Services and the Office of the Assembly, October 15, 1992. It should be noted that “control” does not mean “ownership”; the issue of ownership of the Legislative Building and the Legislative grounds is a rather more complicated question. The definition of the precinct was amended in 2022. See Legislative Assembly Act, supra note 10, s 102.1.
  15. Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly, Report on Security in the Legislative Precincts, March 28, 1996. The report was adopted on April 18, 1996. See Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Journals, April 18, 1996, p. 196.
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