Canadian Parliamentary Review articles from September 2005

Canadian Parliamentary Review archives from September 2005

Democracy in the 21st century: the future of the crown in Canada.(Guest Editorial)
September 22, 2005... In 1936 British Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, actively consulted with the Prime Ministers of the older Dominions and was able, in the result, to cite the very strong objections of Mackenzie King as grounds for his own refusal to sanction a...

The road to electoral reform.
September 22, 2005... Electoral reform is on the agenda in at least five provinces and each has taken a different approach to the process of implemention electoral reform. The House of Commons has also examined the question and in June 2005 one of its Committees...

Challenges facing rural communities: a Newfoundland and Labrador perspective.
September 22, 2005... Some of the challenges undermining the strength of our rural communities flow from deliberate interventions in the economy over the years by governments at all levels. If governments have created many of the conditions that damage rural...

Funding Officers of Parliament.
September 22, 2005... The Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics began hearings in the fall of 2004 on the Estimates of the three Officers of Parliament who fall within its mandate--the Information and Privacy Commissioners of Canada, and...

Advance polls and the "late switch" in the 2004 election.
September 22, 2005... Every election produces considerable discussion among pollsters, academics and politicians about the accuracy of pre-election polls. One analytical tool that has previously received little academic attention is the impact of voting in the...

Laurier and honours' patronage in early 20th century Canadian politics.
September 22, 2005... The present minority Parliament has made Canadians extremely aware of the importance of an extra seat or two in Parliament. Of course this is hardly a new phenomena. This article outlines a plan to free up a seat in the Senate at a time when...

Geographic representation and electoral reform.(MPs as Constituency Representatives)
September 22, 2005... The close relationship between parliamentarians and residents of the geographic district they represent is an essential element of the electoral system in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Debates on electoral reform in...

Evolution of the Ontario Standing Orders since 1985.
September 22, 2005... Westminster style government is steeped in a thousand year tradition. Many of the processes originate in historical rights or reactions to external events rather than as conscious decisions. Ontario shares this long parliamentary history but...

The table research branch: twenty-five years of service to the House of Commons.
September 22, 2005... In the fall of 1980, the Table Research Branch was established by the late Dr. C.B. Koester, then Clerk of the House, with the support and encouragement of Speaker Jeanne Sauve. A visionary in his conception of a professional procedural cadre,...

Pre-budget consultations in British Columbia.
September 22, 2005... British Columbia's Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services has recently adopted two innovative consultation methods to carry out its statutory mandate to seek public input on the government's fiscal priorities. After...

Triumvirate: a North American interparliamentary innovation.
September 22, 2005... Eleven years have passed since Canada, Mexico and the United States adopted the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Since then, trade has increased dramatically. U.S. trade with its North American neighbours has more than doubled....

John Courtney, Elections, (The Canadian Democratic Audit Series), Vancouver: UBC Press, 2004.(Parliamentary Book Shelf)(Book Review)
September 22, 2005... In John Courtney's audit of Canadian elections there is much praise for the status quo and only caution about embracing any reforms. Aside from some criticisms of the new voter registration system, Courtney--rightly--draws attention to the many...

House of Commons.(Legislative Reports)
September 22, 2005... With the summer adjournment in sight and important legislation before the House, tensions began to rise and patience began to wear thin in the Chamber. The most important topic of discussion amongst parliamentary observers was certainly the...

Nova Scotia.(Legislative Reports)
September 22, 2005... The Spring Sitting of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly began on April 18, 2005 and ended on May 19, 2005. The Nova Scotia Liberal Party held a leadership convention in October 2004 to replace Danny Graham who stepped down as Leader because...

Alberta.(Legislative Reports)
September 22, 2005... The Spring Sitting of the First Session of the Twenty-Sixth Legislature adjourned on May 24, 2005 after 42 sitting days for a total of just over 223 sitting hours. By the conclusion of the sitting, 40 Government Bills, two Private Members'...

British Columbia.(Legislative Reports)
September 22, 2005... The British Columbia Legislative Assembly has been in a period of dissolution since the writs of election were issued on April 19, ending the Thirty-Seventh Parliament. The Thirty-Eighth Parliament is expected to begin in September. ...

Manitoba.(Legislative Reports)
September 22, 2005... In accordance with a programming motion passed in the House at the end of the last session in June 2004, the House had been scheduled to rise on June 9, 2005. As a result of all-party talks though, the House agreed unanimously to extend the...

New Brunswick.(Legislative Reports)
September 22, 2005... The Second Session of the Fifty-fifth Legislative Assembly, which opened in December, 2004, continued sitting throughout the spring. For the first time, a legislative calendar was adopted by the House, setting out the sitting days for the...

Prince Edward Island.(Legislative Reports)
September 22, 2005... On June 7, 2005, the Second Session of the Sixty-second General Assembly was prorogued after 53 sitting days, a comparatively long Session for Prince Edward Island. Records show that only four times in the past two decades has a Session gone...

Senate.(Legislative Reports)
September 22, 2005... When the Senate received two important Government bills from the House of Commons late in June, it became necessary to sit beyond the usual time of summer adjournment. The passage of these two bills, C-48 and C-38, were not only critical to the...

Yukon.(Legislative Reports)
September 22, 2005... The 2005 Spring Sitting of the Yukon Legislative Assembly began on March 24. Pursuant to Standing Order 74 the government introduced all the bills it wanted to see dealt with during this sitting by the fifth sitting day, April 4. Subsequently,...

Quebec.(ASSEMBLEE NATIONALE)
September 22, 2005... Last June 16, the Assembly adjourned its proceedings until Tuesday, October 18, 2005. During the spring parliamentary session, the Assembly adopted the Government's budget policy as well as 31 public bills and 7 private bills. Among the bills...

CPA activities: the Canadian scene.(Commonwealth Parliamentary Association )
September 22, 2005... Canadian Regional Council The Council of the Canadian Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association held its annual meeting in Ottawa on June 4, 2005. The meeting was chaired by Speaker Harvey Hodder of Newfoundland and...

Ian G. Imrie 1929 to 2005.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2005... The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association lost a great friend when Ian Imrie died on June 21, 2005. For 30 years Ian was the heart and soul of CPA in Canada and was well known and respected in Parliaments throughout the Commonwealth. He began...