Canadian Parliamentary Review articles from September 2006

Canadian Parliamentary Review archives from September 2006

Democracy in the 21st Century: a charter challenge to force electoral reform.(Editorial)
September 22, 2006... Despite their intrinsically political nature, election laws which infringe the Charter are as susceptible to court review and remedy as any other type of statute. Recent events in several provinces and in Ottawa indicate that the executive and...

The Select Committee on the Election Act and reform of the voting system in Quebec.
September 22, 2006... Proposals to modify the voting system in Quebec are not new. They have resurfaced in the political news on a recurring basis for nearly 40 years, and they have already led to proposals for reform, the most recent of which was the Select...

Women and trade: breaking down the gender barrier.
September 22, 2006... International trade is equivalent to over 71 per cent of Canada's Gross Domestic Product. It is the driving force behind one in every five Canadian jobs, and represents the foundation of our social programs and quality of life. Clearly, our...

Women in politics: a Prince Edward Island perspective.
September 22, 2006... Prince Edward Island women have made history when it comes to politics. This article looks at the evolution of women's involvement in PEI politics as well as some recent developments. ********** Although it has been less than one...

Preserving the religious tradition in Quebec.(Report from the Committee on Culture)
September 22, 2006... Quebec's religious heritage is threatened, particularly because of the decline in religious practice, the almost complete lack of succession among religious figures, and the reduction in parish council revenues. Places of worship, as well as...

Reflections on the Gomery report and accountability.(John Gomery )
September 22, 2006... The report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Programme headed by Justice John Gomery and the Accountability Act introduced by the Conservative Government in April 2006 have reshaped discussion of public administration in Canada....

Improving government accountability.
September 22, 2006... This article summarizes recent developments relating to accountability. It examines institutional characteristics that diminish Parliament's ability to hold Ministers and Officials to account and looks at prospects for improved accountability...

Election of a speaker by secret ballot: a milestone for the House of Commons.
September 22, 2006... It has been twenty years since the House of Commons first elected its Speaker by secret ballot. This event was a milestone in the evolution of the House of Commons, a process that has been emulated by several other legislatures and one that...

Lobbying and the public interest.
September 22, 2006... The term lobbying refers to communications by intermediaries for companies or organizations aimed at influencing public office holders in relation to public policy or administrative decisions in which their constituents have a particular...

The wisdom of the elders: a round table on reform of the House of Commons.(Discussion)
September 22, 2006... Respect for the ideas of elders is one characteristic of a healthy community. On May 3, 2006 the Library of Parliament in co-operation with the Canadian Association of Former Members of Parliament organized a round table bringing together some...

Politics as communications: interview with Hon. Garth Turner MP.(Interview)
September 22, 2006... Most legislators have a web site but few use them to the same extent as Garth Turner. Mr. Turner was MP for Halton Peel from 1988-1993. After thirteen years in the private sector he returned to the House of Commons in January 2006. In this...

The forty-fourth Canadian Regional Conference.(CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene)
September 22, 2006... The 44th Canadian Regional Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association was held in Gatineau and Ottawa from July 8 to 14, 2006. The Conference included the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, Canadian Region who met on July 9 and...

Regional council meeting.(CPA Activities: The Canadian Scene)
September 22, 2006... On July 13, 2006 the Canadian Regional Council held its annual meeting to consider the business of the Canadian Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. The meeting was chaired by Speaker George Hickes of Manitoba since...

Senate.(Legislative Reports)
September 22, 2006... Since the opening of the First Session of the Thirty-ninth Parliament in April, the Senate attended to its own business while it waited for legislation to arrive from the House of Commons. Seven Government bills came to the Senate in May and...

Alberta.(Legislative Reports)
September 22, 2006... The Spring Sitting of the Second Session of the Twenty-Sixth Legislature adjourned on May 18, 2006, after 42 sitting days for a total of just over 236 sitting hours. By the conclusion of the sitting, 41 Government Bills, one Private Members'...

Manitoba.(Legislative Reports)
September 22, 2006... The Fourth Session of the Thirty-Eighth Manitoba Legislature recessed for the summer on June 13, 2006. A number of notable Bills received Royal Assent on the last day of session, including: * Bill 11--The Winter Heating Cost Control Act,...

Saskatchewan.(Legislative Reports)
September 22, 2006... The Second Session of the 25th Legislature drew to a close on May 19th with Lieutenant Governor Lynda Haverstock arriving to preside over her final Royal Assent ceremony. In total 71 bills were enacted over the course of the 64 day session. ...

Ontario.(Legislative Reports)
September 22, 2006... The Ontario Legislative Assembly sat for the spring session from March 23, 2006 to June 22, 2006. By the end of the spring sitting, the Assembly had debated and passed 15 bills that then received Royal Assent. The only Private Members'...

House of Commons.(Legislative Reports)
September 22, 2006... The first session of the new Parliament has thus far seen the Conservative Government, notwithstanding its slim plurality in the House, effectively expediting the introduction, debate and passage of legislation aimed at fulfilling its main...

British Columbia.(Legislative Reports)
September 22, 2006... The second session of the 38th Parliament adjourned on May 18, 2006. The forty-three day spring session which began on February 14 included the Estimates debate, a flurry of committee activity and a relatively light legislative agenda with 34...

Newfoundland and Labrador.(Legislative Reports)
September 22, 2006... On February 23rd the House met for a day to debate Bill 73, An Act To Amend The Fishing Industry Collective Bargaining Act hich implemented some of the recommendations of the Cashin Report. Richard Cashin had been asked by Government to enquire...

Prince Edward Island.(Legislative Reports)
September 22, 2006... The Legislative Assembly was recalled for the Spring Sitting of the Third Session of the Sixty-second General Assembly on March 30, 2006. It adjourned to the call of the Speaker on May 24, 2006, and returned for a two-day sitting on June 27,...

Assemblee Nationale: Quebec.(Legislative Reports)
September 22, 2006... On June 15, 2006, the Assembly adjourned its proceedings until Tuesday, October 17. During the spring sessional period, the Assembly adopted the Government's budgetary policy as well as 3 private bills and 34 public bills, including Bill 197,...

New Brunswick.(Legislative reports)
September 22, 2006... The Third Session of the Fifty-fifth Legislature continued sitting through-out the spring. The session, which opened on December 6, 2005, adjourned for the summer on June 22, 2006, for a total of 54 sitting days. The Lieutenant-Governor...

Nova Scotia.(Legislative Reports)(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... The Nova Scotia House of Assembly met on May 4, 2006, the first item of business being the Speech from the Throne; and on May 9, 2006, the Minister of Finance gave his budget speech and tabled the estimates for the next fiscal year. However,...

Constitutional Guidelines for a Governor General in Minority Government Situations.(Letter to the editor)
September 22, 2006... Sir: Further to the review of my book The Governor General and the Prime Ministers: The Making and Unmaking of Governments by Professor Tom Urbaniak in the Summer 2006 issue please allow me to explain why I think we need Constitutional...