Ontario.(Legislative Reports)(Report)

Following the general election of October 10, 2007, the 39th Parliament of Ontario was convened by Lieutenant Governor David Onley on Wednesday, November 28, 2007. The election resulted in re-election of the Liberal Party led by Dalton McGuinty. The new 107 Member Legislature is now composed of 71 Liberals, 26 Progressive Conservatives and 10 New Democrats. Twenty-nine women were elected, up from twenty-six at dissolution.

In preparation for the ceremonial opening of the Legislature, the Clerk of the House held a seminar on parliamentary procedure for Members of Provincial Parliament in the Chamber. Although this exercise was aimed at first-time elected Members, it also drew the attendance of a number of veterans. The program led MPPs through a "typical day" in the Legislature with the emphasis on Chamber protocol.

On the opening day of parliament, five Members let their names stand for election to the prestigious post of Speaker and after four ballots, Steve Peters, a Member of the Assembly since 1999 from the riding of Elgin-Middlesex-London, was elected.

Immediately preceding the election of the Speaker, an old tradition of many decades ago was revisited with the taking of an official photograph of all the Members seated in their places in the Chamber, together with the Table Officers, Sergeant-at-Arms and Chamber attendants. The photograph was taken from the West end of the Speaker's gallery by Matthew Plexman, a widely recognised Toronto-based leader in digital commercial photography.

The ...