Parliament

1
Parliament

• Chapter 7
• Malcolmson Myers

2
Three Elements of Parliament

• Section 17, CA 1867
• There shall be One Parliament for Canada
  consisting of the Queen, an Upper House Styled
  the Senate, and the House of Commons.

3
Efficient or Dignified

• Queen (Crown) Dignified
• Senate (Upper House) ?
• Commons (Lower House) Efficient

4
The House of Commons

• Exercises legislative power
• Controls public purse
• Houses the Cabinet
• Offers / withholds confidence

5
House of Commons

• The primary purpose of the modern Parliament
  (i.e., Commons) is to make Cabinet accountable
  for its actions to the public (Malcolmson
  Myers, 2005 122).
• Really?

6
The Parliamentary Calendar

• Parliament
• 39 Canadian Parliaments since 1867
• Session
• Throne Speech
• Budget
• Prorogation
• Dissolution

7
The Parliamentary Calendar

• Parliamentary Calendar
• Order Paper

8
Membership Officers

• Members of Parliament (MPs)
• Government Members
• Ministry (Whips, Parliamentary Secretaries)
• Cabinet (Cabinet Ministers)
• Opposition Members
• Official (or Loyal) Opposition or Minor Parties
• Shadow Cabinet
• Officers
• Speaker of the House

9
Business of the House

• Private Members Bills
• Motions or Resolutions
• Government Bills

10
Business of the House

• First Reading Introduction
• Second Reading Principle
• Referral Report Amendments
• Third Reading Final Approval

11
Business of the House

• Senate
• First reading
• Second reading
• Third reading
• Royal Assent
• Proclamation

12
Rules of the House

• Time is at a premium
• Question Period
• Opposition Days
• Divisions
• Closure

13
Backbench MPs

• Are backbenchers trained seals?
• Arenas for representation
• Caucus
• Standing committees
• Private Members Bills

14
House of Commons Reform

• Cure the democratic deficit
• Expand committee system
• Responsible Government?
• Relax discipline
• One, two, three-line whips
• Discipline or unity?

15
Voting in the House of Commons
16
Senate Reform

• Should Senate be reformed?
• Provincial Equality
• Abolition
• Elected Senators

17
Senate Reform

• Abolish Senate, McGuinty suggests
• (Canadian Press 2/03/2006)
• Toronto Canada's Senate should be abolished
  because it doesn't adequately represent Ontario,
  the province's Premier said Thursday.

18
Senate Reform

• An elected Senate
• The question, I think, fairly presents itself
  whether two elective chambers , both representing
  the people and both claiming to have control over
  the public finances would act together with the
  harmony necessary to the right working of
  parliamentary government.

19
Senate Reform

• An elected Senate
• And there is still another objection to
  elective councillors. The expense of election
  is so great as to banish from the house all who
  are not able to pay very large sums of money for
  the possession of a seat.