Ou rC ountry,OurParli ament - Library of Parliament · Ou rC ountry,OurParli ament A GUIDE FOR...

Our Country, Our ParliamentA GUIDE FOR LEARNERS OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE AND AN INTRODUCTION TO HOW PARLIAMENT WORKS

ESL Resource Book-EN fonts 3/13/09 1:46 PM Page 1

© Library of Parliament, 2009

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Our country, our Parliament : a guide for learners of English as a second language and an introduction to how Parliament works.

Issued also in French under title: Notre pays, notre Parlement, un guide d'apprentissage destiné aux apprenants du français langue secondeet une introduction au fonctionnement du Parlement.ISBN 978-0-662-46116-6Cat. no.: YM41-5/2007E

1. Canada. Parliament. 2. Legislative power--Canada. 3. Representative government and representation--Canada.4. Canada--Politics and government. 5. English language--Textbooks for second language learners--French speakers.I. Canada. Library of Parliament II. Title.

JL136.O87 2009 328.71 C2007-980136-6

Photos in this publication are from the Library of Parliament unless otherwise indicated.

Mountie on cover: © (2007) HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN IN RIGHT OF CANADA as represented by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Reprinted with the permission of the RCMP.


Our Country, Our ParliamentA GUIDE FOR LEARNERS OF ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE AND AN INTRODUCTION TO HOW PARLIAMENT WORKS


PARLIAMENTOR GOVERNMENT —WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? 6

HOWTOUSEOUR COUNTRY, OUR PARLIAMENT

What Do the Icons Mean? 7

Your Youth Narrators 7

1. CANADA: THE ROAD TODEMOCRACY

Democracy Defined 8

Confederation 9

e Constitution 11

Constitution Act, 1982 11

Canadian Charter of Rightsand Freedoms 12

2. CANADA’S SYSTEMOF GOVERNMENT

Overview of the Canadian Parliamentary System 14

e ree Levels of Government 15

e Division of Powers 16

3. CANADA’S DEMOCRACY IN ACTION

Elections 17

Dissolving Parliament 18

Campaigns 18

Political Parties 20

Voting 21

Forming a Government 22

What’sInside

4


4. THE BUSINESS OF PARLIAMENT

e Role of the Monarch 23

e Two-Chamber System:e Senate and the House of Commons 23

e Senate 24

e House of Commons 26

e Prime Minister 28

e Cabinet 28

e Speakers 29

Process of Passing a Bill 30

On the Job with a Senator 32

A Day in the Life of a Member of Parliament 33

Parliament 24/7 35

5. YOUR CAPITAL

Why Ottawa? 37

On the Hill 37

e Parliament Buildings 37

6. PARLIAMENT INMOTION

Evolving Parliamentary Democracy 42

Getting Involved in Democracy 43

Glossary 44

Web Links 49

Getting to Know Your Youth Narrators 50

5


WORD BUILDER — Parliament or Governmentese two words don’t mean the same thing!Parliament is the legislative (law-making) part of government, made up of the Monarch,the Senate and the House of Commons. For example, Parliament passed a bill.Government has two meanings:• Generally, government refers to the management (governing) of a country.• Specifically, the Government consists of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the federal

departments they manage.

• Executive (the Monarch andGovernor General, the PrimeMinister and the Cabinet)

• Federal departments(such as National Defence,Public Safety, and Citizenshipand Immigration)

• the Monarch(represented by theGovernor General)

• Senators• Members ofParliament (MPs)

• Monarch• Prime Minister• Cabinet members(Senators and MPs)

What’s the Difference?P A R L I A M E N T O R G O V E R N M E N T

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WHAT ABOUTME?

ese sections contain discussion ques-tions, or questions to ask yourself.

WORD BUILDER

is is where you can learn new words andphrases.

DID YOU KNOW?

Find out interesting facts about Parliament!

THEMAGNIFYING GLASS

Look closer when you see this symbol.

TALK ABOUT IT!

Look for this icon for suggestions on topicsfor discussion with your friends and family.

THINK ABOUT IT!

ink about why people acted the waythey did. Imagine other ways they couldhave acted.

When a word is in bold you can find itsdefinition in the glossary at the back ofthis book.

is book introduces you to Canada’sParliament. By the time you finish thisbook, you will understand:

• how parliamentary democracy worksin Canada

• how people get appointed or electedto Parliament

• what Senators and MPs do inParliament

• how decisions made in Parliamentaffect you and your community

Parliament is a big place! To help you findyour way around, a team of narratorshave volunteered to help out.

How to Use Our Country, Our Parliament

Your Youth NarratorsFind out more about the youth narrators at the back of this book.

What Do the Icons Mean?You will see icons (symbols) in this book. ese icons introduce you to new ideas and information.

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8

CANADIAN COAT OF ARMS — A coat of arms isa symbol used to identify someone or something.Sometimes a coat of arms appears on an importantbuilding, or at the top of an o5cial letter. This is the coatof arms of Canada. It contains many symbols that giveus clues about Canada’s history and what Canadiansfeel is important. See if you can spot:1 the flag of the United Kingdom2 the royal flag of France (fleur-de-lis)3 symbols of England (golden lions, roses)4 symbols of Scotland (red lion, thistles, unicorn)5 symbols of Ireland (harp, shamrocks)6 Canadian symbols (maple leaves)7 symbols of monarchy (crowns, royal helmet)8 the words (in Latin) desiderantes meliorem patriam,

which means they desire a better country9 the words (in Latin) a mari usque ad mare, which

means from sea to sea

SECTION

1Canada: e Roadto Democracy

C A N A D A I S A D E M O C R A C Y . W H A T I S A D E M O C R A C Y ?

Democracy Definede word democracy describes a politicalsystem.

In a democratic country, all eligiblecitizens have the right to participate, eitherdirectly or indirectly, in making the deci-sions that affect them. Canadian citizensnormally elect someone to represent themin making decisions at the different levelsof government. is is called a representative

democracy. Countries like Canada, theUnited States of America and the

United Kingdom all have representativedemocracies.

Before European people came to Canada,many different Aboriginal people governedtheir regions using many different politicalsystems, including a democratic one.TALK ABOUT IT

Students in your class may come frommany different countries. Are these coun-tries democracies? How many of yourclassmates have experience with otherpolitical systems? How are they similar todemocracies? How are they different?

4

TALK ABOUT IT

What symbols identify you? Your family?Your community? Look around yourneighbourhood. Can you see symbols thatidentify other people or things? Make alist of these symbols. List the other symbolsyour classmates collected. Do you allagree on what the symbols mean?

WORD BUILDER — e word democracycomes from the Greek word demos (mean-ing the people) and kratos (meaning rule).Early forms of democracy began around2,500 years ago, in Athens and other Greekcities.Using a dictionary, look up some otherwords that start with demo. List them withyour class. ink about what they mean.

8

DID YOU KNOW? — Creating o5cial designs forcoats of arms is the responsibility of the CanadianHeraldic Authority. The Governor General is incharge of this organization.

1 2

2

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6

7

3 3

3

3

9

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4

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5

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1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

WORD BUILDER — Aboriginal peoples

People have lived in Canada for at least12,000 years. In Canada, we usually describethe ancestors of these first peoples asAboriginals. ere are three main groupsof Aboriginal people in Canada.

• First Nations people live all across thecountry in cities, on traditional lands andon reservations (land reserved for them).

• Inuit people live in the Far North, andthey share ancestors with the Aboriginalpeoples of Siberia, Alaska and Greenland.

• Métis people have a combination of an-cestors of First Nations and Europeanorigin.

ConfederationCanada became a nation, the Dominion ofCanada, in 1867. Before that, British NorthAmerica was made up of a few provinces,the vast area of Rupert’s Land (privatelyowned by the Hudson’s Bay Company),and the North-Western Territory. By 1864,many leaders felt that it would be good tojoin into one country. Known as the Fathersof Confederation, these leaders met andwrote a constitution for the new country,which had to be passed by the Parliamentof the United Kingdom. Once passed, itbecame known as the British North AmericaAct, or the BNA Act. is Act broughttogether the three provinces of Nova Scotia,

New Brunswick and Canada (which becamethe provinces of Ontario and Quebec). eBNA Act described the structure and mainlaws of the new country, as well as thedivision of powers between the newprovinces and the federal government.

1867 Ontario, Quebec,New Brunswick,Nova Scotia

1870 Manitoba,Northwest Territories

1871 British Columbia

1873 Prince Edward Island1898 Yukon Territory1905 Alberta, Saskatchewan1949 Newfoundland and

Labrador1999 Nunavut

We have had a type of democracy in Canada since themid-1300s! Did you know that the Iroquois Confederacyin Canada was the first democracy in North America?

CANADA IN 1867—Canada was much smaller in 1867.It included only four provinces: Ontario, Quebec, NewBrunswick and Nova Scotia. Where do you live? Wasit part of Canada in 1867?

DID YOU KNOW? — The rest of Canada’s provincesand territories joinedConfederation (became a part ofthe country) at later dates:

THINK ABOUT IT

Does your school have a student council?How do you decide which students willrepresent you? What decisions does astudent council have to make? Why is itimportant that you have a representative?

Photo reproduced with the permissionof Natural Resources Canada 2008, courtesy of the Atlas of Canada

9SECTION 1 Canada: The Road to Democracy


10

1

2

3

Quebec CityCharlottetown

1 the Right HonourableSir John A. Macdonald, Canada’sfirst Prime Minister

2 theHonourableSir George-Étienne Cartier

3 Thomas D’Arcy McGee

House of Commons Collection, Ottawa

THINK ABOUT IT

Why are there no womenin this painting?

THIS PAINTING, CALLED “FATHERS OF CONFEDERATION” is basedon the original, “Meeting of the Delegates of British North America.”The men shown here helped make the final agreement that createdCanada. After years of political debate, there were three historicmeetings in Quebec City, Charlottetown and London, England todecide the future creation of Canada.The artist, Robert Harris, worked mostly from photographs of the men.

DID YOU KNOW? — The original painting by Robert Harris burnedduring the fire that destroyed most of the Centre Block of theParliament Buildings in 1916. Today, the tribute copy of it, by RexWoods,hangs in a committee room at Parliament. The major di6erencesbetween the two are: a portrait of Robert Harris on the right and threemore delegates to the LondonConference of 1866 (who were o5ciallyrecognized in 1927) were added.


11

WORD BUILDER

NOUN VERB ADJECTIVEcolony colonize colonialgovernment govern governablesymbol symbolize symbolic

• Try using some of these words in sen-tences. Notice the endings on the adjec-tives: -ial, -able, -ic.

• See if you can fill in the table with someof these other nouns: contact, collection,identity, democracy.

WORD BUILDER — Many words can bechanged from a verb to a noun by adding-ment:• amend � amendment

• govern �

• argue (careful of the e!) �

• assess �

• assign �

Brainstorm with your class. What otherwords follow this pattern? Try using boththe verbs and the new nouns in sentences.

The ConstitutionThe Constitution is the highest law inCanada. It includes several different laws,decisions by judges, agreements betweenthe federal and provincial governments, andtraditions. e main written parts of theConstitution of Canada are the Constitu-tion Act, 1867 (this used to be calledthe British North America Act) and theConstitution Act, 1982.

Constitution Act, 1982In 1982, the Queen and the Right HonourablePierre Trudeau, Prime Minister, signed theConstitution Act, 1982, which includes theBritish North America Act and the CanadianCharter of Rights and Freedoms.

WHAT ABOUTME?

List some of the rules or laws that affectyou. Does your family or your school haverules? Are these rules written down? Whois responsible for enforcing the rules? Arethese rules easy to change? What wouldhappen if the rules were easy to change?The Constitution Act is di5cult to change. For some parts of the Act,

the Senate, theHouse of Commons and all provinces must agreeto any amendments (changes). Other parts can be changed with theagreement of the Senate, the House of Commons and at least seven

provinces with more than 50% of the total population of all the provinces.

SECTION 1 Canada: The Road to Democracy

1

2

3

4

5

THE QUEEN IS SIGNINGTHE CONSTITUTION ACT, 1982.

1 the Honourable Gerald Regan(Minister of Labour)

2 the Right Honourable Pierre Trudeau(Prime Minister)

3 the Honourable Michael Pitfield(Clerk of the Privy Council)

4 the Honourable Michael Kirby(Secretary to theCabinet forFederal-Provincial Relations andDeputy Clerk of the Privy Council)

5 Queen Elizabeth IIBased on Robert Cooper, Canada. Office of the Prime MinisterCollection, Library and Archives Canada, e02282980


TALK ABOUT IT

What rights are most important to youand to your family and friends? Althoughmost human rights are protected inCanada, sometimes citizens challenge theCharter’s interpretation of these rights.Look in the newspaper. Can youfind storiesabout these challenges?

WORD BUILDER — Look closely at this word:

FREEDOMe word divides into two – free and dom.e word free comes from the old Germanfrei (meaning beloved) and the Sanskritpriyah (beloved); -dom is sometimes addedto the end of a word to make it a noun(wisdom, kingdom). What other wordscontain the word free?

1

2

3

CANADIAN CHARTER OF RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS

1 the Canadian coat of arms2 the flag of Canada3 the Parliament Buildings (Centre Block)4 signature of the Right Honourable Pierre Trudeau

(Prime Minister in 1982)

4

Canadian Charter of Rightsand Freedomse Canadian Charter of Rights andFreedoms forms the first part of theConstitution Act, 1982. Here are some pro-tections that the Charter guarantees:

• freedom of religion, of thought,of expression, of the press andof peaceful assembly

• the right to participate in politicalactivities and the right to a democraticgovernment

• the freedom to move around and livewithin Canada, and to leave Canada

• legal rights such as the right to life,liberty and security

• equality rights

• language rights

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Dep

artm

ent o

f Can

adia

nH

erita

ge

13SECTION 1 Canada: The Road to Democracy


14

SECTION 2 Overview of the Canadian Parliamentary SystemThree branches work together to governCanada: the executive, legislative and judicial branches. The executive branch(also called the Government) is the decision-making branch, made up of the Monarchrepresented by the Governor General, the Prime Minister, and the Cabinet. The legislative branch is the law-makingbranch, made up of the appointed Senateand the elected House of Commons. The judicial branch is a series of independentcourts that interpret the laws passed by theother two branches.

Parliament itself is made up of the following three parts: the Monarch, theSenate and the House of Commons.

Canada is a constitutional monarchy,which means that we recognize the Queenor King as the Head of State, while thePrime Minister is the Head of Government.

Canada’s System of Government


SECTION 2 Canada’s System of Government 15

Nation — Federal Level

Province/Territory —Provincial/Territorial Level

Municipality —Municipal Level

The Three Levels of GovernmentCanada has three main levels of

government.

e federal level (from the Latin foedus,

meaning league).

is level of government deals with

areas of law listed in the Consti-

tution Act, 1867 and that

generally affect the whole

country. (See list

on next page.)

e provincial level (from the Latin

provincia, meaning under Roman rule:

from pro, to be in favour of something,

and vincere, to conquer) and the terri-

torial level (from the Latin terra, mean-

ing land).

In each of the 10 provinces in Canada,

the provincial government is responsible

for areas listed in the Constitution Act,

1867, such as education, health care,

some natural resources, and road regu-

lations. Sometimes they share respon-

sibility with the federal government.

e three territories have their own

governments, with responsibilities that

are given to them by the federal

government.

e municipal level (from the Latin

municipalis, meaning of a citizen of a

free town).

is is the level of government that is

usually based in a city, town or district

(a municipality). Municipal governments

are responsible for areas such as

libraries, parks, community water sys-

tems, local police, roadways and parking.

ey receive authority for these areas

from the provincial governments.

Across the country there are also band

councils, which govern First Nations

communities. ese elected councils

are similar to municipal councils and

make decisions that affect their local

communities.


The Division of PowersThe federal level of government has powersthat are different from those of provincialgovernments, including:

The federal government tries to makethings fairer among the provinces.Through equalization payments (extra

money) given to provinces that are lesswealthy, the federal government triesto make sure that the standards ofhealth, education and welfare are thesame for every Canadian.

In the same way that it lists thepowers of the federal government, theConstitution Act,1867 lists the powersof the provinces, including:

• direct taxes

• hospitals

• prisons

• education

• marriage

• property and civil rights

The Act also says that the powerover agriculture and immigrationshould be shared between the federaland pro vincial governments.

WORD BUILDER

NOUN ADJECTIVE RELATED WORDSfederation federal confederation

federalizefederatefederalism

WHAT ABOUT ME?

The next time you go to a park, noticewhich level of government is managing it:federal, provincial or municipal. You canusually tell by the signs at the entrance. Doyou notice any differences between theseparks? Think about their location and whatservices and activities they have. Look atthe Parks Canada website. Why do youthink these national parks were created?How about provincial parks? City parks?

The federal government makes decisions that affect Canadians

every day.

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ElectionsAccording to the Constitution Act, nationalelections must be held at least once everyfive years to decide who will representCanadians in the House of Commons.

Canada is divided into areas calledridings (also called constituencies or electoraldistricts). Canadian citizens vote for thecandidate in their riding they think will

best represent them. In a riding theremay be several different candidates,each from a different political party orrunning independently.

How does a person become acandidate? First, he or she has to benominated (or chosen) by fellow partymembers in his or her riding during a

special meeting called a nomination meeting.If more than one person in the party wantsto be a candidate for that riding, there is avote during the nomination meeting todecide who it will be.

If a person does not belong to a party,then he or she can run for election in hisor her riding as an independent candidate.

On Election Day, the candidate who getsthe most votes becomes a Member ofParliament (MP) and represents his or herriding in the House of Commons inOttawa. e party with the most numberof elected MPs across the country usuallyforms the Government. e leader of thatparty becomes the Prime Minister.

TALK ABOUT IT!

Find a partner. Talk about other ways theword run is used (examples: running tocatch a bus, running a business, a runnynose, running out of time). Use a dictionaryto find other examples. Write down all theuses you can. How would some of thesethings be expressed in your home language?

WORD BUILDER — In the world of politics,the verb to run has a specific meaning. Torun in an election means that you are com-peting with other candidates to representyour riding.During an election, you may hear theexpressions run for office and running in anelection. ey both mean to compete in anelection as a candidate.

VERB NOUN ADJECTIVEto elect election electoral (process,

vote, officer)or elective (surgery)

e word elect means to choose. Here area few sentences with the word elect:

• She was elected in 2006.

• An election will be held this year.

• He is the Chief Electoral O2cer.

SECTION 3 Canada’s Democracy in Action

Canada’sDemocracy in ActionSECTION

3

Running for o3ce takes dedication andlots of hard work. Some candidates runmany times before they win an election.

Once the candidates are elected, they willspend part of the year in Ottawa, and part

of the year in their home ridings.

DID YOU KNOW? — Because each riding shouldrepresent a relatively fixed number of people(approximately 70,000), as the population increases,the number of ridings has to be increased andthe boundaries redrawn. In 1867, Canada had only4 provinces and 181 ridings. In 2009, with 10 provincesand 3 territories, the number of ridings was 308.


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Dissolving Parliamente Prime Minister asks the GovernorGeneral to end (or dissolve) Parliament andcall an election. Dissolution (the act of dis-solving) happens when:

• the Government’s fixed four-yearterm is complete

• the Government loses a vote oncertain important bills – on thebudget, for example – in theHouse of Commons

• a majority of MPs vote to defeatthe Government in the House ofCommons on a vote of confidence,including a vote against certainimportant government measuresor bills, such as the budget

Even with the fixed four-year term,an election could still be held after theGovernment loses an important vote in theHouse of Commons.

CampaignsAfter an election is called and before theday voting takes place (usually calledElection Day), each candidate competeswith the other candidates in the riding toconvince voters why he or she is the bestchoice. is is called a campaign. A candi-date tells voters his or her message in manydifferent ways:

• campaign signs

• door-to-door canvassing

• advertising campaigns (on television,radio, billboards and in newspapers,for example)

• public meetings

• debates

Many of these activities cost money.ere are rules about how much moneycandidates are allowed to spend on cam-paigns, and how much money people areallowed to give to candidates.

Of course, to do all this work, candidateshave several people helping them. esepeople are called campaign workers. Peopleof any age, including youth, can help outon campaigns.

WORD BUILDER — A teacher can dismissclass – that is, the teacher can tell the classthat they can go home. e GovernorGeneral can dissolve Parliament, which issomewhat similar. ese words both startwith dis-. Take a look at these words:

• disable • dissolve

• disappear • disagree

Like the prefix un, dis makes the root wordinto its opposite. Try using dis with thefollowing familiar words, then create somesentences with them: advantage, approve,believe, colour, comfort, connection,courage, engage, infect, illusion, satisfy, re-spect.Sometimes, the dis word is used more thanthe root: disgust, for example. e rootgust (which is associated with the sense oftaste) is not as familiar to English speakersas disgust.


THESE ARE CAMPAIGN SIGNS.

What things do these signs havein common? What is di6erent?What message do you think eachcandidate is trying to tell voters?

19SECTION 3 Canada’s Democracy in Action


WHAT ABOUT ME?

Have you ever participated in an election?Some ways that young people acrossCanada get involved in elections are byhelping candidates, by bringing up impor-tant issues at public debates and forumsand by expressing their opinions in lettersto newspapers. Some issues that are oftenimportant to young Canadians are crime,access to colleges and universities, em-ployment and skills training and equalrights. Think about what election issues areimportant to you.

Political PartiesCanada has many different political parties.People in the same party usually have similaropinions about public issues. In Parliament,members of different parties often havedifferent opinions. This is why there aresometimes disagreements during electionsand when Parliament is sitting.

Having different parties allows criticismand encourages watchfulness. Canadianshave a choice in expressing different viewsby voting for a member from a specificparty during election time. This is calledthe party system.

WHAT ABOUT ME?

You probably have opinions and ideas ofwhat would be good for Canada. Thinkabout one issue that is important to you(the environment, immigration, education,or law and order, for example). Researchsome of the major political parties inCanada to find out where they stand onyour issue. Which one do you think has thebest ideas? Imagine you are creating a political party. What issues are important?

WORD BUILDER — The word campaigncomes from the Latin campus, whichmeans field. In ancient times, armies wouldtake to the field when they fought. InEnglish, we still use the word campaign tomean a military battle or series of battles. We can also use the word race to describean election competition. Race comes fromthe Old Norse ras, meaning running water.Like many words in English, we can userace either as a noun or as a verb.

NOUN VERB EXAMPLESrace to race She ran a very

good race.He raced to the finish line.

vote to voteform to formact to acthelp to help

WORD BUILDER

• issue • policy

• idea • opinion

These words are difficult to explain because they are abstract. Look them up ina dictionary if you do not know them. Canyou use these words in a sentence?

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VotingA Canadian citizen who is 18 years of ageor older by Election Day can vote after heor she has registered with ElectionsCanada. Elections Canada will then sendout a voter information card and add himor her to the voters’ list.

On Election Day, most voters go to anearby location called a polling station,where their names are checked off thevoters’ list if they are already registered. Ifthey have not yet registered, they can do soat this time. At the polling station, eachvoter is given a ballot (a piece of paper listingall the candidates in the riding). Voters donot have to tell anyone who they are votingfor — it is a secret ballot.

Voters make an X beside the name ofthe candidate they prefer. en they foldup the ballot and place it into a ballot box.

If they incorrectly mark a ballot, ormark more than one name, that is called aspoiled ballot and it will not be counted.

Citizens can vote even if they aretravelling away from home or out of thecountry on Election Day. Elections Canadahas information on how to vote by using aspecial mail-in ballot.

Once the voting ends, the votes arecollected and added up. is can take along time. Television stations have specialnews programs to report the electionresults. Some races are very close and aredecided by a small number of votes.

TALK ABOUT IT!

You or someone in your family probablyknow about elections in other countries.Ask your family about elections in yourcountry of origin. Here are some questionsyou might want to ask:

• Who was allowed to vote?• How often were elections held?• Where did people vote?• Was the ballot secret?• How did people find out who

had won?Back in your classroom, find out if yourclassmates have similar stories.

BALLOT

1 candidate’s name

(ordered alphabetically)

2 political party of the candidate

3 circle where the voter

writes “X” to choose

BALLOT BOX

1 Elections Canada logo2 polling station number3 slot for completed ballot

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3

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2

3

The minimum age to runin an election is 18 years old.The youngest person everelected to Parliament wasClaude-André Lachance,

who was 20 years oldwhen he was elected in 1974.

Elec

tions

Can

ada

Elec

tions

Can

ada

SECTION 3 Canada’s Democracy in Action


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Forming a GovernmentWhen the election is over, all winning can-didates are called Members of Parliament,or MPs for short. e MPs who belong toparties that are not forming the Governmentare called opposition MPs. e O2cialOpposition is usually the party with thesecond-highest number of elected membersafter the winning party. e leader of thisparty is called the Leader of the O2cialOpposition.

When it is time for Parliament to sit, allParliamentarians will discuss and debatenew bills (proposed laws), and makedecisions that affect every Canadian. Formore information on bills, see Process ofPassing a Bill in Section 4.

WHAT ABOUTME?

Who is your MP? What riding do you livein? What party does your MP belong to? Doyou know where your MP’s riding office is?Look it up if you do not know! Your MPhas people working in his or her office whocan help you if you have a problem, suchas difficulty getting a government service,or if you have a complaint or questionabout government. It is your MP’s job tolisten to all his or her constituents (peoplewho live in a riding), even if they did notvote for him or her or did not vote at all.

THINK ABOUT IT

Elders often have a lot of experience toshare. Sometimes we call this wisdom.How are elders treated in your family andcommunity?

WORD BUILDER

SENATEis word comes from the Latin senix,meaning elder. Literally, it means a councilof elders.

HOUSE OF COMMONSe word commons comes from the Latincommunis, which means shared by many.Other related words are community, com-munication and commune.

I work in the Parliament Buildings. When Parliamentis in session, the Senators and MPs are in town.

They meet to discuss issues and policy, and to debatebills, both in theChambers and in committee.

DID YOU KNOW? — Canada’s first Prime Minister,the Right Honourable Sir John A. Macdonald(pictured at right), called the Senate a place of“sober second thought.”

House of Commons Collection, Ottawa


The Role of the MonarchCanada’s Monarch (King or Queen) is alsoMonarch of 15 other independent nations.e Monarch, on the advice of the PrimeMinister, appoints a Canadian to representhim or her in Canada. is person is calledthe Governor General.

e Governor General has several dutiesrelated to Parliament. He or she officiallyappoints the Prime Minister as Head ofGovernment, and opens a new session ofParliament with the Speech from the Thronein the Senate Chamber. is is a ceremonialspeech, written by the Privy Council Office,in which the Governor General describesthe goals of the new government. He or shealso officially dissolves Parliament, and givesRoyal Assent to bills passed in Parliament.

e role of the Governor General alsoincludes:• serving as Commander-in-Chief of

Canada (of the Canadian Forces)• hosting foreign dignitaries, and visiting

other countries at the request of thePrime Minister

• celebrating excellence by givingawards to outstanding Canadians

WORD BUILDER

GOVERN – from the Greek word kybernan,meaning to steer a ship (the same root asthe word cyber). Govern is a verb: e Kinggoverned well and wisely. Can you think ofother words that stem from govern?

MONARCHY – from the Greek monarkhia,meaning ruling of one. It contains twoparts: mono-, which means one, andarkhein, which means to rule. Mono is usedoften in English. ink of these words:• monopoly• monotonous• monologue

-archy sometimes ends words that describehow something is ruled. For example:• anarchy• hierarchy

The Two-Chamber System:The Senate andthe House of CommonsCanada has a bicameral parliamentarysystem (the prefix bi- means two). atmeans that there are two separate Chambers,each housing its own separate group ofparliamentarians: the Senate (p. 24) and theHouse of Commons (p. 26).

SECTION

4

DID YOU KNOW?

The Stanley Cup, the highest prize

in the National Hockey League,

was a gift from Canada’s sixth

Governor General,

Baron (Lord) Stanley of Preston

(served 1888–1893). The trophy

was originally named the “Dominion

Hockey Challenge Cup.”

e Business of Parliament

23

DID YOU KNOW? — The Senateand the House of Commons arealso called the Upper House andthe Lower House. Another wayto talk about either of these placesis to say "Chamber" or "House."

The Governor Generalhas two o)cial homes where

he or she lives and works:Rideau Hall in Ottawa, not far

from Parliament Hill, andthe Citadelle in Quebec City.


The SenateSenators are appointed by the GovernorGeneral on the Prime Minister’s recom-mendation. The formula for the numberand distribution of Senators was writteninto the Constitution. In 1867, the Senatestarted with 72 members, but this increasedas the country’s population and geographygrew. In 2009, the number of seats in theSenate was 105. A Senator must be at least30 years old and must retire on his or her75th birthday.

PROVINCE/TERRITORY SENATORSBritish Columbia 6Alberta 6Saskatchewan 6Manitoba 6Ontario 24Quebec 24New Brunswick 10Nova Scotia 10Prince Edward Island 4Newfoundland & Labrador 6Yukon Territory 1Northwest Territories 1Nunavut 1TOTAL 105

Chamber Business The Senate has an important role in thelaw-making process: it reviews and debatesbills proposed by both Chambers. AlthoughSenators usually consider bills proposed by the House of Commons, they also suggest new bills (but these bills cannot beabout spending public money or creatingtaxes). Bills must pass through both Chambers — the Senate and the House ofCommons — and be given Royal Assentbefore becoming law.

All debates that take placein the Senate are recordedand published in both officiallanguages. In addition, Sena-tors present petitions, tabledocuments, discuss committeereports and make statementsin the Chamber.

DID YOU KNOW? — The Governor General can anddoes enter the Senate Chamber, but by tradition doesnot go into the House of Commons. That is why theSpeech from the Throne and the Royal Assentceremony happen in the Senate.

24

SENATE CHAMBER

1 Throne (This is where the Monarch or the GovernorGeneral sits to read the Speech from the Throne, whichtells Canadians what to expect during a new session ofParliament, and gives Royal Assent.)

2 Speaker of the Senate3 Clerk of the Senate and the Parliaments

4 Page5 Senators6 Mace7 Murals (scenes from the First World War, 1914–1918) 8 Red carpet (red for monarchy)9 Usher of the Black Rod

As Senate pages, we get to see the action up close. We are all university students: only

15 of us are chosen every year. I handle official documents and give

messages to the Senators when they are insession and in committee.

Take a look at the picture on the next pageand see if you can find one of us!

DID YOU KNOW? — The Mace is the tradi-tional symbol of the Senate’s and Speaker’s authority.Notice how it has a crown at the top? Once the Maceis laid on the Table, the Senate is officially in session.

SECTION 4 The Business of Parliament


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The House of Commonse House of Commons is the elected law-making body in Parliament. When MPsmeet together in the House of CommonsChamber in Ottawa, we say that the Houseis in session or is sitting.

How is the seating of MPs in the Houseof Commons arranged? In the House ofCommons Chamber, politicians from thesame party normally sit together. egoverning party sits to the right of theSpeaker of the House of Commons. eO2cial Opposition sits directly oppositethe government. Where the members ofthe other opposition parties sit depends onthe number of MPs elected from each party.

Chamber Businesse work of an MP in the Chamber

includes reviewing and debating new billsthat affect all Canadians. It also includestaking part in question period, makingstatements about important events andissues from the riding, raising issues andpresenting recommendations and reports.

Usually it is the Government thatintroduces bills, but Opposition andindividual MPs can also introduce newbills (called Private Member’s bills), so longas the bills do not involve taxes. e Houseis also where the budget estimates for eachministry or area of government services aredebated and passed.

COMMONS CHAMBER

1 Speaker of the House of Commons2 Clerk of the House of Commons3 Page4 Government Members5 Opposition Members (theO5cial Opposition along with

MPs from other parties and independent MPs)6 Prime Minister (the leader of the governing party)7 Mace (the symbol of authority of the Speaker of the House

of Commons. The Mace is placed on the Table and pointstowards the Government to show that the House is sitting.)

8 Green carpet (The green colour of Canada’s House ofCommons is the same as that used in the House ofCommons in England for well over 300 years.)

WORD BUILDER — Some English words canbe used as nouns or as verbs.NOUN VERBbill to bill someoneEXAMPLES: e health care bill passed

second reading.e parliamentary restaurantwill bill him for the dinner.

report to reportEXAMPLES: e House committee’s report

was very detailed.e Senator will report backto the committee.

study to studyEXAMPLES: e study shows that

Canadians like their flag.e Prime Minister studiedlaw in university.

Create sentences using these words:change to changehold to holdpass to pass26

As House of Commons pages, we handleo5cial documents and give messages to MPs

while they are in the Chamber or in their committeemeetings. There are 40 of us in total, and

we are first-year university students.Can you see where we usually sit

when the House is in session? (see page 27)

The Hon.Muriel McQueen

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DIDYOUKNOW?—The first woman to take the chairin either the Senate or the House of Commons, theHonourable Muriel McQueen Fergusson (left), wasSpeaker of the Senate from 1972 to 1974.The first and only female Speaker of the House ofCommons was the Right Honourable JeanneSauvé (right), who served as Speaker from 1980 to1984. She then became the first female GovernorGeneral of Canada, appointed from 1984 to 1990.

SECTION 4 The Business of Parliament


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35

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Library of Parliament – Roy Grogan27


The Prime MinisterIn Canada, the leader of the political partythat wins the most seats in the Houseof Commons becomes Prime Min-ister. (is is in contrast to somecountries, where citizens vote toelect their leader directly, such asthe President in the United States.)

e Prime Minister is usually an MPwho, after winning the election, is officiallysworn in by the Governor General.

TALK ABOUT IT!

Who is the Prime Minister of Canada?What skills should a prime minister have?Would you make a good prime minister?What other countries have prime ministers?Presidents? Both?

WORD BUILDER

PRIME – from the Latin primus, meaningfirst. Here are some other words and

phrases that contain prime:

• primary

• prime-time television

• prime number

The Cabinete Prime Minister chooses members ofthe Cabinet. ese are usually elected MPs

(and at least one Senator), and normallybelong to the party in power. osewho head government departmentsare called Ministers. By custom, each

province has at least one CabinetMinister. As Canada has grown andchanged, the Cabinet has also grown andevolved, with ministries sometimes beingrenamed, added, dropped or reorganized.

e Cabinet takes collective responsibilityfor government policies. It must, in public,agree with the government’s decisions orresign.

THINK ABOUT IT

A hundred years ago, Canada had a Min-istry of Railways and Canals and a Ministryof Overseas Military Forces. Why do thesedepartments no longer exist? Some newerdepartments include Environment Canadaand Public Safety Canada.

DID YOU KNOW? — There is a person called thewhip for each political party in the Senate and theHouse of Commons. He or shemakes sure thatMem-bers from the party know what is going on in theChamber, and that they are present when there is animportant vote. In practice, the whips also assign eachparty’s members to committees.

WHAT ABOUTME?

e work of the federal government is donethrough departments (or ministries) andagencies. Here are some examples offederal departments’ areas of responsibility:the environment, citizenship and immi-gration, foreign affairs, defence and naturalresources. Which department affects youthe most? Which ones would you most liketo work for?

WORD BUILDER

MINISTER – from the Latin minister, mean-ing servant. is word has the same root asminor. Related words include administer(administration, administrator) and minor(meaning less or little).

CABINET – originally, this word meantsmall room. Today, it sometimes meansa cupboard or a piece of furniture whereobjects can be stored. In Parliament,it means the group of Ministers appointedby the Governor General at the request ofthe Prime Minister.

28

SENATE SPEAKER’S CHAIR

1 This chair is for the Speaker.2 This one is for the Monarch or the Governor General.3 This one is for the Monarch’s or Governor General’s consort

(husband or wife).When the Monarch or the Governor General attends theSenate, such as for the Speech from the Throne or RoyalAssent, the Speaker’s chair is removed.


The Speakerse Senate and the House of Commonseach has a Speaker. e Speaker representshis or her Chamber when dealing with theother parts of Parliament (the Monarch orGovernor General, the Senate and theHouse of Commons). Each speaker is alsoresponsible for making sure that rules oforder are followed when his or her Chamberis sitting.

e Speaker of the Senate isappointed by the Governor Generalon the advice of the Prime Minister,usually for the life of the Parliament.

e Speaker of the Senate enforces(makes sure a rule is followed) the Senaterules about the order of speaking and thelength of time a Senator gets to speak, andannounces the result of votes.

Electing a Speaker of the House ofCommons is the first thing the

House of Commons doeswhen beginning a new

Parliament. MPs choose

by secret ballot which oneof them will be speaker.All questions duringdebate in the House ofCommons are directedthrough the Speaker.

Whenever a Senator oran MP enters, crosses orleaves the Chamber, he or shebows to the Speaker’s chair.

Speakers must be neutral and fair.For example, the Speaker of the Houseof Commons must be prepared to

enforce the same rules for the PrimeMinister as for a Member of anopposition party. Althoughthe Speaker of the House ofCommons is an elected MP, heor she does not vote on decisionsunless there is a tie.

e speakers have importantdiplomatic and social duties out-side Parliament. They are oftenasked to represent Canada atimportant international eventsand meetings. e speakersalso meet and host foreigndignitaries and ambassadors.

SECTION 4 The Business of Parliament 29

2

HOUSE OF COMMONS SPEAKER’S CHAIR

On page 27, notice where the chair is put inthe room. Why is this?

13


Process of Passing a BillMaking laws is tough work.Every day, something that you do

or that you touch has beenconsidered by a lawmaker.

But how does an ideaget to be a law thataffects everyone?

e following stepsdescribe the process of

passing a bill through eitherthe House of Commons or the

Senate. (If the bill were to passthrough the Senate, it would go

through the same stages.)e government typically introduces

bills. Opposition and individual parlia-mentarians also introduce new bills (calledPrivate Member’s Bills).

TALK ABOUT IT!Take a walk around your neighbourhood.What do you see that needs changing?How can you change things, or get yourgovernment to change them? Talk tomembers of your family and your friends.What issues are important to them?

1 FIRST READINGAny idea for a new law or a change tocurrent law is written down. e idea isnow called a bill. e bill is printed andread in the House it is starting from.

2 SECOND READINGe bill is given a Second Reading inthe House it is starting from, where parlia-mentarians debate the idea behind thebill. ey consider questions such as,“Is the idea behind the bill good?”“Does it meet people’s needs?”“Who will be affected by this bill?”If the House votes for the bill and itpasses this stage, it goes to a committeeof the House, which usually meetsin a smaller committee roomoutside the Chamber.

3 COMMITTEE STAGEAt the Committee Stage, the billis studied carefully. Committeemembers hold hearings or specialmeetings where different peopleinside and outside government

can make comments about the bill.e committee can ask for governmentofficials and experts, or witnesses,to come and answer questions. ecommittee can suggest changes oramendments to the bill when it givesits report to the House.

4 REPORT STAGEAt the Report Stage, the com-mittee reports the bill back tothe House. All parliamentarianscan then debate it. During thisstage, those who were not part ofthe committee that studied the billcan suggest changes to the bill.

5 THIRD READINGe bill is then called for a irdReading. e parliamentariansdebate it again. Sometimes theycan change their minds about a bill.ey might vote for it at SecondReading but not at ird Reading ifthey do not like the changes made

to the bill. If it passes irdReading, the bill then goes to

the other House where it goesthrough the same stages.

6 ROYAL ASSENTOnce both the Senate and theHouse of Commons have passed thebill in exactly the same wording, it isgiven to the Governor General (orhis or her appointed representative)for Royal Assent (final approval),and it can become law.

DID YOU KNOW? — If a bill originates in the Senate, thebill is identified with the letter S and given a number; forexample, Bill S-4. If a Bill originates in the House ofCommons, it is identified with the letter C and given anumber; for example, Bill C-78.

30


What happens when abill doesn’t pass?

A bill keeps going back andforth for a vote on the changes

until it passes both Housesin the same format.

Reading of thetitle of the bill

(e Good Idea Bill)

A parliamentarycommittee examines

the Good Idea Billline by line in

committee.

Debate in Chamberand vote on theidea behind theGood Idea Bill

e parliamentarycommittee reports on

the Good Idea Bill.Amendments are con-sidered and voted on.

Debate and voteon the changedversion of theGood Idea Bill

Reading ofthe Good Idea Bill

A parliamentarycommittee examines

the Good Idea Billline by line incommittee.

Debate and voteon the idea of the

Good Idea Bill

e parliamentarycommittee reports on

the Good Idea Bill.Amendments are con-sidered and voted on.

Debate and voteon the changedversion of theGood Idea Bill

e Good Idea Bill receivesRoyal Assent after beingpassed by both Houses(the Senate and theHouse of Commons).

DIDYOUKNOW?—During the ceremony to receive RoyalAssent, bills that have to do with taxes and financial mattersare tied with a green ribbon; all others are tied with a red one.



On the Job with a SenatorWhen Parliament is in session, Senatorsspend much of their time in Ottawa. Duringthe week, they debate and vote on bills inthe Senate Chamber. Much of their work,however, is done outside the Chamber.Senators often sit on at least two differentcommittees, as well as subcommittees. Incommittee, Senators work hard to under-stand all details of a proposed bill: theyhear evidence from groups and individualswho will be affected by the proposedlegislation and recommend changes. Mem-bers of the committees also review budgetsand investigate issues that are important toCanadians, such as health care, children’srights and official languages. Committeesalso report on those issues. In addition,

Senators take part in caucus meetings. Allthese meetings mean serious research andpreparation.

Senators also like to meet the peoplethey represent in their regions. BetweenChamber debates, committee work,meetings and travel, they try to find timeto make public speeches and attend im-portant national and international events.

Senators have many years of experiencein the working world. ey may have hadprominent careers in politics, medicine,the military, law, sports, journalism, edu-cation or business. eir rich backgroundsmake them experts in their fields. ishelps them make decisions about bills thatthe government wants to pass, or to advisethe government on new or better policies.

WORD BUILDER — Both Senators and MPswork on committees. You probably havecommittees at your school. e root of thisword comes from commit — from theLatin word committere, com- (together) andmittere (to put, or send).

NOUN VERBa commitment to commita committee

Here are some sentences:

• e Senator is busy; she has acommitment this afternoon.

• He sits on the Human Rightscommittee.

• MPs commit many hours tocommittee work.

e prefix com- or con-, meaningtogether, is a common one in English.Write down all of the words you canthink of that start with com or con.What do they mean? Is there aconnection?

Senate — SAMPLE CALENDAR

32 SECTION 4 The Business of Parliament


A Day in the Life of a Member of ParliamentIn addition to their work in the Chamber,MPs have many responsibilities. They areaccountable (must answer) to the peoplewho voted for them. At the same time, theymust follow their party leader. While Par-liament is in session, MPs typically spendMonday to Thursday in Ottawa, and Fridaysand weekends in their riding, although thiscan change depending on their meetingschedules and on Parliament’s business.When MPs are in Ottawa and Parliamentis sitting, there is a routine schedule to followcalled the Daily Order of Business. MPsspend a set amount of time in the Chamber,in their offices and in committees.

Like Senators, MPs work oncommittees to examine proposedbills in detail and to investigate is-sues. They also hear witnesses andreport back to the House with theirfindings and recommendations.Some committees are permanent(these are called Standing Commit-tees), and consider very important is-sues such as the environment orimmigration. Other committees areformed (or struck) if a temporary issue

needs to be examined. MPs also spend timein caucus every Wednesday morning,where they discuss strategy and ideas forlaws with the rest of the Senators and MPsfrom the same political party.

While in their home ridings, they attend events and meet with people andorganizations to listen to their concerns. At their offices in their home ridings andin Ottawa, they have a group of people who help them set up meetings, and preparefor debates and committee meetings. These researchers and administrators arecalled staff.

While Parliament is in session, theHouse has a daily schedule. An averageweek looks like this:

WORD BUILDER

Constituent, from the same root as con-stitution, means a part of. In politics, aconstituent is a person a politician represents.

House of Commons — DAILY ORDER OF BUSINESS

* If required, House to sit at 1:00 p.m. for the review of Delegated Legislation pursuant to Standing Order 128(1).

HOURS MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

10:00 - 11:00Government Orders

11:00 – 11:15 Private Members’Statements

Businessby Members

11:15 – 12:00 Routine Proceedings Routine Proceedings oral questions

12:00 – 1:00 Government Orders Government Orders Routine Proceedings

1:00 – 1:30Government Orders

Government Orders Review of Delegated

1:30 – 2:00Legislation*

2:00 – 2:15Statements Statements Statements Statements Private Members’

by Members by Members by Members by MembersBusiness

2:15 – 2:30 oral questions oral questions oral questions oral questions

2:30 – 3:00 Routine Proceedings

Notices of Motions

3:00 – 5:30 Government Orders for the Production Government OrdersRoutine Proceedings of PapersGovernment Orders Government Orders

5:30 – 6:30Private Members’ Private Members’ Private Members’

Business Business Business

6:30 – 7:00Adjournment Adjournment Adjournment Adjournment

Proceedings Proceedings Proceedings Proceedings

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TALK ABOUT IT!

e liveliest part of the day in the House ofCommons is question period (also called oralquestions), where the government MPs mustanswer questions from other Members. Youcan watch some of question period with yourclass. (question period and other House ofCommons business are shown on televisionas well as recorded in Hansard, the word-for-word record of all discussion in the House ofCommons.) How do parliamentarians behave?Why is this so? How can you tell? What are

other MPs doing whilequestions are asked?

DID YOU KNOW?When there is a vote in either theSenate or the House of Commons,bells ring and the lights in theParliamentary precinct blink on ando6. It is an important job to get allthe parliamentarians to the Housewhen a vote is called. The personresponsible for doing this is theparty whip.

DIDYOUKNOW?— If you are touring the Parliament buildings,you may be able to visit the Senate and the House of CommonsChambers. When the Chambers are sitting, you may evenobserve from the galleries and watch democracy in action.34



Parliament 24/7In 1977, Canadians were the first people inthe world who were able to watch live televised broadcasts of debates and proceed-ings in their Parliament.

Today, with modern technology, thereare many more ways to keep up with whatis happening at Parliament, right where youlive. On TV and on the Internet, you canwatch Cable Public Affairs Channel’sbroadcasts of the Senate and House ofCommons committee work, and of questionperiod in the House of Commons. You canalso listen to podcasts. On the Parliamentof Canada website, there are also webcastsof proceedings in the Senate and the Houseof Commons. If there is a bill or an issuethat really interests you, you can followevery stage of that legislation on the website.

THINK ABOUT IT!

Why do you think it is important for Canadians to have access to a record ofeverything that is said in the House?

DID YOU KNOW?Many Senators and MPs have their own personalwebsite. Use a search engine and look up yourSenator or MP and see what they are doing!


Citizens elect different people fromtheir communities to different levels of

government to make laws. ese lawmakers,or politicians, meet regularly to talk aboutcurrent laws and to make new ones. eydo this in a place called the capital. Ottawa,the national capital of Canada, is wherefederal politicians meet.

WHAT ABOUTME?

Sometimes, in newspapers or on televisionnews programs, people will say things like:“Ottawa sends soldiers” or “Ottawa makesa decision.” Of course, they do not mean thecity of Ottawa; they mean the Governmentof Canada. Ottawa is the country’s capital.It is your capital. Look in a newspaper andnotice how the word Ottawa is used. Is thearticle talking about something that affectsyou or your family?

DID YOU KNOW?The name Ottawa (or adawe in Algonquin) meansto trade and was the name given to the First Nationspeople who controlled trade along the river.

36

There is always something going on at theParliament Buildings, even when the Senate and

theHouse of Commons are not sitting.Meetings, committees, o5cial visits and receptions

occur every day, and the work of researchers is constant.About 3,756 people work here!

Your CapitalPROVINCE/TERRITORYCAPITALAlbertaEdmontonBritishColumbiaVictoriaManitobaWinnipegNewBrunswickFrederictonNewfoundland&LabradorSt.John’sNorthwestTerritoriesYellowknifeNovaScotiaHalifaxNunavutIqaluitOntarioTorontoPrinceEdwardIslandCharlottetownQuebecQuebecCitySaskatchewanReginaYukonTerritoryWhitehorse

TALK ABOUT IT!

All Canadian provinces and territories havecapitals. Can you name them? (See answersbelow.) What is the capital of your provinceor territory? Is it the biggest city?

SECTION

5

SECTION 5 Your Capital


WhyOttawa?Choosing a capitalcity is not easy!Should it be in thecentre of the country? Should it be thebiggest city? Who decides where a capitalshould be?

In 1857, there were a few cities com-peting to be the capital city. To settle it,Queen Victoria chose Ottawa because itwas centrally located between the cities ofMontreal and Toronto, and was along theborder of Ontario and Quebec (the centreof Canada at the time). It was also far fromthe American border, making it safer fromattacks.

WORD BUILDER — Some words have twoparts, like lawmaker (law + maker). Canyou think of other words that use the wordlaw or maker?e word capital comes from the Latinword caput, which means head. Capitalhas many different meanings: very serious(capital punishment); money (capital in-vestment); and very important (capitalletter, capital city). Here are some otherwords that come from this same root: tocap something; a baseball or bottle cap;captain; caption.e English word citizen comes from theLatin word civis, which means a personwho lives in a city. Other words in thisgroup include city, civic or civilian. Canyou think of other terms that mean thesame thing as citizen?

On the Hille busiest part of downtown Ottawa isParliament Hill. is is where Senators andMembers of Parliament have their offices,meet to make laws, and have meetingswith advisors and citizens. Parliament Hillis a gathering place for Canadians who gothere for a variety of reasons: to celebrate,to protest, to go on tours and to enjoy thebeautiful scenery. e Hill is on highground next to the Ottawa River. If youlook across the water, you can see theprovince of Quebec. Government officesand national institutions are located onboth sides of the river.

The ParliamentBuildingsParliament has three main buildings: theEast Block, the West Block and the CentreBlock. e Centre Block you see today isnot the first — the first Centre Block ofthe Parliament Buildings burned downin 1916. e only part of the CentreBlock to survive was the Library of Par-liament, which had fire-proof iron doors.e East and West Blocks were untouchedby the fire.

Libr

ary

ofPa

rliam

ent–

Mon

eChe

ng

ORIGINAL CENTRE BLOCK

Before and after the fire of 1916.

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LIBRARYOF PARLIAMENT

• the research centre forparliamentarians and their sta6

• over 600,000 items in the collection• over 350 people work for theLibrary of Parliament

• statue of a young Queen Victoria

4

10

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AERIAL VIEWOF PARLIAMENT HILL

1 Centre Block2 East Block3 West Block4 Library of Parliament5 National War Memorial6 Langevin Building

7 Victoria Building8 National Press Building9 The Rideau Canal and Locks10 Centennial Flame11 Statues

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39SECTION 5 Your Capital

Mik

eCar

rocc

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Citi

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65 7

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DID YOU KNOW? — The di4erence betweengargoyles and grotesques is that gargoyles areusually waterspouts, while grotesques are fanciful andplayful carvings. The word gargoyle comes from theFrench word gargouille, which means throat or pipe.

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SECTION 5 Your Capital

VICTORIA TOWER BELL

• bell from the original Centre Block tower• cast in 1875, installed in 1877• fell from the tower in the 1916 fire• restored in 1998 and on display onParliament Hill

JoshuaSherurci

Library of Parliament – Malak

2

7

THE CENTRE BLOCK

1 Peace Tower — 92.2 metres high!2 the carillon — 53 bells!3 grotesques — these mythical creatures are

fanciful and playful carvings4 observation deck — visitors can look over

all of Ottawa and Gatineau from here5 the flag — the new national flag of Canada

with the red maple leaf was first flown in 19656 Centre Block o5ces — lots of politicians have

their o5ces here7 Memorial Chamber — names of those

who died serving in conflicts that Canadaparticipated in are honoured in Books ofRemembrance

8 Library of Parliament — opened in 1876


SECTION

6Evolving Parliamentary DemocracyBecause Canada has a constitution, Cana-dians have reliable rules to follow.

But sometimes, old laws do not fit society any more. For example, in

1923 Parliament passed the Chinese Immigration Act, which closedCanada’s doors to people of Chinese origin. This law waschanged in 1947. The democraticsystem is flexible and allows

Parliament to change old lawsand create new ones.

National and even inter-national events and issues

influence Canadians’ values onmany levels. As Canadians con-sider these issues through open

discussion and debate, their ideasmay change over time. In turn,

Canadians influence Parliamentto change laws or introducenew ones.

THINK ABOUT IT

When Canada became a country in 1867,the laws were different than they are today.According to the laws of the time, manygroups of people were not allowed to vote— people such as Aboriginal Canadians,women, Chinese Canadians and JapaneseCanadians. Why do you think this was? The voting age used to be 21, but in 1970 itwas lowered to 18. Some Canadians talkabout lowering the voting age again. Howwould lowering the voting age affectCanada and its youth? What if voting became mandatory?

WHAT ABOUT ME?

Think about the issues listed below. Howdo they affect you or your classmates?What might parliamentarians do aboutthese issues?• environmental concerns• child poverty• international terrorism• illnesses such as AIDS• street crime• Internet crime• promoting Canadian arts (music,

television, films, literature, visual and theatre arts)

• promoting multiculturalism and preventing racial and ethnic intolerance

WORD BUILDER — FLEXIBLE / INFLEXIBLEThe word flex means to bend. If you areflexible, it can mean that you can bend in certain ways (touch your hands to thefloor, for example), or it can mean thatyou are able to adapt to changes as theyoccur.Consider these sentences:• My yoga teacher is very flexible –

she can put her foot behind her head!

• My yoga teacher is very flexible – she does not mind if I come on Mondays or Wednesdays.

Adding an im- or an in- to the beginningof a word sometimes turns the word intoits opposite: flexible into inflexible, for example. Consider these words:• polite impolite• complete incomplete• capable incapable• sincere insincere

Careful! in can also mean incoming or into.Here are some more words starting with inor im: • interior, income, input, injury, involve,

incline, include, investigate, important.

Look them up in your dictionary. Are theyopposites?

42

Parliament in Motion


Getting Involved in Democracye voting age in Canada for a federal elec-tion is 18. But voting is not the only way foryou to get involved. If you feel stronglyabout an issue, there are many ways to ex-press your views. Become knowledgeableabout the issue by reading, researching andinterviewing experts. Write to your localnewspaper. Form a council. Send letters toyour Senator and your MP to let themknow how you feel. ey may want to talkto you more about it.

Helping out in an election campaign isanother good way to get involved, no matterwhat your age. You can meet the candidate,help him or her prepare for public events,and help organize supporters. Does apolitical party interest you? Almost allparties have a youth wing that organizesevents and distributes information.

Your local community might need yourhelp — you can volunteer for a communityassociation, or for the board of your local

school, library or community centre.is is a great way to meet yourneighbours and find out what is im-portant to them. Community organi-zations have been successful acrossCanada in getting their concernsheard by politicians at all levels.

It is important to talk to yourfamily about getting involved, too. Find outtheir opinions and discuss what issues areimportant to them. Canada’s governmentworks because of its citizens, and you arenever too young to become part of it.

TALK ABOUT IT!

What organizations are you part of?Would you like to be more involved?How? Does your school have a studentcouncil? How are students elected? Whatrole do they play in the school? Howcould student voices be better heard(both in the school and in your com-munity)? Talk with your classmatesabout these questions.

WORD BUILDER —WING – fromOld Norse wenge (meaning wingof a bird). In English, the word wingmeans the wing of a bird, butalso something that extendsfrom a central base. Considerthese sentences:• e Canadian art collection is

in the east wing of the museum.• He belongs to the youth wing

of the party.

Because the places to either side ofa theatre’s stage are called the wings,English also uses some phrases like:• I have no idea what is on the

test; I will just have to wing it.(Note: is slang comesfrom an actor learninghis or her lines in the

wings – it means todo something withoutbeing prepared.)

43

Just because you are too youngto vote yet does not mean that

you cannot get involved.There are several ways to make

your voice heard and to enact change.

SECTION 6 Parliament in Motion


44

amend – To changeor improve something;

for example, a law oran Act of Parliament.

amendment – A change that is made to abill, a motion or a committee report withthe intention of improving it.

bicameral – Of two chambers,or rooms. Canada’s Parliament ismade up of two separate Chambers.ey are the Senate and the Houseof Commons.

bill – A proposal for a law to beconsidered by Parliament.

budget – e government’s plan for howit will collect and spend money each year.

Cabinet – e Cabinet is a group ofall Ministers (mostly from theHouse of Commons and at least

one from the Senate). e Cabinet makesdecisions about the Government’s prioritiesand policies, the legislation that will bepresented to Parliament, and how tocollect and spend money.

Cabinet Minister – A person — normallya Member of Parliament or a Senator —who is chosen by the Prime Minister, andappointed by the Governor General,to help govern. A Minister is usuallythe head of a government department.e Government Leader in the Senateis also a member of the Cabinet.

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms –An important part of the Canadianconstitution that ensures all people inCanada are guaranteed certain basichuman rights and freedoms.

capital – e city where a country’slegislature is located and the governmentcarries out its business. e capital city ofCanada is Ottawa. Each province and terri-tory also has a capital city and a legislature.

caucus – A group made up of all Senatorsand Members of Parliament from the samepolitical party. Caucuses meet regularly.

Centre Block – e Parliament Buildingshave three parts (West Block, CentreBlock and East Block). e House ofCommons and the Senate Chambers arein the Centre Block. It is recognizable bythe Peace Tower with the clock.

ceremony – A formal event thatfollows rules or traditions.

chair – e person in charge of a meeting.is person directs the discussion ofbusiness in a Senate or a House ofCommons committee meeting.

Chamber – One of two large rooms in theCentre Block of the Parliament Buildings.e Senate Chamber, or the Upper House,is where Senators meet to discuss business.e Commons Chamber, also called theLower House, is where Members of Par-liament meet. Traditionally, the SenateChamber has red furniture and carpet,to signify monarchy, while the House ofCommons’ furniture and carpet are green,following the tradition set in Britain.

Chief Electoral O2cer of Canada – isperson is responsible for overseeing allfederal elections.

citizen – A person who has full politicaland civil rights in his or her country.

Clerk of the House of Commons –e senior official in the Commons, andthe main advisor to the Speaker andMembers of the House of Commonsregarding House rules and procedures.

Glossary


45Glossary

Clerk of the Senate – e senior official inthe Senate, and the main advisor to theSpeaker of the Senate and to Senatorsregarding the Senate’s rules and procedures.e Clerk is also Clerk of the Parliamentsand is responsible for all legislation passedby Parliament.

committee – A group of Senators,Members of Parliament, or both, selectedto study a specific subject or bill andwrite a report about it.

Confederation – e agreement bythe provinces to join together to formthe nation of Canada and create a federalParliament. is happened in 1867 withfour present-day provinces: Ontario,Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.e other six provinces and threeterritories joined at later dates.

constituency – e specific geographicarea in Canada that a Member ofParliament represents in the House ofCommons. (Synonym: riding or electoraldistrict)

constituent – A person living in an areain Canada represented by a Member ofParliament.

constitution – e set of rules that acountry like Canada follows to work as anation. It includes the Constitution Acts of1867 and 1982, but is not limited to them.

constitutional monarchy – A system inwhich the powers of the Monarchare limited by the written or unwrittenconstitution of the country. Canada is aconstitutional monarchy. e Queen orKing of Canada is our Head of State,whereas the Prime Minister is ourHead of Government.

debate – A discussion in which thearguments for and against a subjectare presented according to specific

rules. Discussions in the Senate and theHouse of Commons are called debates.

dissolution – e bringing to an endof a Parliament, either at the end of itsfour-year term or if the government isdefeated on a motion of non-confidence,by proclamation (an official announce-ment) of the Governor General on theadvice of the Prime Minister. It isfollowed by a general election.

elect – To pick one person froma group of several people by voting.e person with the most votesis elected.

election – e process of choosinga representative by vote. In a federalelection, voters in each riding elect onerepresentative to the House of Commons.e person who gets the most votesrepresents the riding.

federal government – egovernment of Canada that actsand speaks for the whole country.

governing party – e political partythat forms the Government becausemore of its members were elected

to the House of Commons than from anyother party.

Government – e political party with themost members elected to the House ofCommons usually forms the Government.In the federal government, the PrimeMinister and the Cabinet decide thepolicies and priorities, make sure theyare put into action, and also guide theGovernment’s legislation through theHouse of Commons and the Senate.

Government House Leader – eMinister responsible for managing theGovernment’s business in the House,including negotiating the schedulingof business with the House Leaders of theopposition parties. (Synonym: Leader of


46

the Government in the Houseof Commons)

Governor General – A personappointed by our Monarch, on theadvice of the Prime Minister, to be theMonarch’s representative in Canada. eGovernor General is appointed for a termof five years. e term may be extended.

Hansard – e daily official recordof debates in the Senate and theHouse of Commons in English and

French. Hansard was the surname of aBritish printer who prepared reportsof parliamentary debates in 19th-centuryEngland. e Hansard is also calledDebates of the Senate and House ofCommons Debates.

Head of Government – In Canada, thePrime Minister holds the powers of theHead of Government and looks afterthe business of the country.

Head of State – Queen Elizabeth II, theQueen of Canada, is our Head of State. Sheis represented in Canada by the GovernorGeneral.

Honourable – A special title given to Sen-ators and Cabinet Ministers for life, andto the Speaker of the House of Commonsas long as he or she is the Speaker. In Par-

liament, Senators and Membersof Parliament use terms such as“Honourable Senator,” “e

Honourable Member for...,” and“Honourable colleague” because tradi-

tionally they are not allowed to call oneanother by name in the Chambers.

House Leader – An appointed Memberof every party that manages its business inthe House of Commons.

House of Commons – One of three partsof Parliament. MPs meet and debate inthe House of Commons Chamber.

independent – A Member of theSenate or House of Commons whodoes not belong to a political party.

interest groups – Groups of businesses,associations and people with a commoninterest who ask MPs or Senators to speakfor them and promote their interests.

law – A rule for all Canadians madeby Senators, Members of Parliamentand the Governor General throughdiscussion and voting.

Leader of the Government in the House ofCommons – See Government HouseLeader.

Leader of the Government in the Senate –A Senator appointed by the PrimeMinister to lead the Governmentin the Senate.

Leader of the O2cial Opposition or Leaderof the Opposition (House of Commons) –e leader of the political party thatusually has the second-largest numberof MPs in the House of Commons.

Leader of theOpposition in the Senate–e leader of the party in the Senate thatusually has the second-largest number ofseats. e Leader of the Opposition inthe Senate manages his or her partymembers’ activities in the Senate andin its committees.

legislation – Bills that are passedby Parliament.

legislative process – e steps by whichbills are approved by Parliament andbecome laws.

Local government – e council thatmanages the business of a municipality(village, town or city) that is led by amayor. Council members are electedby the people living in that area.

Lower House – Another name for theHouse of Commons.


47Glossary

Mace – A large, heavy, silver- andgold-covered staff that is a symbolof the power and authority of

Parliament. e Senate and the House ofCommons each have a Mace. When theSenate and the House are in session, theMaces rest on the Clerk’s Table in eachChamber.

Member of Parliament (MP) – Technically,members of both the Senate and the Houseof Commons are Members of Parliament,but most often this term is used forsomeone elected to a seat in the Houseof Commons. Members of the Senate arecalled Senators. Each member of Parlia-ment represents one of the ridings intowhich Canada is divided.

monarch – A king or queen of a country.

motion – A proposal by a Memberfor either the Senate or the House ofCommons to do something, to ordersomething to be done, or to express anopinion on a matter. To be considered bythe Chamber, a motion must be secondedby another Member and voted on by allmembers. If adopted, a motion becomesan order or a resolution.

O2cial Opposition – e politicalparty that usually has the second-largest number of MPs elected to

the House of Commons. Both the Houseand Senate have an Official Opposition.

opposition – All political parties andindependent Members who do notbelong to the governing party.

oral questions – Another name forquestion period.

page – A university student whoworks for the Senate or the Houseof Commons. He or she carries

messages and delivers documents andother material to the Chamber duringsittings of the Senate or House ofCommons.

Parliament – Canada’s Parliament is com-posed of the Monarch, the Senate and theHouse of Commons. Parliament has thepower to make laws for Canada in certainareas of responsibility. A Parliament is alsothe period of time between an electionand a dissolution.

parliamentarian – A Senator or aMember of the House of Commons.

parliamentary democracy – A system ofgovernment where the citizensexpress their political views by choosingrepresentatives to go to Parliament tomake laws on their behalf.

Prime Minister – e leader of the partyin power and the Head of Government.e Prime Minister is normally anelected Member of Parliament andrepresents a constituency.

private Member – Another name for abackbencher: a Member of Parliamentwho does not have an official role in theHouse of Commons.

provincial or territorial government– Each ofCanada’s 10 provinces and three territo-ries has a legislature that makes laws forthe people living in that province or terri-tory. Each legislature is located in thecapital city of the province or territory.

question period – A daily period oftime in the Senate and House ofCommons when parliamentarians

ask the government questions about itsactivities or important issues.


reading (of a bill) – A word usedfor the stages during which a bill isdebated in Parliament before it ispassed to become a law.

report stage – A step in the passageof a bill through both the Senate and theHouse of Commons. e Report Stage iswhen the Senate or the House of Commonsconsiders the report of the committeethat has studied a bill, and when changesto the text of the bill may be proposed.

representative – A person who speaksfor you.

responsible government – e Government,made up of the Prime Minister and Cabi-net, must have the support of the majorityin the House of Commons to stay inpower. If the Government loses that sup-port on a question of confidence, it must

resign and ask the GovernorGeneral to call an election.

riding – Another word forconstituency or electoral district.

Right Honourable – A special titlegiven to Governors General, PrimeMinisters and Chief Justices of the

Supreme Court of Canada. etitle can be used for the person’slifetime, even after retirement.

Royal Assent – e last stage before abill becomes a law. e ceremony ofRoyal Assent takes place in the SenateChamber and is performed by theGovernor General or the GovernorGeneral’s deputy with Members of theHouse of Commons present. A bill canalso receive Royal Assent at Rideau Hallby written declaration.

Senate – e Upper House ofParliament is made up of 105Senators.

Senator – A person appointed to theUpper House of Parliament by theGovernor General on the advice of thePrime Minister. A Senator represents aregion of Canada.

Sergeant-at-Arms – e person whois responsible for the maintenance andsecurity of the buildings used by the staffand Members of the House of Commons,including the Chamber. e Sergeant-at-Arms also carries the Mace when theSpeaker enters and leaves the CommonsChamber.

session – e periods into which aParliament is divided. Sessions start witha Speech from the rone and are endedby prorogation (suspension).

sitting – A meeting of the Senate or of theHouse of Commons within a session.Usually one day long, although a sittingcan last for only a matter of minutes ormay extend over several days.

Speaker of the House of Commons– eMember of Parliament who is elected atthe beginning of a Parliament by fellowMPs to keep order in the House of Com-mons and to ensure that its rules and tra-ditions are respected.

Speaker of the Senate – e Speaker is ap-pointed by the Governor General on theadvice of the Prime Minister. e Speakerkeeps order in the Senate and ensuresthat rules and traditions are respected.

Speech from the Throne – A speechdelivered by the Monarch or the GovernorGeneral at the start of a new session ofParliament. e speech is read in theSenate Chamber and describes theGovernment’s plans for the session.

Supreme Court of Canada – e highestcourt in Canada. It has nine justices whoare appointed by the Prime Minister.

table (verb) – To place a documentbefore the Senate, the House ofCommons or a committee forconsideration.

48


49Web Links

Upper House – Another name forthe Senate.

Usher of the Black Rod – An officer of theSenate whose responsibilities include de-livering messages to the Commons whenits Members’ attendance is required inthe Senate Chamber by the GovernorGeneral or a deputy of the GovernorGeneral.

vote – To choose a representative inan election. Eligible Canadian citizens vote for their representatives

to the House of Commons by secret ballotduring federal elections. In the Senate andHouse of Commons, Members can voteeither orally or by standing in their places.

whip (noun) – The Member of Parliament or Senator in a politicalparty who is responsible for keeping

other party Members informed about theChamber’s business and making sure theyare present in the Chamber, especiallywhen a vote is expected.

Web LinksPARLIAMENT OF CANADAwww.parl.gc.ca

PARLIAMENT OF CANADA EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES www.parl.gc.ca/education

TEACHERS INSTITUTE ON CANADIAN PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY www.parl.gc.ca/teachers

SENATE PAGE PROGRAM www.parl.gc.ca/senpage

HOUSE OF COMMONS PAGE PROGRAM www.parl.gc.ca/hocpage

PARLIAMENTARY GUIDE PROGRAM www.parl.gc.ca/guides

ELECTIONS CANADA www.elections.ca

GOVERNOR GENERAL OF CANADA www.gg.ca

CPAC, CABLE PUBLIC AFFAIRS CHANNELwww.cpac.ca


Getting to Know Your Youth Narrators

My favourite thingabout giving tours of the

Parliament Buildingsis meeting people from

all around the world.I like to let visitors know

about my home province,New Brunswick.

I always wearmy name tag

and bilingual pin,I sometimes like to wear

my Filipino Canadianpin too. I came from British

Columbia to becomea House of Commons

page. One of the biggestchallenges of my job is

memorizing all the namesand ridings of the MPs.

As a House of Commonspage, you have to standwhenever the Speakerstands. When I’m notworking in the House,

I like going out toyouth groups and telling

them about my job.

Can you seemy turquoise earrings?

I wear these to celebratemy Métis heritage

while working inthe Senate Chamber.

I can work asa Senate page

for one or two years.We come from all over

Canada!

Being a pageis exciting work:

I see important decisionsget made every day.I also see a lot of theParliament Buildings

while I’m running around!

JulieEric

MichelleSimon Marie

IsabelleDaniel

e youth narrators appearing in this book were all real Senate and House of Commons pages and Parliamentary Guides at the time of writing.eir names have been changed to protect their privacy.

50


For additional copies or more information contact:Information ServiceParliament of CanadaOttawa, Ontario K1A 0A9Telephone:Toll-free: 1-866-599-4999National Capital Region: 613-992-4793Fax: 613-992-1273TTY: 613-995-2266Guided Tours: 613-996-0896Email: [email protected]: www.parl.gc.ca

A Teacher’s Guide for this publication as well aseducational resources on this topic are available at:

www.parl.gc.ca/education

Cette publication est disponible en français.

51

The printing and distribution of this edition is made possiblein part by Canadian Heritage (Government of Canada)

and the Churchill Society for the Advancementof Parliamentary Democracy.



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