Parliamentary Democracy
Resource Links
The following are external links to information helpful to the educators, the
public, and lifelong students of Parliamentary democracy
How
Canadians Govern Themselves 6th
Edition
by The Honourable Senator Eugene A. Forsey
P.C., C.C., B.A., M.A., Ph.D., LL.D., D.Litt., D.C.L., F.R.S.C
Senator Eugene Forsey wanted us to know how government works in Canada for one very simple reason - there is nothing Canadians do in any given day that is not affected by how we govern ourselves. As he says inside this booklet: "We cannot work or eat or drink; we cannot buy or sell or own anything; we cannot go to a ball game or a hockey game or watch TV without feeling the effects of government. We cannot marry or educate our children, cannot be sick, born or buried without the hand of government somewhere intervening."
Through this lively and readable booklet, Senator Forsey has helped tens of thousands of students, teachers, legislators and ordinary citizens in Canada and around the world understand the Canadian system of
government.
Inside
Canada’s Parliament
Inside Canada’s Parliament:
An Introduction to How the Canadian Parliament Works
was commissioned by the Senate, the House of Commons and the Library of
Parliament to provide those interested in Parliament — including members of
the public, teachers, business people and parliamentarians from both here and
abroad — with an introduction to the Canadian system. The information
in this guide is intended to provide key facts about Parliament and, at the
same time, capture its spirit and give readers some insight into how the work
of Parliament actually gets done, and by whom.
Guide
to the Canadian House of Commons
The idea behind this guide is to answer some of
those questions. It explains how the House of Commons fits into Canada’s
parliamentary system of government. It also describes the work done in the
Commons and gives a look at the day-to-day life of a Member of Parliament.
Compendium - House of Commons - Procedure Outline
http://www.parl.gc.ca/compendium/web-content/c_a_index-e.htm
The Compendium is a
collection of articles on specialized procedural topics. It is
designed to help people who need to better understand the workings of the
House of Commons and its committees.
The Compendium replaces the Précis of Procedure and the Fact Sheets on
Procedure with a single on-line source of up-to-date procedural information.
Glossary
of Parliamentary Procedure
Parliamentary
procedure in the House of Commons has continued to evolve since the time of
Confederation, adapting itself to the circumstances and needs of Canadians. As
with any specialized field, there has grown up a specific terminology that
captures its intricacies and reflects its history. Because of the technical
nature of these terms, and the fact that there was no single work directly
related to the context of the Canadian House of Commons, in 1992 it was
decided to prepare a glossary to provide basic explanations and definitions in
a readily accessible form. This Glossary
of Parliamentary Procedure is produced by
Procedural Services of the House of Commons for the information of the general
public.
Members of Parliament describe their role in a
variety of ways. “I am first and foremost a representative of the people and
accountable to those who elected me,” one MP says. Others may see themselves
as working for the common good of all Canadians, or perhaps primarily as a
law-maker, and still others emphasize their role as government watchdog or a
player in partisan politics. In fact, an MP has many job descriptions,
including legislator, negotiator, ombudsman, policy analyst, public speaker,
and diplomat.
On the Job with a Senator
There is a lot of variety and go-go-go in the interesting
and demanding duties of a Senator’s job. Typically, a Senator participates
in sessions in the Senate Chamber, works on committees, holds business
meetings, manages an office and travels regularly to the specific region of
Canada the Senate member represents.
Model
Parliament Unit - An
Activity Resource for Educators
Understanding
Parliament leads young people to appreciate their roles as citizens, their
responsibilities and obligations, their rights and freedoms. Why do we vote?
Why do we pay taxes? Why do we obey laws? How do the decisions made in
Parliament affect us?
What better way
to teach young Canadians about Parliament than to have them participate in a
model Parliament simulation? People learn best by doing. By creating a
scenario for young people to assume the roles of parliamentarians, This
Library of Parliament programme offers educators a an excellent tool to help
students understand their Parliamentary institutions.
Parliamentary Democracy
Links
Teachers
Institute on Canadian Parliamentary Democracy
Get
an insider's view of Canada's parliamentary system. Meet political, procedural
and pedagogical experts; explore key issues of parliamentary democracy;
develop resources for teaching about Parliament, governance, democracy and
citizenship.
For
information on the program or an application form, please visit the
Parliamentary Internet site at
www.parl.gc.ca/teachers or call the Library of Parliament's Information Service at
(613) 992-4793 or toll free at 1-866-599-4999
Library
of Parliament Educational Links and Resources (English PDF)
Library
of Parliament Educational Links and Resources (French PDF)
Forum for Young Canadians
Forum
for Young Canadians is Canada's longest running and most successful youth
program about Canadian government and our governmental institutions.
Established in 1975, Forum is operated by the not-for-profit educational
Foundation for the Study of Processes of Government in Canada. The bilingual
and strictly non-partisan program brings approximately 600 students (aged
15-19 years) from across Canada to Ottawa in four separate sessions each
spring where they spend a week on Parliament Hill to experience first-hand how
Canadian government works and the values its promotes.
Canadian
Study of Parliament Group
Founded in 1978, the Canadian
Study of Parliament Group (CSPG) is a non-profit and non-partisan organization
that brings together individuals with an interest in the role, function and
reform of parliamentary institutions.
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
The CPA was founded in 1911 as the Empire
Parliamentary Association.
Active CPA Branches now exist in 170 national, state, provincial and
territorial Parliaments and Legislatures. The CPA provides the sole
means of regular consultation among Members of Commonwealth Parliaments.
Institute
for Research on Public Policy (IRPP)
The Strengthening Canadian Democracy research
program explores some of the democratic lacunae in Canada's political system.
In proposing reforms, the focus is on how the legitimacy of our system of
government can be strengthened before disengagement from politics and public
alienation accelerate unduly. This is a direct link to the research program.
Hansard
Society (UK)
The Hansard Society is an independent,
non-partisan educational charity, which exists to promote effective
parliamentary democracy in the UK. Good government needs to be supported
and balanced by a strong effective parliamentary democracy and these concerns
are reflected in their work to strengthen the parliament by encouraging
greater accessibility and closer engagement with the public.
Model
on Parliamentary Democracy
Visit the Commonwealth Parliamentary
Association's Module on Parliamentary Democracy. The Association's aim in
developing this module is to foster knowledge and a better understanding of
the history, principles and practices of the Westminster model of
parliamentary democracy, in the context of other democratic models of
governance. It is hoped that the result among members of the Commonwealth
Parliamentary Association will be a heightened awareness of issues affecting
the evolution and future of parliamentary democracy.
The Module on Parliamentary Democracy is the
first in a series of modules on various aspects of democratic governance. It
has been developed by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in
partnership with Athabasca University: Canada's Open University
Parliament
of Canada
The Parliamentary Internet Parlementaire website, created and
maintained jointly by the Senate, House of Commons and the Library of
Parliament offers information valuable on the Canadian Parliament.
Canada's
Constitutional
Monarchy
Canada has long been a monarchy - under the kings of France in the 16th, 17th
and 18th centuries, under the British Crown in the 18th and 19th centuries,
and as a kingdom in our own right from Confederation in 1867 onward. Along
with the House of Commons and the Senate, the Crown is one third of Canada's
parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy.
The
Canadian Royal Heritage Trust
The
Trust is working to expand Canadians’ knowledge of the Crown, and is
available to assist students, academics, the media and the general public.
The Trust operates The Eugene Forsey Prize for Essays on the Canadian Monarchy
in honour of Canada’s renowned constitutional expert, the Hon. Eugene Forsey
(1904-1991).
The
Monarchist League of Canada
The League is an organization of
Canadians whose object is to support the full expression and better
understanding of the benefits of Constitutional Monarchy to this
country.
Governor
General of Canada
The Office of the Governor General, Canada's
oldest continuing institution, is a thread that ties Canadians together.
From Samuel de Champlain in 1608 to Viscount Monck in 1867 to Vincent
Massey in 1952 to the current Governor General, the role in Canada dates
back nearly 400 years.
Canadian
Prime Ministers from 1867 to Present
Canada's Prime Ministers bring a
variety of life experiences to the job. This unique collection highlights the
political and electoral histories of our Prime Ministers and includes
biographical details.
Sir
Winston Churchill on Parliamentary Democracy
A
collection of Sir Winston's quotations on the great institution of
parliamentary democracy. (Under construction)
Votes:
Getting the Votes
Is our democracy in crisis? If a healthy
democracy depends on the active participation of its voters, then the answer
is yes. In 2004 voter turnout in the federal election reached its lowest level
ever, as only 60% of eligible voters cast a ballot.
This web site by the Historica Foundation of
Canada focuses on the most troubling aspect of the problem: the case of young
Canadians. Young people are much less likely to vote than their parents or
grandparents. This site raises some questions around the issue of youth voting
in Canada and tries to provide an historical context for the current debate.
Churchill,
Freedom & Democracy
Inder Dan Ratnu, of India, explains the
importance of Winston Churchill to the preservation of freedom and
parliamentary democracy.
Prime
Minister Winston Churchill Reviews the War in the House of Commons,
12
November 1941
"Our universal
resolve to keep Parliamentary institutions in full activity amid the throes of
war has been proved. That is a feat of enormous difficulty, never accomplished
in any such complete perfection in history. His Majesty's Government base
themselves upon the House of Commons. They look to the House for aid and
comfort, in the incalculable perils by which we are beset. We are entitled to
seek from the House from time to time the formal renewal of their confidence.
The debate on the address furnishes the signal outstanding parliamentary
opportunity of the year. It is the Grand Inquest of the nation." - Prime
Minister Churchill
Prime
Minister Tony Blair's speech to Canadian Parliament, 23 February 2001
"There is a famous photograph of Sir Winston Churchill
in the Speaker's Office. He was here almost exactly 60 years ago. He addressed
this Parliament in Europe's darkest hour. In that speech, he described how it
had been confidently predicted that Britain would fall as surely as other
nations before the Nazi advance." - Prime Minister Blair
Electoral Reform
Renewing
Democracy: Law Commission of Canada
Beginning
in 2001, the Law Commission of Canada conducted extended research and a
multifaceted public consultation and engagement strategy to gather the
insights and opinions of a broad cross section of Canadians on electoral
system reform. This Report reflects many of the opinions and ideas that were
expressed through this consultation process.
Ontario's
Democratic Renewal Secretariat
The
Democratic Renewal Secretariat is reaching out to Ontarians and engaging them
in a democratic renewal process. This will included a 'Dialogue on
Democracy' a Citizens' Assembly and a referendum on their recommendations.
B.C.
Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform
The
Citizens’ Assembly was created by the Government of British Columbia with
the unanimous support of the B.C. Legislature. It is an independent,
non-partisan assembly of citizens who will meet to examine the
province’s electoral system — that is, how our votes determine who gets
elected to sit in the provincial Legislature.
