Canadian Parliamentary Review

Forty, First Canadian Regional Conference New Brunswick was the site of the 2002 Canadian Regional Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. It brought together some 90 legislators and observers from every federal, provincial and...

QUEBEC On 14 June last, the National Assembly adjourned its proceedings for the summer after having passed 37 public bills and 10 private bills. The following are among the more noteworthy bills adopted during the spring session: * the Act instituting...

Prior to adjourning for the summer on Thursday, June 20th, the House of Commons passed a number of controversial bills including Bill C-5, the Species at Risk Act and Bill C-15B, a legislative package aimed at amending the Criminal Code in relation...

On Tuesday, June 11, 2002, the Fifth Session of the 14th Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories reconvened. Spanning only nine days, this summer session saw a number of bills given Royal Assent, including some of major significance to the...

The 2002 Spring Sitting of the Second Session of the 30th Legislature began on April 4 and ended on May 30. The Sitting saw, among other things, the government lapse into a minority situation, 16 bills receive assent (including a new electoral boundaries...

Three years ago, in an article published in the Canadian Parliamentary Review, I commented on the general nature of the debate on Senate reform, which seemed to be based principally on empty slogans and simplistic criticisms. For too many public commentators,...

On May 2, 2002 the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs held a round table on the topic of Private Members' Business. For more than two hours a lively discussion took place about what could be done to improve this aspect...

Sixty to eighty hour work weeks are common in political life. Individual identity becomes reflexively linked to work. The suddenness of defeat and loss of public attention has an abrupt and direct impact on the politician's identity. Ideals of caring...

Parliamentarians rank among UNESCO's major partners in the promotion of human development and peacekeeping through the various programs the organization is known for including fields such as education, science, culture and communication. UNESCO's...