Talk:Legislative Assembly of Ontario
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To Fat pig73: Please don't de-link the names of members -- it will just create more re-linking work once their biographies are written. CJCurrie 04:31, 8 Nov 2004 (UTC)
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[edit] By-election results
It's available on the Elections Ontario website - live. With about half of polls reporting (8:50 pm), John Tory has about 56%, the nearest competitor around 17%. Safe to say he has been elected.
[edit] Speech from the Throne
If Ontario has alway's had a unicameral legislature, where does the Lieutenant Governor give the Throne Speech? Does s/he actually enter the debating chamber? (Alphaboi867 02:44, 12 October 2005 (UTC))
- In PEI and Saskatchwan, the Lt. Governor does enter the chamber for the Throne Speech and for granting Assent. But there is still a Black Rod who knocks at the chamber doors, requesting that His/Her Honour be allowed to enter the chamber. The cerimony is just the same as if there were a Legislative Council, except altered to reflect the fact that there isnt.
Im assuming that this is the nation-wide procedure. Keeperoftheseal 19:56, 28 March 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Something amusing
Looking over the official Hansard, I've discovered that the Legislative Assembly of Ontario held an unusual number of thirty-minute bells during its evening session of June 7, 2004 -- including two consecutive bells between 10:00 and 11:00 pm.[1] No formal explanation was given for this unusual turn of events, although it may not have been entirely coincidental that the final game of the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs was taking place at the same time.
I would refer readers in particular to Marilyn Churley's comments after the legislature formally resumed:
While I was reflecting on my earlier comments, I was watching the end of the hockey game. I have to say that we're very sad. Calgary just lost. I don't know, Speaker, if you had an opportunity to leave the chair and see, but they lost. But we do want to congratulate both teams on games well played. It was a pleasure to see all the great hockey being played up until tonight. Again, I just want to congratulate Calgary -- yay, team -- for playing a good game. There you go.
I'm looking forward now to getting into baseball, which for me is more of a spring-summer kind of game anyway. It's kind of weird playing hockey in the middle of summer, with the weather in Florida, what, over 80 degrees or something.
Mr Speaker, I will have an opportunity to have a few more comments about the bill before us in my two-minute summary.
If anyone who follows this discussion page plans to watch tonight's game, if might be worthwhile to turn to the Legislative Assembly channel every twenty minutes or so to see if they'll do something similar this year. CJCurrie 22:59, 19 June 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Numbers
I see we have a vacancy listed, but has Cordiano actually resigned yet? My understanding is that he decided to stand down from cabinet, but is keeping his seat for the time being. CJCurrie 00:26, 20 September 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Additional Information
Hi, I have never contributed to an article and thought I would give it a try. Please have a look at this material and tell me what you think.
I would also like to add a short section on the Office of Assembly (the professional/administrative section of the Legislature as well as the Legislative Library).
Please tell me what you think.
Tibby68 15:31, 17 April 2007 (UTC)
ABOUT THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO The Legislative Assembly, commonly called the House, consists of 103 Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) elected to represent the people of their constituencies. The principal task of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario is passing laws, which are first introduced as bills in the legislature. Most laws originate with the cabinet (Government bills), and are passed by the legislature after stages of debate and decision-making. Although, ordinary Members of the Legislature pass few laws they have introduced privately (Private Members' bills) they nonetheless play an integral role in scrutinizing, debating and amending bills presented to the legislature by cabinet.
Members express the different points of view and opinions of their constituents when they debate the issues of the day in the Legislature, allowing average citizens to express their views through them. A parliamentary debate on a government bill explores all relevant aspects of the matter in question, and presents all the arguments that can be made for and against it.
The most important responsibility of the Legislature is to provide a public platform, and an orderly process in which the actions of the government can be examined and scrutinized. This oversight function operates at two levels. The first is the confrontation between Government and Opposition in the Chamber. The Government is obliged to defend everything it wants to do, and the Opposition is given the opportunity to criticize the Government and expound its own policies.
The second confrontation is the historical confrontation between Parliament, answerable to the people, and the Executive, appointed by the Crown. The Legislature is expected to monitor closely how ministers spend public money and manage their departments, and ensure that the grievances of citizens are brought to the attention of the government. This task is often exercised by ordinary backbenchers who become highly knowledgeable about the impact of government policy on the community through their extensive constituency work.
In the Ontario Legislature this confrontation provides much of the material for Oral Questions and Members' Statements. Legislative scrutiny of the executive is also at the heart of much of the work carried out by the Legislature's Standing Committees, which are made up of ordinary backbenchers.
A Member's day will typically be divided among participating in the business of the House, attending caucus and committee meetings, speaking in various debates, or returning to his or her constituency to address the concerns, problems and grievances of constituents. Depending on personal inclination and political circumstances, some Members concentrate most of their attention on House matters while others focus on constituency problems, taking on something of an ombudsman's role in the process.
Finally, it is the task of the Legislature to provide the personnel of the executive. As already noted, under responsible government, ministers of the Crown are expected to be Members of the Assembly. When a political party comes to power it will invariably place its more experienced parliamentarians into the key cabinet positions, where their parliamentary experience may be the best preparation for the rough and tumble of political life in government.
Coat of Arms
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario is the first legislature in Canada to have a Coat of Arms separate from the provincial coat of arms.
Green and gold are the principal colours in the shield of arms of the province. The Mace is the traditional symbol of the authority of the Speaker. Shown on the left is the current Mace. On the right is the original Mace from the time of the first parliament in 1792. The crossed Maces are joined by the shield of arms of Ontario.
The crown on the wreath represents national and provincial loyalties; its rim is studded with the provincial gemstone, the amethyst. The griffin, an ancient symbol of justice and equity, holds a calumet, which symbolizes the meeting of spirit and discussion that Ontario's First Peoples believe accompanies the use of the pipe.
The deer represent the natural riches of the province. The Loyalist coronets at their necks honour the original European settlers in Ontario who brought with them the parliamentary form of government. The Royal Crowns, left 1992, right 1792, recognize the parliamentary bicentennial and recall our heritage as a constitutional monarchy. They were granted as a special honour by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the recommendation of the Governor General.
In the base, the maple leaves are for Canada, the trilliums for Ontario and the roses for York (now Toronto), the provincial capital.
The motto "AUDI ALTERAM PARTEM" is one of a series of Latin phrases carved in the Chamber of the Legislative Building. It challenges Members of Provincial Parliament to "Hear the Other Side".
[I have uploaded a jpeg of the Shield of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario already]
Flag
The Banner is the shield of arms of the Assembly displayed in Flag form.
