Events
E-Notification
Conferences
Parliamentary Business Seminars
Speaking Tours
Throughout the year, the Canadian Study of Parliament Group holds various conferences, seminars and discussions on parliamentary affairs. CSPG events and activities are open to the public and take place in Ottawa and across Canada. Summaries of many of our conferences, as well as select transcripts and papers, are available in our publication page.
PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS SEMINARS
Wednesday, May 23, 2012: The Legislative Process
PAYMENT OPTION - Past or Upcoming Parliamentary Business Seminars
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Our major conferences are typically held annually in Ottawa and bring together a wide variety of Parliamentary experts and practitioners. To view previous conference titles and agendas please see the list below. For a list of conference proceedings see the Publications page.
- December 2010 - Parliament and Congress - Charles Johnson and Sir William McKay talk to Tom Clark about their book, Parliament and Congress, and their experiences in the US House of Representatives and the UK House of Commons. Watch it now.Dr. Louis Massicotte and the Rt. Hon. Herb Gray discuss the evolution of Canada's Parliament. Watch it now.
- September 2010 - Question Period Reform - Link to CPAC
- December 2009 - "The Federal Accountability Act Three Years On"
- December 2008 - “What Will the 40th Parliament Be Like?”
- December 2007 - “Parliament, Technology and Citizens”
- December 2006 - “Whom Do You Trust? The Growing Relationship between Legislative Assembly Officers and Citizens”
- December 2005 - “All Politics is Local: The Constituency Dimension of Federal Politics”
- March 2005 - “Canada: A Democratic Audit”
- 2004 - “Electoral Reform and its Parliamentary Consequences”
- 2002 – “Political Parties in Leadership Transition”
- 2001 – “Canada Today: A Democratic Audit”
- 2000 – “Parliamentary Government at the Millennium: Continuity and Change in Westminster”
- 1999 – “The Eclipse of Parliament? The Concentration of Power in Canadan Politics”
- 1998 – “Taking Stock of 150 Years of Responsible Government in Canada”
- 1997 – “Party Caucuses: Behind Closed Doors”
Business Seminars
The CSPG organizes half-day seminars to address more specific issues about Canadian Parliament and on parliamentary procedure. They are geared to parliamentary and government relations specialists. They also appeal to individuals new to the field of parliamentary procedure.
- January 2012 - The Financial Cycle
- October 2011 - Committees and the Democratic Reform Agenda
- May 2011 - Private Members' Business
- January 2011 - The Legislative Process
- October 2010 - Committees: How They Work and How to Work With Them
- May 2010 - CPAC's Video on Demand of PBS on Parliamentary Diplomacy held on May 19, 2010 - AGENDA
- January 2010 - "Follow the Money: Understanding the Federal Budgetary Cycle"
- October 2009 - "Parliamentary Procedure 101: What you need to know about how Parliament Works"
- May 2009 - “Political Parties and Parliament”
- January 2009 - “Inside Committees”
- November 2008 - “In the Arms of the Prime Minister: Making Sense of the Privy Council Office (PCO) and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO)”
- May 2008 - “Key Players on Parliament Hill”
- January 2008 - “Private Members' Bills, Motions and Other Initiatives”
- October 2007 - “Accessing the Information You Need” and “How Bills Become Law”
- April 2007 - “The New Focus on Accountability: Impacts on Parliament and You”
- January 2007 - “The Thirty-Ninth Parliament: Expectations and Results” and “Officers of Parliament: Supporting the Democratic Process”
- November 2006 - “How Parliamentary Committees Really Work” and “Senate Reform: What Difference Will it Make?”
- April 2006 - “Legislating: From Ideas to Acts”
- January 2006 - “Private Members' Business / Lobbying”
- November 2005 - “A Day in the Life of the Chamber”
- April 2005 - “Who Does What: Organizing the Work of the Two Chambers and their Committees”
- January 2005 - ”Officers of Parliament”
- November 2004 - ”Looking Ahead to a Minority Parliament”
- April 2004 - ”Parliament: Theory and Practice”
- January 2004 - ”Cabinet Directives” and “Public Servants Before Parliamentary Committees”
- November 2003 - “Parliamentary Returns” and “The Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates”
- April 2003 – “Committee Preparation” and “The Senate”
- January 2003 – “Legislative Process” and “Parliamentary Documents”
- November 2002 – “The Business of Supply” and “Private Members’ Business”
- January 2001 – “The 37th Parliament: Trends and Expectations”
- November 2000 – “The Legislative Process in Parliament and You”
- April 1999 – “Private Members' Business in the Senate and the House of Commons and Effective Use of Parliamentary Publications”
- April 1998 – “The Intricacies of Dealing with Proposed Amendments to Bills in Parliamentary Committees and Witnesses before Parliamentary Committees - Policies and Procedures”
Since 1988, the Canadian Association of Clerks-at-the-Table and the Canadian Study of Parliament Group (CSPG) have arranged for federal and provincial Clerks to speak to students at Canadian universities about the role of Parliament and the Westminster model of government. The response to this initiative has been extremely positive. Both professors and students have told us about the value of having a practitioner in parliamentary procedure discuss the nature, role and function of Parliament.
We see this activity as a joint venture with the university concerned. The two sponsoring organizations provide a speaker, either a federal or provincial Clerk, and the university is responsible for organizing the event. Costs are covered by the federal or provincial legislatures with assistance from the sponsoring organizations if necessary.
The format for the presentation can vary from a special presentation to a number of students, to a lecture during regular class time or a seminar to graduate students or undergraduates with relevant majors. Our experience has been that most professors prefer to use scheduled class time and to invite others to attend.
Professors interested in this program are invited to provide details about the type of presentation and preferred timing on our online registration form. Applications received by the end of September each year will receive priority consideration but requests received later in the academic year are also welcome and will be approved wherever possible.
We feel that this is an opportunity for students to gain a better appreciation of the dynamics of the parliamentary system at a crucial time in its evolution. We hope that professors and students will find our program beneficial. Contact the CSPG for more details
