fortis et libre . . . strong and free...mock legislature is copying legislative actions to learn how...

Belgravia Reporter November 2012

Mock Legislature No Smoking

By: Matthew Mock Legislature is copying legislative actions to learn how the Real Legislature would be like. This is our time at the Mock Leg.

On Wednesday, October 2012 our class proposed a bill to Mock Legislature. The bill that was proposed was make smoking illegal. Our fellow Leaders are Rheanna the Premier and Opposition Leader Meghan. The meeting was held at the mock legislature official office. We did this because we thought it would be a great opportunity to “copy” the legislature actions.

Some of the other people that joined us during this event were: The Lieutenant Governor, River. The Sergeant-At-Arms, Alec.

The kids really liked and enjoyed the time at the Legislature and they especially liked Mock Legislature.

100th Anniversary Celebrations By Ryan

The Alberta Legislature was created in 1912 after 5 years of construction, therefore, 2012 is the 100th Anniversary, a very large event. They refurbished the entire Alberta Legislature prior the anniversary to represent the second legislative century and at the dome a centennial party took place. They re-earthed the “time capsule” after it was unearthed 103 years ago. Speaker Gene Zwazdesky and Minister Heather Klimchuk organized this party. The “time capsule” was made of copper and represented numerous legislative events. They started building the legislature in 1907, and halfway through creation, they built the time capsule. The reason that it took a long time to build is because the legislature has many buildings and facilities and many other things.

The 100th Anniversary Party was organized by the Legislature on Sunday, September 2, 2012. Fancy foods were consumed during the party and so were numerous other foods. In an interview, Mr. River Cameron stated that his hockey camp went to a ½ hours worth of the party alongside Mr. Cameron’s father, James Cameron (no, not the Terminator director, a random Edmontonian). CBC might be able to give you information on discovering whether or not there were protestors, that a party would be approximately 5 hours worth of a century when it only occurred once a century and near the end, they held a fireworks. At the same time as the fireworks, a Centennial Concert was held. Meanwhile, an ATCO Centennial Stage was held on the south lawn.

They put a poster on the dome’s door saying “100th Anniversary of the Leg”. After the 100th anniversary, the MLA’s worked the way they always did.

Fortis et Libre . . . Strong and Free

The Committee Clerks By Simon

The Committee Clerk’s assist the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly. They have meetings in a large room with microphones and have power sockets in case they want to bring a laptop. In these meetings they have no pages. Committee clerks can have their position until they are fired or retire. To get the job you must apply. Soon they will move to a new government building. Their old one will be torn down.

One of the current Committee Clerks has had the position for 23 years. The other was appointed about 2 months ago. Their large meetings currently take place in the Annex Building beside the Legislature.


Displays Benjamin

On October 15, 2012 the students of Belgravia school departed to School at the Legislature for one week.Their trip took them all over the Legislature grounds to see the many wonders that it held. Here is Emma, grade six commenting on the first bus ride; “It was so hectic on the bus, everyone was so excited to see the Legislature! When it was time to leave the bus, everyone piled out in frantic clumps, it was funny to watch!”

This article will be focused on the last day of this excursion, October 19, the day they went on the display walk. On the walk they saw, tucked away in a little corner, the Legoslature a masterpiece was designed and built by John Koob and Chris Gray. The construction assistants were NALUG (Northern Alberta Lego Users group) members and guests. Did you know that the Legoslature has minifigures that include Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers, Harry Potter, and one of the first or “founding” figures, Bob? “The Legoslature is a detailed version of the Legislature. I think they chose the right colors for it,” quotes Alec Zaïane who wishes that he had helped build the Legoslature.

“Alberta has many emblems, our official flower is the beautiful wild rose, our official animal is the beaver, our official rock, petrified wood has stood scrutiny, and our strong tree is the lodgepole pine.” States Benjamin Caufield a grade six student.

Now the students of Belgravia had to get from one place to another. The pedway poses as an eco-friendly option, is very accessible, has connections to almost all the buildings and is great exercise! At the end of the trip the students reflected on all that they learned and all that they accomplished, after many interviews here are some quotes;

“I thought that it was a very positive experience, and I would recommend it to any class that gets this opportunity, it was a great privilege to get the first-hand experience of all the staff and information in the Legislature.” -Naomi Caufield

The Great Debate of the Provincial Parks

by Anju Belgravia school did mock legislature in the annex building on Tuesday, October 16, 2012. They did the Provincial Parks Act, Bill 1600. Everyone was assigned a roll and started debating the Provincial Parks Act. They did it to know what it feels like to be an MLA.

In the debate of the Provincial Parks Act, honorable government member Caitlin said “The provincial parks will be a great thing to do for the province because it will be good to save the wildlife and habitat.” Then honourable opposition member Kamryn spoke “It will cost a lot of money and time.” It will cost a lot of money and time but it will be good for the environment and help the animals in danger. It might involve tearing down buildings. There are positive things about it and negative things about it.

The class wore robes, sweaters, and suits for mock legislature. Mock legislature is when a class is assigned a roll and then come in to the fake house and start debating. They did two debates, first one is the provincial parks act then the smoking act. The provincial parks act was the first one so they used a script. So the provincial parks act was a practice debate and the smoking act was the real one with no script.

“The Legislature was an incredibly amazing and positive opportunity. Looking back I realize that everything we learned and did will help us in the future. I highly recommend this to any student or class that gets the chance. Five stars.” -Benjamin Caufield

“It was good.” -Mathis Remmers

Now here is what the teachers said:

“I quite enjoyed everything that the Legislature had to offer they had many different programs and services to provide” -Miss Kinsella

“I really liked it. I think it had great government learning opportunities.” -Mrs. Hansen


The Alberta Ombudsman By Alec

The Alberta Ombudsman works with (but not for) the Legislative assembly of Alberta. The Ombudsman’s job is to help people who feel they have been treated unfairly, and the government is able to help them. The Ombudsman also helps organizations and companies to understand fairness and equality through education.

When someone complains the Ombudsman and his team investigate the complaint. The complaint must be submitted in writing. Some of the things the Ombudsman does not do are looking at complaints from MLAs and ministers of government or investigate decisions made by the court.

The current Ombudsman’s name is Peter Hourihan, he is the 8th Ombudsman. There is also a Deputy Ombudsman. The men have backgrounds in the RCMP and law.

An example for the Ombudsman investigating a complaint is: Norbert and Steve are going to apply for a job and they are signing all the paperwork. When they hand them in the person at the desk says that the papers are invalid. Then he says that since they handed in invalid papers they have to wait 5 months before they can do it again. After that Norbert and Steve would complain to the Ombudsman.

The Alberta Ombudsman is focused on fairness, and he works for all Albertans.

Premier's Office and Cabinet by Caitlin

On October 19, 2012 at around 9 -10 o’clock, the Belgravia grade 5 and 6 students went and visited the Premier's office and cabinet to learn more about the legislature. They visited it and got a presentation from Kim Armstrong about the cabinet. They got a tour in the premier’s office from their tour guide Brooke who toured the Belgravia school for the whole week.

The Belgravia students learned that in the cabinet is where the MLAs make some of their decisions. There is a giant safe where they keep all their secret documents. They also learned that the cabinet is a room where they make decisions. The cabinet is sound proof so all the confidential information stays private. Benjamin Caufield says, “In the Cabinet we learned that all the MLA’s have to swear to secrecy so that they can keep their voices hidden from media and press.” All the people who go in there must swear that they keep all the information they hear private. Kim Armstrong is the lady that gave the grade 5 and 6 students their presentation on the cabinet. The Premier’s office is very close to the cabinet so that it will be easy for her to go there.

In the office of the current Premier, Alison Redford, the Belgravia students learned that she has one giant safe where she keeps all her important documents. She has 3 other secret rooms where she keeps some food in a pantry, and a bathroom. On the left side of her office the Premier has a room where her assistant does her work and there is one entrance in her work area. She keeps a lot of her personal trinkets in her office. On the weekends she is in Edmonton and on the weekdays she is in Calgary where she goes home and spends time with her family.

The grade 5 and 6 students say that they all learned a lot from all the presentations and tours. They all really enjoyed themselves and that they all would go back again if they could.☺


Security Declan

The security at the legislature building and many more places The security at the legislature has four different groups of security grounds security that work 24-7.

Legislature security is run by the sheriff operation. Some of their jobs include monitor cameras, and drive people from jail to court and back. The grounds security protect the people on the legislature grounds for MLA and for public. The security at the legislature is to protect the speaker, the Sergeant-at-Arms and Members of the Legislature, to keep control of the people at the legislative assembly and they drive people like the speaker to the legislature.

The security will keep everything under control during the legislative assembly and stops shootings from happening when session is in. The training is very long and tiring. These people that are security are a very strong group to protect the people on the legislature from crime.

There is only been one shooting at the Legislature but the security was on the job it was very quick and they are now have a lot of more security on the perimeter. Now there is little sensors that you need a pass to open a door to get in but if they do get through they have to get past security.

The security is always on the job day or night. From MLA to the public they will always protect you from anything that comes your way on the legislature grounds and inside they will be there for you.

The Chief Electoral Office The Way to Vote

When we went to School at the Legislature we had a presentation from a member of the Chief Electoral Office. They told us all about voting and what you have to do in order to vote.

There are currently 2.6 million voters across the province. When you vote, you are making a free choice to get the kind of society, country, or province you want. There are certain requirements you must have to vote. The requirements are: you must be Canadian, you must be 18 years or older, and you must have lived in Alberta for 6 months.

When you go to a vote there will be a number of different people working there. One of them is the Poll Clerk, this person crosses you off the list of voters, the Scrutineer a representative of the political party, and the Deputy Returning Officer gives you a ballot and watches the ballot box.

During the 2012 Alberta election there were a number of MLA’s elected from the Progressive Conservative Party, Wildrose Party, Liberal, and the New Democratic Party.

Here is a table that shows how many MLA’s were elected from each party.

MLA’s Elected Party Number of MLA’s

Elected

PC 61

Wildrose 17

Liberal 5

NDP 4

When you have all the requirements there are to vote, you should vote because making a free choice of society, country, and province are very important things that some people in the world don’t get. In Canada we do get these opportunities so therefore we should take advantage of them by using them to have a chance at getting the kind of society, country or province you want.


Lieutenant Governor by Emma

His Honour, the Honourable Donald S. Ethell, is our 17th Lieutenant Governor. Since May 11th, 2010 Mister Ethell has been our Lieutenant Governor. The Lieutenant Governor plays three roles; a social role, ceremonial role, constitutional role. To this day he represents Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the House of Commons. The traditional outfit for the Lieutenant Governor is a gold embroidered suit, for the women a velvet purple cloak with Alberta’s emblem

His honor only sits in the chamber when he must give royal assent or the speech from the throne. To give royal assent His Honour the Honourable Donald S. Ethell acts on advice of elected officials, but may exercise the right to deny or “reserve” Royal Assent. The Lieutenant Governor must be given permission to enter the chamber. He will be in a procession with pages, Sergeant at Arms and the Premier. The Sergeant at Arms will use a black rod to knock on the door three times, the Speaker will then grant the Lieutenant Governor entry to the chamber.

The Speech from the Throne is the speech at the opening of a parliament meeting. The speech form the throne is both practical and ceremonial. It is usually read by His Honor, but may be read by the Queen if she is in Canada at the time. To give Royal Assent he will approve the bill by nodding his head or with a tip of his hat. The Lieutenant Governor is important to the chamber because if there was no Lieutenant Governor the Queen would have to be everywhere at once, by having people who can go places when she can’t attend makes it much easier on her and her people.

Belgravia School Visits Chamber By Eva

The Sergeant-at-Arms assistant gave Belgravia school’s grade five-six class a presentation about the role of the Sergeant-at-Arms in the chamber on October 18, 2012 to help them learn about government. The Sergeant-at-Arms has a job in the legislative assembly partly for ceremonial reasons. One of the reasons that he is very important is that he carries the mace into session and session cannot start without the mace on the table. The current Sergeant-at-Arms is Brian Hodgson. He gives security to the chamber. The Sergeant-at-Arms leads the procession (Sergeant-at-Arms, Speaker, Clerk, Clerk’s Assistant, Pages) into the chamber and he advises the Speaker on Protocol as well. He will knock on the door three times with the black rod to admit the Lieutenant Governor. He escorts his Honour, Colonel (Retired), the Honourable Donald S. Ethell, the Lieutenant Governor into the Chamber so that his Honour can give Royal Assent to bills. Bills will eventually become laws, so if the bills are passed it will make Alberta a safer place to live. The title Sergeant is thought to have come from Ancient Rome. The mace has an interesting history because in the old days the mace was used as a weapon in battle. The Sergeant-at-Arms is crucial to the legislature for many different reasons. Brian Hodgson is also the director of visitor services.


Lieutenant Governors of the Past

By Evelyn Our class went to the Legislature on October 15th to 19th. On Tuesday three Gr. Five and three Gr. Six students went to meet the Lieutenant Governor of the present, his Honor. The Honorable Donald S. Ethell. “I went to meet the Lieutenant Governor, he was very kind said Midori.” He was very interesting,” said Logan. “I wonder what other Lieutenant Governors personalities were like?” Evelyn questions.

In Alberta in the past there have been 16 Lieutenant Governors, currently the 17th is working. They have all had the same job, representing the Queen and making decisions on her behalf. The other part of their job is signing bills so they can become laws. Bills are laws before they are signed by a Lieutenant Governor.

At School at the Legislature we learned about some of the Lieutenant Governors of the past. The first Lieutenant Governor we learned about was The Honourable John C. Bowen. He was Lieutenant Governor from 1937 to 1950. He was born on October 3, 1872 in Metcalfe, Osgoode Township, Ontario, and grew up in Ottawa, Ontario. Bowen studied at Brandon College, in Brandon, Manitoba, and McMaster University, in Hamilton, Ontario. “I like school and I wanted to become someone in the government when I grow up” said John. When Bowen retired he was the longest serving Alberta Lieutenant Governor and he still holds that record today. John C. Bowen died on January 2, 1957 in Edmonton, Alberta, and was buried in the Edmonton Cemetery.

The second Lieutenant Governor that we learned about was The Honourable Ralph G. Steinhauer. He was the Lieutenant Governor from 1974 to 79. He was Born on June 8, 1905 in Morley, Alberta located in what was then the Northwest Territories. He was the first Aboriginal Lieutenant Governor. He died on September 19, 1987, eight years after he retired. He was buried in Saddle Lake, Alberta. An elementary school in Edmonton is named after him.

The third Lieutenant Governor we learned about was The Honorable W. Helen Hunley. She was the Lieutenant Governor from 1985 to 1991. Hunley was the first lady to become a Lieutenant Governor. She was born on September 6, 1920, in Acme, Alberta. She was a Town Councilor for six years from 1960-66 and Mayor of Rocky Mountain House for five (1966-71). The first time she was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta was 1971 for the district of Rocky Mountain House. From 1971 - 1973 she was responsible for the Alberta Health Care Commission. Hunley was re-elected in 1975.

Did you know that the present Lieutenant Governor was born in Vancouver in 1937 and raised in Victoria, BC. He joined the army in 1955 as a soldier, and fought 14 different wars. It is a great honour to meet the Lieutenant and all the girls and boys that went to see him probably would say that they enjoyed the visit greatly.


The Second Floor By: Jack

On October 15 we went to the school at the

Legislature. One of the first things we did was go to the 2nd floor and see all the pictures of the past premiers. All of them were men. The current premier, Alison Redford, will not have her picture displayed until she is finished being in power as it is considered bad luck. Alison Redford is Alberta’s first female premier.

The floor has over 50 pictures including Lieutenant Governors and past premiers. We saw some pictures that had a technique to make them look 3-D. We also saw some banners hanging from the wall. They were celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the Legislature.

We learned how Alberta became a province as well. Alberta first started as part of the Northwest Territories. As more people came to live in Alberta people wanted Alberta to be a separate province. Alberta became a province in 1905 and Alexander Rutherford was elected the first premier.

The second floor was a great place to start our week at the School at the Legislature. We had lots of fun learning about Alberta’s past premiers.

How A Bill Becomes A Law by Kaaden

What Is A Bill And Why Are Bills Important When a law is proposed it’s called a bill. There are several steps for a bill to become a law. Before the bill is introduced, the party that has the most seats discusses the idea and MLAs talk to citizens to figure out if they like the bill. If the majority of the citizens approve the bill, a member sponsoring the bill (usually a cabinet minister) will state the bill’s title and what the purpose of the bill is. This is the first step, or the first reading, at this stage a sponsoring member outlines why the bill was introduced and opposition members can speak and suggest alternatives for the bill.

If a bill passes the first reading, it goes on to the second reading where members of the assembly meet as a committee of the whole to discuss in detail, most of the debate takes part here at this stage. Amendments can be made to the bill. This is when a sponsor of the bill summarizes what makes the bill useful and the opposing parties state why they agree or disagree with the bill. Last vote is taken after the debate is finished.

When the bill passes the third reading, it must get Royal Assent before it becomes a law. This is done by the Lieutenant Governor he is currently known as his Honour the Honourable retired Colonel Donald S. Ethell. He represents the queen who used to sign the bills but Canada became its own country and the Queen can’t always be in Canada. The Lieutenant Governor is represents the queen and approves the bills. The Lieutenant Governor actually has the power to deny a bill but that only happened once for a bill that stated Alberta should have its own money. The bill becomes a law the morning after the day the bill is signed by the Lieutenant Governor.


School at the Legislature By: Kamryn

Our grade five/six class from Belgravia school went to school at the Legislature for a week in October. At the Legislature, we toured the Legislative Library and learned about it.

The Legislative Library has been serving the public since 1906 which makes the Legislative Library 112 years old but, it has not always been in this location. In fact, the Library is 12 years older than the Legislature and William A. Buchanan of Lethbridge was its first head Librarian. Since 1906 we have had nine librarians at the Legislature library. Our class visited the library on Tuesday, October 16, 2012 during the week of October 15 to 19, 2012 which was our week of school at the Legislature.

The Legislature library is open to the legislative assembly as well as the people of Edmonton. The Legislature library exists to provide people access to its collection of law books, provincial and federal documents, ghost stories, newspapers, maps, and historical and political government documents from all of the Canadian provinces.

The Legislative Library is located under the Grand staircase in the Legislature and has been in this location since the fall of 1911 when the current building was built but, the official opening of the Legislature building was in 1912.

In front of the grand staircase and the entrance to the library there is a fountain that represents the Queen’s first visit to Alberta, Canada. This makes the library’s location unique and special because the library is used to host special events like Royal visits and important parties.

The legislature library is a great place to learn if you are interested in the law, the assembly, ghost stories or old newspaper articles and how to preserve those old news stories.

Minister Of Justice and Solicitor General

by Lidia

A representative from the Department of Justice gave a presentation to our Grade 5/6 class while we were at School at the Legislature on October 16, 2012. Here are some of the things the representative said to us about the Ministry of Justice and Solicitor General.

At the legislature, Belgravia School’s Grade 5/6 class got a presentation from a woman that worked in the Department of Justice. She told them that the present Minister of Justice is Jonathan Denis and that the he is in charge of jailing. He is the chief lawyer of Alberta. She also explained that the present Premier Alison Redford used to be the Minister of Justice and that Alison Redford declared that the two ministries (Solicitor General and the Ministry of Justice) shall be combined on May 8, 2012.

The woman that spoke to us said that the Department of Justice is involved in both crime and court problems. The Department of Justice provides legal services to the public of Alberta. Their business has to do with the Legislature. The Department of Justice and the Solicitor General were together, then separated and now they are together as one department. The Ministry of Justice took a lead in the legislature at one point in the past. The Minister of Justice and Solicitor General is a non-profit organization founded to promote transparency and accountability in the public sector. Apart from being Minister of Justice, Jonathan Denis is also the Attorney General and the Solicitor General.


Member’s Way By: Mathis

On the October 15th-19th Belgravia went to the Legislature and they learned about the government of the past and present. The class went to Member’s Way on Friday, October 19 to learn about the disasters and Premiers of the past. Where to find Members way: It is in the underground pedway close to the legislature, Member’s way is an interesting and creative way to show all our past MLAs.

In 1880 the population of Alberta was 73,022 and it rose to 2,010,591 in 1980. Did you know that in 1870-1900 there were NO parties? Also in 1940-1960 there was a governing party named Social Credit that beat the Liberals.

On each wall there are panels of important things that happened in the past. They show things like: the past premiers and past disasters. The Members Way hallway is right next to the door to security that leads straight to the fountain. “Member’s way is a very interesting and cool way to learn about Alberta’s past. Member’s way was designed to let the public know our past, present, and future it is very detailed in itself quoted by Benjamin Caufield a student at Belgravia.

“To show the past that is important to the country and the people,” says Olivia a grade six student. The Members Way includes info about WW2, WW1, and bill’s that have been created.

Parliamentary Council The People Who Provide Legislative Guidance

written by: Meghan The parliamentary council has a vast number of responsibilities involving Alberta’s government. These are the people the legislative workers including the speaker turn to for guidance and advice.

The parliamentary council assists the speaker and advises him on points of order. This means that they help the speaker make sure everyone follows the rules during session. In order to do that during session the council sits with the clerk and the other table officers in the middle of the chamber. Sometimes they have to stay in the chamber all night if the meeting goes on long enough. The council also advises the speaker on questions of privilege, matters and legal issues in general. The parliamentary council are the only table officers that give advice to the speaker and the MLA’s.

The names of the two people who make up the parliamentary council are Shannon Dean and Robert Reynolds. Only two people perform the many tasks of the parliamentary council. The parliamentary council works really hard all year round when not giving legal advice to the speaker or MLA’s, they’re drafting bills for the next session. Session is a meeting between all the MLAs to discuss bills and budget. When the parliamentary council is not in the chamber being table officers during session, they’re in the legislature annex. The council is nonpartisan, this means they treat everyone fairly.

The parliamentary council is made to help everyone, whether it’s drafting bills for MLA’s or giving advice to the speaker, members of legislative assembly office or committees of assembly. Shannon Dean and Robert Reynolds are working all four seasons to help the government make their best decisions for you.


Committee Clerk by Midori

On Thursday, October 18th, the Belgravia grade 5/6 school at the legislature class interviewed the Legislative Assembly Committee Clerk. The current clerk is Dr. David McNeil. He has served for 25 years. He went to the University of Alberta and received a Bachelor Degree in Chemical Engineering. He also received an MSc and PhD in Management Science from the University of Waterloo. “He’s funny and he says the best part of his job is traveling,” said Eva. “He likes to ski,” says Dora. “He thinks session is interesting. Did you know that his longest time in session was 29 hours.”

“During session the clerk advises the Speaker,” says Thaddaeus, “and supports him in the Legislative Assembly.” The Committee Clerk plays an important role. He is in charge of the daily order of business. Outside of session, he takes orders from the Speaker and acts as a chief executive officer of the Legislative Assembly. Dr. McNeil also advises the members and staff of the legislature. He supervises the communication services and provides it to members of the assembly. Communication is in charge of votes, proceedings, bills and amendments. He is in charge of the Legislative Assembly Office and has a role equivalent to the deputy minister of a government department. Even though Dr. David McNeil is not an elected member of parliament he still plays an important role.

Legislature Grounds Tour by Morgan

On October 15 my class went to the Legislature of Alberta for a field trip and this is what we did. On October 17 we went on the grounds of the Alberta Legislature. The name of our tour guide was Ron Lafranchise the first thing that we learned is the difference between pine trees by looking at their pine cones.

The Lodgepole pine has spiky pine cones and the Tamarack needles turn yellow and it loses its needles. The Trembling Aspen has shimmering leaves, rounded edges and drawn out tips. Towering aspens are tall and skinny, the Russian poplar is native to the USA but the American elm is native to Alberta. The Ukrainian monument is a over top of a time capsule, there is a Strathcona monument and a totem pole right beside the lawn bowling area. The police monument has a flame on the top and lots of names of police that have died doing their job. Then we saw the Eternal flame and the petrified wood that is Alberta’s provincial rock.

In the past they have put up five monuments in 100 years. They have the grounds so that the people of Alberta can have their share in the Legislature. The Legislature gives lots of excitement and lots of activities. They have a police monument because of. the police that died doing their job.

The one thing that really caught my eye is how descriptive the tour guide was and how he comes back every Wednesday because he loves his job. So if you're looking for something to do go on the Legislature’s tour it’s an amazing place to be. And that’s why I would go on the legislature tour.


The Role of The Speaker of the House by Naomi

The Honourable Gene Zwazdesky is our current and 8th Speaker. His Honour was appointed on May 23, 2012. Mr. Zwazdesky was also appointed Mill Creek's MLA on April 23, 2012. Before becoming an MLA, Mr.Zwasdesky worked as a teacher, administrator, professional musician and business owner.

Previously, Mr.Zwazdesky had many more roles in Canada. He chaired the Standing Committee on Community Developent, served as Minister of Alberta Health and Wellness, Minister of Aboriginal Relations, Minister of Education, and Minister of Community Development. As well, he was the Associate Minister of Health and Wellness (1999) and of Capital Planning (2007). Mr.Zwasdesky has also been a member of the Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, and a professor at the University of Alberta. He was also an executive member of the Alberta Folk Arts Council, Alberta Recording Industry Association, Edmonton Canada Day Committee, Edmonton Heritage Festival Association and Capital City Savings, Ukrainian Community Council. He was also the executive director of the Alberta Cultural Heritage Foundation and of the Alberta Ukrainian Canadian Centennial Commission, as well as Music Director for the Shumka Dancers and Cheremosh Dancers.

The Speaker of the House has a unique role as part of the Legislative Assembly and as head of the Legislative Assembly Office. The Speaker’s procedural role in assembly meetings is to maintain orderly debate and make sure that everything in the meeting runs smoothly, or according to schedule. As well as making sure that the MLA’s conduct their business according to the standing orders of the assembly.

In session the Speaker is not allowed to participate in the debating or participate in caucus, nor is any question allowed to be directed to the speaker in the oral question period. By not participating in these things where sides must be taken, this ensures that The Speaker is neutral so that he/she can do his/her job properly without making an unfair decision based on who is posing the argument.

Out of the assembly, the speaker also has an administrative role in maintaining the records of the Assembly and in providing service and support to the members. By doing this, The Speaker is ensuring that members have the necessary tools and resources that they need to fulfill their roles as MLA’s of our province and country.

Information Technology Department at the Legislature

By: Olivia On the 18th of October six of the Belgravia grade 5-6 class has been given the opportunity to view the most important room for the MLAs computers.

The Information Technology department has one big room that is used for all of the computers for the MLAs. All of the MLAs must have their own ID and password to enter their own computer. The floor is like a small hill with tiles that can lift up because all of the wires that run underneath the floor, all of the wires that connect the computers to the Wi-fi, the electricity, the main control board and many other things. The wires go up the wall in three steel tubes to all of the floors above that the MLAs are on. Since computers can overheat the room is filled with many fans that help keep the computers cool.

The information technology department does help the MLAs with Blackberries and iphones but does not support Macs. The information technology department only fixes things at the department that have to do with the work that the MLAs do. There is only six people that work inside the room so they are always kept very busy.

http://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_bio&rnumber=40&leg=28

http://www.assembly.ab.ca/net/index.aspx?p=mla_bio&rnumber=40&leg=28


Protocol is important because it shows respect for important people from other countries. Protocol helps make royalty and world leaders feel that they can interact with Albertans. Protocol for our Lieutenant Governor is important it shows respect for the Queen.

A man from the Alberta Protocol Office came to our class during the Legislature field trip. The people in the Alberta Protocol Office help people know what protocol is. This man also gave us a quiz on flags from different countries. The official duties of the Protocol Office include:

- helping hosting royalty or world leaders when they visit Alberta;

- swearing in the person who becomes premier;

- swearing in the people who will become cabinet ministers.

You see here that protocol is a very important for the government. The people in the Protocol Office are very knowledgeable and they stay on task if they are hosting royalty or world leaders from another country. Not only do the people from the Protocol Office need to show respect, we all need to show respect to royalty and world leaders.

Protocol Office By Nicholas

The Protocol Office helps the government to treat royalty and world leaders with respect. The people in the Protocol Office need to know a lot about flags, ceremonies and proper names. There are Protocol Offices for both the provincial and federal government.

Protocol is used for events when royalty or world leaders come to visit Alberta. Oxford’s Canadian Dictionary second edition says that protocol is “1 a official, esp. diplomatic, formality and etiquette observed on state occasions etc. b the rules, formalities, etc. of any procedure, group etc.”.

Protocol is also used for our Lieutenant Governor. The Lieutenant Governor is her Majesty the Queen’s representative in Alberta. Protocol includes calling people by the proper name. For example, the Lieutenant Governor is called Your Honour.

Important people from all over the world have come to Alberta. These royalty or world leaders come from Japan, Mali, Hungary and Mexican states, etc.

When royalty or world leaders come to Alberta, it is a sign of respect to put their flag of their country on display. A country’s flag can change when a new prime minister or a president comes in. Recently, Libya changes its leader and its flag. The Protocol Office has to know if a flag changes.

Libya’s flag used to be this (above). Now Libya’s flag is this (below).

SHARING AND CARING FOR CHILDREN

By Roman

Advocating for children is important and is used to let kid’s voices be heard.

All children have rights to protect them but unfortunately some places do not have these rights. He Youth and Child Advocate office has a similar role to the Ombudsman but for children.

Our current Ombudsman’s name is Peter Hariban and he is responsible for helping all Albertan’s who have issues with the government. This is hard for only one man to do, so they created the Youth and Child Advocate office to help the Ombudsman assist these children and get them to advocate for themselves.


The Tour by Rheanna

On October Monday 2012 the grade 5 class went on a trip to the Legislature. The kids saw tons of things including statues, Member’s Way and the chamber room. The kids were really surprised they saw the chamber room people say it’s special too see it. The kids were forced to go to the legislature some say it was boring some say it was fun. The grade 5 class went there by bus they say it was fun playing games in the back.

The students say that we could of did more fun things and less presentations because people’s notebooks became doodle books but the workers put lots of work into this so we are not going to be mad

The Legislature was made of 2000 tons of marble from Quebec and it is 100 years old. There was lots of pillars holding it up it is like 20 feet high or more. There was a huge fountain inside, very classy. The Chamber was very big it takes up half of the Legislature, people go in there for debates and law making. The students really thought this was a creative trip and want to go again.

Mark explained that the room is used when the media have questions about what the government is doing. Representatives and members from the government use the media room to speak and answer questions from the media. For example, if the school board announced they were going to build more schools, the media might want to question and gather more information so they can report it to the public.

The students from Belgravia thought Mark’s presentation was very interesting. They really liked it when they got to rip out articles from a newspaper and find out the important media questions, who, what, where, when, why and how. Student Logan Ladoon said he learned a lot!

One of the most surprising things about the media room visit for the students was the actual size of the media room They found it quite small and cramped. The media room has two entry doors. One door is for the members of the press to enter and the other is for the members of the Legislature to use. When you enter the room, there are two raised platforms along each side, at the back of the room, for the video cameras. Also, there are a lot of plug ins on the side walls. At the front of the room is another raised platform. It has two podiums on it where representatives from the government stand to face the media and answer their questions. Beside the podium, on the right hand side, there are the Alberta and Canada flags. On the front wall behind the podium is a painting of Alberta. To the left of the podium is the second door of the room where the representatives of the government who are answering the media’s questions, enter and exit from. In the middle of the room are chairs for the media to sit in.

The visit to the media room at the Alberta Legislature was fun and interesting. Even though the media room was small there was still enough room for everything in it. The person who presented to the students, Mark was nice and funny. The Belgravia 5/6 class hope they can go back next year!

The Media Room at the Legislature

By River

On Friday, October 19th, the Grade 5/6 class from Belgravia School visited the media room at the Alberta Legislature. The students were in the room to learn about it’s purpose at the Legislature. A reporter from the Globe and Mail newspaper named Mark met the students in the media room and explained what happens and who uses the room.


Special Events At The Legislature

By Thaddaeus

The Legislature has lots of annual events that people of all ages can come to. The seasons have lots of different celebrations to hold. All the events are mostly for the family. There are also fun activities that will captivate your attention for hours on end.

The Legislature hosts an annual family day celebration takes place on the third Monday in February. It takes place in the afternoon and has lots of fun activities such as a moving magician and a children's carnival. There is also face painting in the pedway which may appeal to some of the younger or older children. You can have wagon rides that will be drawn by a horse. There will also be ice sculptures and skating. There’s also warm hot chocolate in the pedway for free. The senior’s tour and tea at the legislature is an appreciative celebration situated during seniors week special tours are given to the seniors that come. There is also tea available on the lower rotunda. The event needs pre-booking at the services office, beginning in April.

Every year we light up the giant Christmas tree. They use L.E.D. lights because it’s more energy efficient. The Premier turns on the lights that light up the entire grounds. This helps to start up the Christmas festivities. At around noon hour you can listen to the choir on the rotunda and drink free hot chocolate.

During Canada day there are several events to celebrate this very special day. You can leisurely go through a tour of the legislature building. You will also be given the chance to walk on the chamber floor, a very rare opportunity normally given to the members of the legislative assembly only. In the duration of the entire afternoon there will be over 30 000 individuals gathered on the grounds for the free family entertainment such as music and dancing and games for children.

All of these events are annual so if you miss it this year you can always come again the next year. There are always lots of fun events so if you happen to have a very uneventful day on one of these days just come out and make it eventful.


School at the Legislature Word Search Find all the words listed. The remaining letters will spell a phrase about the

Legislature.

fortis et libre . . . strong and free...mock legislature is copying legislative actions to learn how...

Documents