Legislative Assembly of Ontario Totally Explained

Everything about The Legislative Assembly Of Ontario totally explained

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (also known as Ontario Legislative Assembly or OntLA), is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located in the Legislative Buildings at Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario.
The British North America Act section 69 stipulates "There shall be a Legislature for Ontario consisting of the Lieutenant-Governor and of One House, styled the Legislative Assembly of Ontario". The Legislative Assembly is unicameral, without an upper house (replacing the bicameral Legislative Assembly of Canada (lower house) and Legislative Council of Canada (upper house), with 107 seats representing ridings elected in a first-past-the-post system across the province.
The Legislative Assembly is informally known as the "Ontario Provincial Parliament". This is because unlike the other Canadian provinces, members of this assembly refer to themselves as "Members of the Provincial Parliament" ("MPPs") as opposed to "Members of the Legislative Assembly" ("MLAs"). Ontario is the only province to do so, in accordance with a resolution passed in the Assembly on April 7, 1938. However, the Legislative Assembly Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. L10 refers only to "members of the Assembly".

Lawmaking

In accordance with the traditions of the Westminster System, 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've introduced privately (Private Members' Bills) they nonetheless play an integral role in scrutinizing, debating and amending bills presented to the legislature by cabinet.
   Members are expected to be loyal to both their parliamentary party and to the interests of their ridings.
   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's 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'll 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."

Media

Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly are broadcast to Ontario cable television subscribers as the Ontario Parliament Network.

Party standings


Affiliation		Leader of the Party	Leader in the Legislature	OntLA Status	valign="top" > Members
	Liberal	Dalton McGuinty		Government	71
	PC	John Tory	Bob Runciman	Official Opposition	26
	NDP	Howard Hampton		Third Party	10
Total					107
Government Majority					18

Seating plan

List of members

	Name	Party
Joe Dickson	Liberal	Ajax—Pickering
Mike Brown	Liberal	Algoma—Manitoulin
Ted McMeekin	Liberal	Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale
Aileen Carroll	Liberal	Barrie
Michael Prue	New Democrat	Beaches—East York
Kuldip Kular	Liberal	Bramalea—Gore—Malton
Linda Jeffrey	Liberal	Brampton—Springdale
Vic Dhillon	Liberal	Brampton West
Dave Levac	Liberal	Brant
Bill Murdoch	Progressive Conservative	Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound
Joyce Savoline	Progressive Conservative	Burlington
Gerry Martiniuk	Progressive Conservative	Cambridge
Norm Sterling	Progressive Conservative	Carleton—Mississippi Mills
Pat Hoy	Liberal	Chatham-Kent—Essex
Tony Ruprecht	Liberal	Davenport
David Caplan	Liberal	Don Valley East
Kathleen Wynne	Liberal	Don Valley West
Sylvia Jones	Progressive Conservative	Dufferin—Caledon
John O'Toole	Progressive Conservative	Durham
Mike Colle	Liberal	Eglinton—Lawrence
Steve Peters	Liberal	Elgin—Middlesex—London
Bruce Crozier	Liberal	Essex
Donna Cansfield	Liberal	Etobicoke Centre
Laurel Broten	Liberal	Etobicoke—Lakeshore
Shafiq Qaadri	Liberal	Etobicoke North
Jean-Marc Lalonde	Liberal	Glengarry—Prescott—Russell
Liz Sandals	Liberal	Guelph
Toby Barrett	Progressive Conservative	Haldimand—Norfolk
Laurie Scott	Progressive Conservative	Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock
Ted Chudleigh	Progressive Conservative	Halton
Andrea Horwath	New Democrat	Hamilton Centre
Paul Miller	New Democrat	Hamilton East—Stoney Creek
Sophia Aggelonitis	Liberal	Hamilton Mountain
Carol Mitchell	Liberal	Huron—Bruce
Howard Hampton	New Democrat	Kenora—Rainy River
John Gerretsen	Liberal	Kingston and the Islands
John Milloy	Liberal	Kitchener Centre
Leeanna Pendergast	Liberal	Kitchener—Conestoga
Elizabeth Witmer	Progressive Conservative	Kitchener—Waterloo
Maria Van Bommel	Liberal	Lambton—Kent—Middlesex
Randy Hillier	Progressive Conservative	Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington
Bob Runciman	Progressive Conservative	Leeds—Grenville
Khalil Ramal	Liberal	London—Fanshawe
Deb Matthews	Liberal	London North Centre
Chris Bentley	Liberal	London West
Michael Chan	Liberal	Markham—Unionville
Amrit Mangat	Liberal	Mississauga—Brampton South
Peter Fonseca	Liberal	Mississauga East—Cooksville
Harinder Takhar	Liberal	Mississauga—Erindale
Charles Sousa	Liberal	Mississauga South
Bob Delaney	Liberal	Mississauga—Streetsville
Lisa MacLeod	Progressive Conservative	Nepean—Carleton
Frank Klees	Progressive Conservative	Newmarket—Aurora
Kim Craitor	Liberal	Niagara Falls
Tim Hudak	Progressive Conservative	Niagara West—Glanbrook
France Gélinas	New Democrat	Nickel Belt
Monique Smith	Liberal	Nipissing
Lou Rinaldi	Liberal	Northumberland—Quinte West
Helena Jaczek	Liberal	Oak Ridges—Markham
Kevin Flynn	Liberal	Oakville
Jerry Ouellette	Progressive Conservative	Oshawa
Yasir Naqvi	Liberal	Ottawa Centre
Phil McNeely	Liberal	Ottawa—Orléans
*Dalton McGuinty*	Liberal	Ottawa South
Madeleine Meilleur	Liberal	Ottawa—Vanier
Jim Watson	Liberal	Ottawa West—Nepean
Ernie Hardeman	Progressive Conservative	Oxford
Cheri DiNovo	New Democrat	Parkdale—High Park
Norm Miller	Progressive Conservative	Parry Sound—Muskoka
John Wilkinson	Liberal	Perth—Wellington
Jeff Leal	Liberal	Peterborough
Wayne Arthurs	Liberal	Pickering—Scarborough East
Leona Dombrowsky	Liberal	Prince Edward—Hastings
John Yakabuski	Progressive Conservative	Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke
Reza Moridi	Liberal	Richmond Hill
Jim Bradley	Liberal	St. Catharines
Michael Bryant	Liberal	St. Paul's
Bob Bailey	Progressive Conservative	Sarnia—Lambton
David Orazietti	Liberal	Sault Ste. Marie
Gerry Phillips	Liberal	Scarborough—Agincourt
Brad Duguid	Liberal	Scarborough Centre
Margarett Best	Liberal	Scarborough—Guildwood
Bas Balkissoon	Liberal	Scarborough—Rouge River
Lorenzo Berardinetti	Liberal	Scarborough Southwest
Jim Wilson	Progressive Conservative	Simcoe—Grey
Garfield Dunlop	Progressive Conservative	Simcoe North
Jim Brownell	Liberal	Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry
Rick Bartolucci	Liberal	Sudbury
Peter Shurman	Progressive Conservative	Thornhill
Bill Mauro	Liberal	Thunder Bay—Atikokan
Michael Gravelle	Liberal	Thunder Bay—Superior North
David Ramsay	Liberal	Timiskaming—Cochrane
Gilles Bisson	New Democrat	Timmins—James Bay
George Smitherman	Liberal	Toronto Centre
Peter Tabuns	New Democrat	Toronto—Danforth
Rosario Marchese	New Democrat	Trinity—Spadina
Greg Sorbara	Liberal	Vaughan
Peter Kormos	New Democrat	Welland
Ted Arnott	Progressive Conservative	Wellington—Halton Hills
Christine Elliott	Progressive Conservative	Whitby—Oshawa
David Zimmer	Liberal	Willowdale
Dwight Duncan	Liberal	Windsor—Tecumseh
Sandra Pupatello	Liberal	Windsor West
Monte Kwinter	Liberal	York Centre
Julia Munro	Progressive Conservative	York—Simcoe
Laura Albanese	Liberal	York South—Weston
Mario Sergio	Liberal	York West

Cabinet ministers are in bold, leaders are in italics and the Speaker of the Legislature has a dagger next to his name.

Standing committees

Current standing committees through the current Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Standing Committee on Estimates

Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs

Standing Committee on General Government

Standing Committee on Government Agencies

Standing Committee on Social Policy

Standing Committee on Justice Policy

Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills

Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly

Mace

The cermonial mace of the Legislature is the third mace to be used in Ontario.
The first mace was first used by the Chamber of Upper Canada's first Parliament in 1702 at Newark and then to York (now Toronto). The primitive wooden mace, painted red and gilt and surmounted by a crown of thin brass strips. It was stolen by American troops during the War of 1812 in 1813. It remained in the United States until 1934 and returned to Ontario. Stored at the Royal Ontario Museum and now located in the Speaker's office.
A second mace was introduced in 1813 and used until 1841. A replacement mace wasn't purchased until 1845 and then transferred to the Union Parliament and finally to the Canadian Parliament in 1867. This mace was lost in the fire at the Centre Block in 1916. The current mace used in Legislature was purchased in 1867.

Officers of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Like the Parliament of Canada, the Legislature has procedural officers:
Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario is the chief permanent officer of the Legislative Assembly, with the rank and status of a Deputy Minister. He or she's the principal procedural adviser and senior officer of the House, the Clerk's responsibilities include advising the Speaker and Members of the Legislature on questions of procedure and interpretation of the rules and practices of the House.
The other key officer is the Sergeant-at-Arms, who's role is to keep order during meetings in the Legislature and also charged with control of the Ceremonial mace in the Legislature in session.

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