Disponible en français: Le bien-être d’un pays : origine de l’expression « paix, ordre et bon gouvernement » Some 150 years ago, Canada’s Fathers of Confederation hit upon a phrase that has come to define Parliament’s lawmaking authority in relation to the provinces. The phrase “peace, order and good government” is found in the opening…
(Disponible en français : Textes fondateurs : les mots qui ont façonné le Canada) To mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation, the Library of Parliament opened on 9 March 2017 an exhibit entitled Foundations: The Words that Shaped Canada. Over the coming months, people visiting or using the services of the Library’s main branch will…
Maxime Charron-Tousignant Robin MacKay Legal and Social Affairs Division The Supreme Court of Canada was created by Statute in 1875 and since that time its membership and nomination process have evolved considerably. The Court acts as a general court of appeal for Canada, deriving its authority from section 101 of the Constitution Act, 1867 and…
Penny Becklumb and Tim Williams Economics, Resources and International Affairs Division Despite over 20 years of annual UN climate change conferences, global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. Many hope that this year’s Conference of the Parties, known as COP 21, to be held in Paris from 30 November to 11 December 2015, will be…
Karen Norman and Mayra Perez-Leclerc Legal and Social Affairs Division On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, Canadians will pause for a moment of silence to honour the more than 118,000 men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. Formerly known as “Armistice Day”, Remembrance Day…
Laura Munn-Rivard Legal and Social Affairs Division In 1921, Agnes Macphail was the first woman to be elected to Canada’s House of Commons and the only woman to serve in the 14th Parliament. In 1930, Cairine Wilson was sworn in as Canada’s first female senator. These female trailblazers opened the doors of Parliament to future…