10th Commonwealth
Parliamentary Seminar
From May 21 to 28 the 10th
Commonwealth Parliamentary Seminar will be held in Prince Edward Island. It
is the first time the Commonwealth-wide event has been hosted by a provincial
legislature. Suggested topics on the agenda include:
- Overview of Canada’s constitutional structure, and the
parliamentary and political scenes in Prince Edward Island
- Development of the Commonwealth and the role of the CPA
– looking to the future
- The various roles of an MP – obligations to
constituents and party; and relationships with interest groups
- Powers and privileges of the Legislature
- The Business of the House – striking the parliamentary
agenda and balancing the requirements of government and opposition
- The role of the Speaker and parliamentary staff
- Enhancing Parliament’s scrutiny of legislation and
public expenditure through parliamentary committees and
committee systems
- Private Members and their relationship with the
Executive and Civil Service
- Remuneration, allowances and support services for
Members
- Members and the media
- Conflict of Interest – how to ensure ethical standards
in public life
- Parliamentary sovereignty versus judicial activism:
conflict or complement?
New Usher of the Black Rod
The name Usher of the Black Rod
comes from the ebony cane which Black Rod, as the individual is called by the
Speaker of the Senate and the Senators, carries as a symbol of authority. The
Rod is used to rap on the House of Commons’ door when Members of Parliament are
summoned to the Senate by the Black Rod for the Speech from the Throne or for
the royal assent of bills. The Usher of the Black Rod lis a floor officer of
the Senate and is responsible for security in the Senate chamber. The Black Rod
also leads the daily Speaker’s Parade to and from the Senate Chamber.
The new Usher of the Black Rod
is Mary McLaren. She was appointed as the Usher of the Black Rod for the Senate
of Canada on November 10, 1997. With this appointment, Mary became the first
woman in Canadian history to hold this prestigious position.
Mary McLaren was born in Drumbo,
Ontario on July 29, 1950, a small rural community in Southern Ontario. She
attended Paris High School in Paris, Ontario and pursued her post-secondary
education at the University of Guelph, graduating with honours in 1972 with a
Bachelor of Applied Science. In addition to obtaining a BASc, Ms. McLaren has
pursued a variety of professional development courses including the Program for
Public Executives at Queen’s University (1991) and the federal government’s
Career Assignment Program (1988), a program for promising executive talent within
the federal workforce.
Her early employment focused in
the field of chemical and textile testing at the now disbanded Department of
Consumer and Corporate Affairs. She then joined the Department of National
Defence (DND) as a technical project officer. Upon entering the Career
Assignment Program, Mary worked at a variety of progressively challenging
positions with a variety of Federal Departments including Supply and Services
Canada (now Public Works and Government Services Canada), and the Treasury Board
before returning to DND in the area of procurement and supply management. She
spent the last five years at DND at the Executive level where her
responsibilities included operational and strategic planning for a large and
diverse division, and for the comptrollership of the material procurement and
supply budget (approximately 4 million dollars). She was also responsible for
the development and provision of corporate support services including
information technology, personnel and financial services and for the
establishment of policies and practices in administration, procurement and
supply management.
In her final three years at
National Defence, Ms. McLaren gained extensive experience in process
re-engineering and change management as a core team member of the departmental
restructuring team. She later served as team leader of the reengineering and
restructuring of the civilian personnel services organization which involved
approximately 800 employees and which resulted in the centralization of
civilian personnel administrative services and the redefinition of the service
provider role of civilian personnel administration. The last position she held
at DND was Director of Strategic Human Resources Analysis.
In addition to the ceremonial
duties which are steeped in hundreds of years of history, Ms. McLaren is a
member of the senior management team of the Senate administration and is
responsible for the Senate Page Program and for co-ordination of Protocol and
Exchanges for the Senate. In her role as the Director of Services, Ms. McLaren
is responsible for accommodation, information systems, maintenance, postal,
messenger and trades services.