Making a Difference
Questions and Answers for the 38th Parliament
Members of Parliament and Canadians can count on
timely, accurate information from the Library of
Parliament. The Library's Information Service can be
reached toll-free at 1-866-599-4999.
Requests for Information: 52,400
Documents distributed: 314,500
Visiting Parliament Hill
The Library of Parliament's tours and interpretive
programs introduce Canadians and people from around the
world to the history and activities of Canada's
Parliament.
Total Centre Block Tours: 11,841
(354,670 visitors)
Total East Block Tours: 1,294
(13,455 visitors)
Total school group visits to Centre Block:
1,751
(65,183 visitors)
Total visitors to Peace Tower and Memorial Chamber:
247,168
Serving their Constituents
Members represent constituents' views and serve their
interests in the Chamber, caucus and committee. They meet
with constituents who have travelled to Ottawa and, when
in the riding, Members talk to constituents about their
concerns and attend a wide variety of local events.
Members also help constituents in their dealings with the
federal government on such matters as visas and
passports, employment insurance and taxation.
Members are assisted in their work by their staff on
Parliament Hill and in their constituency offices.
Members from large or densely populated ridings may have
more than one constituency office. High-speed Internet
connections and other modern technology enable staff to
work closely and stay on top of issues.
There are many ways for Canadians to reach their Member
of Parliament, such as by writing postage-free, or
contacting them by phone, e-mail or fax. The Parliament
of Canada Web site features contact information for
all Members of Parliament. Many Members offer toll-free
telephone lines for their constituents, and many have Web
sites providing information and answers to constituents'
frequently asked questions.
Members also send regular mailings to constituents to
inform them of their activities.
Presenting Petitions in the House of Commons
Members can present petitions, on behalf of their
constituents or other persons, to raise issues of public
interest, or to ask Parliament to take action. Under the
rules of the House of Commons, the government must table
a response to a petition. In 2005-2006, 1,211 petitions
and 1,576 government responses were tabled in the House
(the second number is higher because some of these
responses concerned petitions tabled at the start of the
38th Parliament in the previous fiscal year). The
following list shows the top issues presented in the form
of petitions:
-
marriage - 793 petitions
-
health (autism) - 119 petitions
-
Canada Post - 69 petitions
-
pornography - 21 petitions
-
sexual exploitation of minors - 17 petitions
Bringing Parliament to Canadians
Opportunities for Youth
Young Canadians have a great opportunity to learn
about Parliament first-hand by working as House of
Commons pages or parliamentary guides. Each year, the
House of Commons hires 40 students to serve as
pages, and the
Library of Parliament hires another 40 summer
students to provide guided tours of Parliament.
Application information is available on the Parliament of Canada Web site.
Technology brings the House of Commons to television and
computer screens across the country, enabling Canadians
to watch the House from their homes, their offices and
their classrooms. The House began broadcasting its
proceedings nearly 30 years ago and, today, about one
million Canadians tune into Chamber and committee
activities each week on the Cable Public Affairs Channel,
or CPAC. In the last fiscal year, CPAC broadcast about
1,200 hours of Chamber proceedings and 500 hours of
committee proceedings.
The
Parliament of Canada Web site is another popular
source of facts about the Senate, the House of Commons
and the Library of Parliament. Visitors can quickly find
information on Members' activities, bills under
consideration, committee activities, guided tours, and
parliamentary activities. In 2005-2006, the site received
close to 10 million visits.
ParlVU, the Webcast service maintained by the House, also
carries live proceedings of the Commons, televised House
of Commons committee meetings and live audio of all other
House of Commons committee meetings that are open to the
public. The ParlVU service allows Canadians to view or
hear Members of the House of Commons whenever they meet
to deliberate.
Information for Members and the Public
The central column in Confederation Hall, located at
the main entrance to Parliament's Centre Block,
commemorates the 50th anniversary of Confederation.
Photo: © Library of Parliament/Mone Photography
The Library
of Parliament provides valuable assistance in serving
Members of Parliament and Canadians. Library staff
respond to hundreds of requests for information and
reference services daily from Members' offices,
parliamentary committees and associations, and
parliamentary officials. The Library also employs
specialists in law, economics and other fields to provide
research and analysis services regarding legislation and
public policy issues.
Through its public programs, the Library provides
Canadians with information and services concerning
Parliament, such as programs and products for teachers;
print and electronic publications; guided tours;
interpretive exhibits; and on-site and e-commerce
boutiques.