A Final Word

From the Chamber to committee rooms, from constituency work to international activities, this report offers a perspective on the kinds of work Canada's Members of Parliament perform in the course of daily business within the House of Commons. It also affords insight into the ways the institution supports Members in that work -and captures the context of continual change in which it occurs.

The House of Commons will continue to actively provide Members with the resources they need to maintain the vitality of Canada's democratic process and serve those who have elected them as their representatives.

For more detailed information on Canada's Parliament and the work that Members do, please visit the Parliament of canada web site

The redesigned Parliament of Canada Web site © House of Commons

The Sergeant-at-Arms carries the mace © House of Commons

The ceremonial mace of the House of Commons descends from a centuries-old tradition that originated in England. Ornate and splendid, Canada's mace today serves as a representation of the indispensable authority of the Speaker and the House of Commons in the democratic process of the nation. Always upon entering or leaving the House of Commons, the Speaker is preceded by the Sergeant-at-Arms, who carries the mace and, at the start of every sitting, lays it upon the table before the Speaker's Chair. Until the mace has been placed on the table, the House can neither sit nor conduct any business. The original mace was destroyed in the fire of 1916; its replacement was presented to Prime Minister Robert L. Borden at The Guildhall, London, on March 28, 1917.