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Strategic Objective 3
To promote understanding and support the advancement of legislative institutions
To ensure a broader understanding of Parliament by Canadians, including representatives of professional and academic organizations, the House Administration is working on outreach and communication activities.
Ensuring the availability of up-to-date information on parliamentary procedure
Work is underway on the final stages of the production of the second edition of House of Commons Procedure and Practice. Originally published in 2000, this book is a comprehensive study of the House of Commons jurisprudence that examines the forms, customs and procedures established since Confederation. This new edition, to be published in the Fall 2009, will take into account changes to the Standing Orders and practices of the House since the release of the first edition and will include a number of revised chapters, new graphics, and a more complete bibliography.
Providing learning opportunities for parliamentarians and legislative officials from jurisdictions in Canada and abroad
Training sessions on parliamentary procedure will be offered to Members and their staff, caucus research staff, House Administration employees and other interested parties. To provide access to staff working in MPs constituency offices, the possibility of delivering these sessions through an electronic medium such as webcasting will be explored.
The House of Commons regularly responds to international parliamentarians and staff interested in learning more about our parliamentary system. In response to such requests, the House will continue to welcome official Speaker-led delegations from other parliaments as well as organizing meetings, seminars and conferences related to the various parliamentary associations to which the Parliament of Canada belongs. In addition, the House, along with its partners-the Senate and the Library of Parliament-will continue to offer its Parliamentary Officers' Study Program for officials from other legislatures wishing to learn more about the procedural and administrative practices in place in Canada.
Building on an assessment of the program, improvements will be made to the Members' Orientation and Election Readiness Program to continue to ensure that the House Administration supports Members during election periods.
Increasing public awareness and sustaining the independence and traditions of the House of Commons
The House Administration will undertake a review of the content of its procedural publications and the processes used to produce them. To offer the most accurate and timely procedural information to Members, efforts will focus on reducing duplication and developing a "living documents" strategy so that key products can be updated on a regular basis. For example, staff will regularly update the Compendium of House of Commons Procedure, so that it contains the current changes to practices and usages in the House as procedures continue to evolve.
As communication is key to increasing awareness, a comprehensive communication strategy will be developed in collaboration with stakeholders from across the organization and with external partners. The main objective of the strategy will be to facilitate a coordinated approach to raising awareness and sustaining the independence and traditions of the House of Commons.
