Emily's Legislative Placement with Procedural Services (Table Research)

For my Assembly Placement, I was lucky enough to be placed with the Table Research Office. While there, I worked with Clerk Tori Llewellyn (also an OLIP alumni), on several projects. My main focus was preparing a presentation on the typical Day in the House for my fellow Interns. For this project, I combed through the Standing Orders of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, the procedural rules for the House, to understand what happens on a day-to-day basis. To elaborate on the Standing Orders, I learned to navigate House Documents such as the Orders and Notices Paper, Votes and Proceedings and Hansard for examples of each proceeding. In doing so, I gained an in-depth understanding of House procedure (and a sizable list of funny things that have happened in the Chamber).

I also wrote a Procedural Note on the Ballot List, the order in which non-Ministers and Recognized Party Leaders debate their policy interests during Private Members’ Public Business. The most difficult yet rewarding part of this task was learning to write concisely. As a procedural note is intended to help the public in understanding legislative business, it was important to explain lesser known concepts fully without providing excessive detail. I often felt as though the more I explained, the more I needed to explain. However, the process of choosing effective language and receiving feedback on my work definitely made me a better writer.

Yet, my most fun project was a jurisdictional scan I did on the use of props and cultural items in Canadian legislatures. I learned about the live goldfish once sent to the Minister of Renewable Resources in the Yukon as well as the Staples “that was easy,” a member once tried to bring into Quebec’s National Assembly. A source of many laughs shared with Tori, my scan taught me a great deal about the differences between Canadian legislatures and the ever-evolving precedents that govern parliamentary procedure.

The branch with the best potlucks and puzzles, I value not only all the knowledge I acquired but connections I made at Table Research. I am incredibly grateful to have spent a month working with such an amazing team.