The OLIP interns had the pleasure of meeting with the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, MPP Ted Arnott, during our orientation period in the Fall. The Speaker’s role is essential to the functioning of the legislature; comparable in some ways to the role of a referee, the Speaker is responsible for overseeing the House, enforcing the Standing Orders, and maintaining order and decorum.
As the current longest serving member, Speaker Arnott has amassed a great deal of experiences and insights from his time at Queen’s Park that he has brought to his role as Speaker. Having served in a party that spanned the positions of Third Party, Official Opposition, and Government over his tenure, Speaker Arnott strongly believes that every party plays a key role and emphasized that “any seat within the legislature is a good seat”. Building on this, Speaker Arnott spoke to the importance of relationship building amongst Members and maintaining trust in the legislative process to ensure the legislature is able to effectively serve the province.
Our conversation also touched on the importance of non-partisanship, common to both the role of the Speaker and the Interns, with Speaker Arnott sharing his approach to effectively navigating non-partisanship. We also discussed the avenues through which he has been able to balance his duties as Speaker with representing his constituency, which he shared has long been a key pillar to his work as an MPP.
Thank you to Speaker Arnott, and his EA and OLIP Alumna extraordinaire, Rachel Nauta, for welcoming us to the Chamber and for taking the time to meet with us. Your continued support of the program is greatly appreciated!
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