TUXIS Parliament of Alberta
Encyclopedia
The TUXIS Parliament of Alberta (“TUXIS”) is one of a number of provincial
model
youth parliaments that has its origins in the "boys work" movement of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. TUXIS originally met under the name “Alberta
Older Boy's Parliament”. The Alberta Older Boy's Parliament added “TUXIS
” to its name in 1932. “TUXIS” stands for “you (‘U’) and ‘I’ training and service with Christ (represented with an ‘X’ for the Greek letter 'chi') in the centre.” An alternative interpretation is "Training Under Christ In Service." It is the last of these youth parliaments to retain its “TUXIS” appellation and maintain its Christian
character; however, its membership is not restricted on the basis of religion.
The parliament's goals have evolved from the TUXIS "four-fold" program to develop the mental, physical, social and spiritual well-being of its members and all youth. TUXIS is a non-denominational Christian youth Parliament which recently reaffirmed its non-exclusionary Christian foundation; an ongoing issue within the parliament is the place of religion. TUXIS believes that exposure to different points of view encourages tolerance of varying interpretations of Christianity, faith, and spirituality, as well as the views of non-Christians. Each session has a theme developed by the "Ministry of Devotions". Although theme discussions centre on issues of Christian living important to youth, being Christian is not a pre-requisite to attending a Session or conference of the Parliament; the Parliament is non-exclusionary and invites all Alberta youth to attend.
and debate
legislation
on topics of interest. In addition to the parliamentary and debating activities, members attending the annual session participate in various social and devotional events.
TUXIS also holds weekend conferences throughout the year, usually in February, March, May , September, and November. At each of these conferences, Friday is spent meeting new members and participating in membership, social action, and devotion activities. These include "ice breakers" and fun "energizers". Social action and devotions are more serious events with group discussion. Saturday mornings include a Front Bench Meeting designed to update the members on the business of Parliament, make decisions about the direction of the organisation and plan for Session. The rest of the day is spent with the membership, social action and devotions activities, as well as recreational activities and free time. Sunday activities include church services and clean up.
TUXIS is a founding member of the Western Canada Youth Parliament
. It was also a founding member and participant in the now-defunct Youth Parliament of Canada/Parlement jeunesse du Canada
.
Parliament, is Jennifer Kerr (Premier), Natasha Larsen (Leader of the Opposition) Vicki Kerr (Deputy Premier), and Sarah Wright (Alternate Leader of the Opposition)
The current ministers are:
of the Provincial Government
in Edmonton, from December 28 through the 30 December 1920. The Mayor of Edmonton, D.M. Duggan
, acted as Lieutenant Governor
. Armour Ford was elected as the first Speaker
. The first Premier
was Edward Hunter Gowan. The Leader of the Opposition
was James Robin Davidson.
Like many of the other Canadian
Youth Parliaments, TUXIS was sponsored by the Boys’ Work Board of the provincial Religious Education Council (“REC”). The REC was a coalition of religious organizations, the most significant of which was the United Church
). The REC of Alberta ceased to exist in 1962. As a result, the TUXIS and Older Boy's Parliament of Alberta Alumni Society was formed. The members of this Society now provide sponsorship, including financial backing and continuity, of TUXIS.
The 60th Session of the Parliament approved a resolution inviting young women to attend the Parliament and share in the companionship of TUXIS. This same year also approved a resolution to change the name from "TUXIS and Older Boys' Parliament of Alberta" to "TUXIS Parliament of Alberta". Young women first attended the 62nd Session in 1981 at Red Deer and soon entered into the leadership when LaVonne Rosvick was elected Premier for the 67th Session.
TUXIS celebrated its ninetieth Session in December 2009. Unlike most other Canadian Youth Parliaments founded during the same time, TUXIS met continuously throughout the Great Depression
and World War II
. As a result, TUXIS has the longest uninterrupted history of annual sessions of any youth parliament in Canada.
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
model
Model parliament
A Model Parliament is a simulation of the parliamentary proceedings of a legislature or other deliberative assembly, often based upon the Westminster Parliamentary system...
youth parliaments that has its origins in the "boys work" movement of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. TUXIS originally met under the name “Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
Older Boy's Parliament”. The Alberta Older Boy's Parliament added “TUXIS
TUXIS
TUXIS was a boys’ program similar to the Scouting movement promoted by Canadian Protestant churches. There are a number of variations of what the acronym "TUXIS" is said to stand for...
” to its name in 1932. “TUXIS” stands for “you (‘U’) and ‘I’ training and service with Christ (represented with an ‘X’ for the Greek letter 'chi') in the centre.” An alternative interpretation is "Training Under Christ In Service." It is the last of these youth parliaments to retain its “TUXIS” appellation and maintain its Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
character; however, its membership is not restricted on the basis of religion.
Overview
The central focus of the organization is its parliamentary program. The main parliamentary session occurs during the last week of December, which determines the annual agenda of events. This includes five conferences, usually held in February, March, May, September and November and up to two "Front Bench Retreats". These conferences help plan the upcoming session and have other activities meeting the objectives of the organization.The parliament's goals have evolved from the TUXIS "four-fold" program to develop the mental, physical, social and spiritual well-being of its members and all youth. TUXIS is a non-denominational Christian youth Parliament which recently reaffirmed its non-exclusionary Christian foundation; an ongoing issue within the parliament is the place of religion. TUXIS believes that exposure to different points of view encourages tolerance of varying interpretations of Christianity, faith, and spirituality, as well as the views of non-Christians. Each session has a theme developed by the "Ministry of Devotions". Although theme discussions centre on issues of Christian living important to youth, being Christian is not a pre-requisite to attending a Session or conference of the Parliament; the Parliament is non-exclusionary and invites all Alberta youth to attend.
Activities
TUXIS holds an annual session from December 26 to 31 December. The focus of session is the parliamentary sittings where the members learn parliamentary procedureParliamentary procedure
Parliamentary procedure is the body of rules, ethics, and customs governing meetings and other operations of clubs, organizations, legislative bodies, and other deliberative assemblies...
and debate
Debate
Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
legislation
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
on topics of interest. In addition to the parliamentary and debating activities, members attending the annual session participate in various social and devotional events.
TUXIS also holds weekend conferences throughout the year, usually in February, March, May , September, and November. At each of these conferences, Friday is spent meeting new members and participating in membership, social action, and devotion activities. These include "ice breakers" and fun "energizers". Social action and devotions are more serious events with group discussion. Saturday mornings include a Front Bench Meeting designed to update the members on the business of Parliament, make decisions about the direction of the organisation and plan for Session. The rest of the day is spent with the membership, social action and devotions activities, as well as recreational activities and free time. Sunday activities include church services and clean up.
TUXIS is a founding member of the Western Canada Youth Parliament
Western Canada Youth Parliament
The Western Canada Youth Parliament is a biennial event that brings together delegations from the British Columbia Youth Parliament , the TUXIS Parliament of Alberta, the Saskatchewan Youth Parliament and the Youth Parliament of Manitoba for a four-day parliamentary session, usually during the...
. It was also a founding member and participant in the now-defunct Youth Parliament of Canada/Parlement jeunesse du Canada
Youth Parliament of Canada/Parlement jeunesse du Canada
The Youth Parliament of Canada/Parlement jeunesse du Canada was a youth model parliament that met bi-annually, and later annually, in the 1980s...
.
Organizational structure
The Executive Committee consists of the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition, the Deputy Premier, and the Alternate Leader of the Opposition. They are elected at Session by the members of the parliament and serve a one year term. The Executive Committee is colloquially referred to as the "Front Four" and they run the parliament by appointing the Front Bench: Ministers for the Cabinet and Deputies for the Shadow Cabinet. The current Executive Committee, elected at the 91st Session of the TUXISTUXIS
TUXIS was a boys’ program similar to the Scouting movement promoted by Canadian Protestant churches. There are a number of variations of what the acronym "TUXIS" is said to stand for...
Parliament, is Jennifer Kerr (Premier), Natasha Larsen (Leader of the Opposition) Vicki Kerr (Deputy Premier), and Sarah Wright (Alternate Leader of the Opposition)
The current ministers are:
- Minister of Finance- Colin Rosychuk
- Minister of Membership- Kassandra McKay
- Deputy Minister of Membership- Julia Kassies
- Minister of External Affairs- Jeffrey Woodall
- Minister of Publicity- Deanna Unyk
- Minister of Devotions- Sonia Phillips
- Deputy Minister of Devotions- Sean Earle
- Minister of Social Action- Adam Nordquist
- Deputy Minister of Social Action- Arynn Marchant
- Provincial Secretary- Heather Kidd
- Deputy Provincial Secretary- Seth Burnard
- Minister of Recruitment- Ryan Gauthier
History
The first Session of the Older Boys' Parliament of Alberta was first held in the Legislative ChamberAlberta Legislative Building
The Alberta Legislature Building is located in Edmonton, Alberta, and is the meeting place of the Legislative Assembly and the Executive Council.-History:...
of the Provincial Government
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
in Edmonton, from December 28 through the 30 December 1920. The Mayor of Edmonton, D.M. Duggan
David Milwyn Duggan
David Milwyn Duggan was a politician in Alberta, Canada, a mayor of Edmonton, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, and a leader of the Conservative Party of Alberta.-Early life:...
, acted as Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
. Armour Ford was elected as the first Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
. The first Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
was Edward Hunter Gowan. The Leader of the Opposition
Opposition (parliamentary)
Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning the administration or the cabinet rather than the state...
was James Robin Davidson.
Like many of the other Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Youth Parliaments, TUXIS was sponsored by the Boys’ Work Board of the provincial Religious Education Council (“REC”). The REC was a coalition of religious organizations, the most significant of which was the United Church
United Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada is a Protestant Christian denomination in Canada. It is the largest Protestant church and, after the Roman Catholic Church, the second-largest Christian church in Canada...
). The REC of Alberta ceased to exist in 1962. As a result, the TUXIS and Older Boy's Parliament of Alberta Alumni Society was formed. The members of this Society now provide sponsorship, including financial backing and continuity, of TUXIS.
The 60th Session of the Parliament approved a resolution inviting young women to attend the Parliament and share in the companionship of TUXIS. This same year also approved a resolution to change the name from "TUXIS and Older Boys' Parliament of Alberta" to "TUXIS Parliament of Alberta". Young women first attended the 62nd Session in 1981 at Red Deer and soon entered into the leadership when LaVonne Rosvick was elected Premier for the 67th Session.
TUXIS celebrated its ninetieth Session in December 2009. Unlike most other Canadian Youth Parliaments founded during the same time, TUXIS met continuously throughout the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. As a result, TUXIS has the longest uninterrupted history of annual sessions of any youth parliament in Canada.
See also
- Western Canada Youth ParliamentWestern Canada Youth ParliamentThe Western Canada Youth Parliament is a biennial event that brings together delegations from the British Columbia Youth Parliament , the TUXIS Parliament of Alberta, the Saskatchewan Youth Parliament and the Youth Parliament of Manitoba for a four-day parliamentary session, usually during the...
- Youth Parliament of Canada/Parlement jeunesse du CanadaYouth Parliament of Canada/Parlement jeunesse du CanadaThe Youth Parliament of Canada/Parlement jeunesse du Canada was a youth model parliament that met bi-annually, and later annually, in the 1980s...
- History of Youth WorkHistory of Youth WorkThe history of youth work goes back to the birth of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, which was the first time that young men left their own homes and cottage industries to migrate to the big towns...