Universities' Model Parliament
Encyclopedia
The Universities' Model Parliament ("UMP") is an organization of youth and young adults formed to promote and encourage students from all over western Canada
to participate in parliamentary procedure
, particularly that of the Canadian House of Commons
.
during the first weekend of January, when the actual Legislature
is not in session. During this session, the parties participating are based on the real federal
political parties, with the exceptation of the Bloc Québécois
, which does not have a presence outside of Quebec
.
is typically chosen by the executive on consultation with the coming party that is sitting as government. The conditions for the Governor-General (unless the situation calls for it) is usually not a sitting politician. In the past, notable Canadian Politicians such as the Honorable Preston Manning
, and the Honorable Audrey McLaughlin
have sat as Governors-General of the society delivering the Throne Speech.
of the House maintains order during debates according to the standing orders of parliament. The Speaker also can eject members of the house for inappropriate conduct in context to the situations. The Speaker is usually elected from the Society Members of Parliament for his or her expertise in Parliamentary Standing Orders and procedure as well as vast knowledge of Parliamentary traditions. Speakers may elect to don court dress
while taking the chair, including a tricorne
hat, which is a traditional element of the dress of the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The current speaker is the Honoruable Andrew McVie.
The executive, with the acceptation of the party representatives and the President of the Senate, all rotate between the political parties present. The President of the Senate is elected by and from the Senators in attendance at that year's sitting of the Senate, immeadeately prior to the AGM. Potentially the Speaker of the House is also included within Executive decisions to enforce and arbitrate issues that may conflict with the Universities Model Parliament Society of British Columbia's Constitution. Also previous members of prominence within the Executive may exercise unofficial influence within the executive itself.
The executive also maintains the power to permanently expel members from the Universities' Model Parliament Society of British Columbia.
is composed of members selected by the Prime Minister
. Due to the informal aspect of UMP, the UMP may include fictional departments and responsibilities.
proposed by the three parties have already been past the "White Paper" process that typical bills go through in Westminster-styled parliaments in the world. Bills, if passed become laws and have enforcement power by parliament once they pass and are given royal assent.
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...
to participate in parliamentary procedure
Parliamentary 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...
, particularly that of the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
.
Annual Session
UMP usually meets in Victoria, British ColumbiaVictoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
during the first weekend of January, when the actual Legislature
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....
is not in session. During this session, the parties participating are based on the real federal
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
political parties, with the exceptation of the Bloc Québécois
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
, which does not have a presence outside of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
Annual General Meeting
The UMP holds an annual general meeting to plan the upcoming session. AGM only takes place within a short period in full consultation in the presence of both the Executive and the General Membership. This AGM is not conducted in parliamentary fashion, but is an open meeting with a more business like atmosphere with the President of the society directly consulting members on concerns and vice-versa. Votes are taken according to a simple majority on issues and questions can be asked by any member of the society. During this AGM new members of the executive are nominated by their respected parties and seconded then voted. The Executive also has meetings throughout the year that can be attended openly by any member who wishes to attend. However due to the difficulties in coordinating meetings between members in Victoria and the Greater Vancouver Regional District, these meetings are usually done once every one or two months.Governor-General
The Governor-GeneralGovernor-General
A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
is typically chosen by the executive on consultation with the coming party that is sitting as government. The conditions for the Governor-General (unless the situation calls for it) is usually not a sitting politician. In the past, notable Canadian Politicians such as the Honorable Preston Manning
Preston Manning
Ernest Preston Manning, CC is a Canadian politician. He was the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance...
, and the Honorable Audrey McLaughlin
Audrey McLaughlin
Audrey McLaughlin, PC, OC was leader of Canada's New Democratic Party from 1989 to 1995. She was the first female leader of a political party with representation in the Canadian House of Commons, as well as the first federal political party leader to represent an electoral district in a Canadian...
have sat as Governors-General of the society delivering the Throne Speech.
Speaker
The SpeakerSpeaker (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...
of the House maintains order during debates according to the standing orders of parliament. The Speaker also can eject members of the house for inappropriate conduct in context to the situations. The Speaker is usually elected from the Society Members of Parliament for his or her expertise in Parliamentary Standing Orders and procedure as well as vast knowledge of Parliamentary traditions. Speakers may elect to don court dress
Court dress
Court dress comprises the style of clothes prescribed for courts of law, and formerly for royal courts.- Where court dress is worn :Court dress is worn at hearings in open court in all Senior Courts of England and Wales and in county courts. However, court dress may be dispensed with at the option...
while taking the chair, including a tricorne
Tricorne
The tricorne or tricorn is a style of hat that was popular during the 18th century, falling out of style by 1800. At the peak of its popularity, the tricorne was worn as civilian dress and as part of military and naval uniforms...
hat, which is a traditional element of the dress of the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The current speaker is the Honoruable Andrew McVie.
Clerk of the House
The Clerk of the House functions as the senior administrative officer during the sitting of the model parliament. The Clerk provides procedural advice and clerical support to members of all parties as well as being the chief advisor to the Speaker on matters of procedure and the Standing Orders. The Clerk may also function at the Chair of a Committee of the Whole and as a Deputy Speaker in the Speaker's absence. The Clerk's position is a new one for the society, only starting during the 34th session in 2008, and has been a voluntary appointment at the discretion of the Speaker and the society's executive. The current, and first, Clerk of the House is the Honourable Christopher Greer.Sergeant-at-arms
The Sergeant-at-arms is the enforcer of the Speaker of the House's rulings. The Sergeant-at-arms is also responsible for the carrying of the mace at the openings of sessions.Executive
The Executive acts when UMP is not in session to carry on the organization of the Universities' Model Parliament Society including funding and arranging bookings to hotels and taking poll numbers which result in the seating arrangements of parties within the Parliament itself. There are currently eight positions within the executive:- Past President
- President
- President of the Senate
- Treasurer
- Secretary
- Liberal Party Representative
- Conservative Party Representative
- New Democratic Party Representative
The executive, with the acceptation of the party representatives and the President of the Senate, all rotate between the political parties present. The President of the Senate is elected by and from the Senators in attendance at that year's sitting of the Senate, immeadeately prior to the AGM. Potentially the Speaker of the House is also included within Executive decisions to enforce and arbitrate issues that may conflict with the Universities Model Parliament Society of British Columbia's Constitution. Also previous members of prominence within the Executive may exercise unofficial influence within the executive itself.
The executive also maintains the power to permanently expel members from the Universities' Model Parliament Society of British Columbia.
Society Members of Parliament
The bulk of the society is composed of the Society Members of Parliament, often referred to simply as Society Members. In literal terms a "Society Member of Parliament" only exists when he or she is sitting in Parliament itself, otherwise outside of Parliament they are simply referred to as "Society Members". Their function in terms of the Annual General Meeting. According to the Constitution of the UMP, no independent members can be recognized therefore all members must be affiliated with a recognized political party.Cabinet
The CabinetCabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
is composed of members selected by the Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
. Due to the informal aspect of UMP, the UMP may include fictional departments and responsibilities.
Senate
The Senate of the Universities Model Parliament Society is composed of former UMP members and alumni. To become a member of the Senate, a Society Member must serve with Parliament for two years, and then they must be nominated by a senator. If the member accepts this nomination they are then declared members of the Senate and may sit in the Senate sessions. The Senate only sits for a period of 2–3 hours during the entire UMP session while the party members of parliament are participating in standing committees. The Senate itself has a tradition of debating and amending a bill and resolution from the house.Legislative activities
The Universities' Model Parliament society emphasizes and encourages participation in the parliamentary process. These processes include debates, question period and offering amendments to bills.Speech from the Throne
The sitting prime minister writes the Speech from the Throne which is read by the Governor-General. This speech indicates the government's intentions for the following session and is debated by the three leaders of the parties. Individual members may also debate on the speech from the throne, many using this opportunity to declare their maiden speeches.Bills
BillsBill (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....
proposed by the three parties have already been past the "White Paper" process that typical bills go through in Westminster-styled parliaments in the world. Bills, if passed become laws and have enforcement power by parliament once they pass and are given royal assent.