Advance Poll : A poll
taken in advance of polling day.
Backbencher : A Member of
Parliament or of the Legislative Assembly who does not hold a Cabinet position.
Bicameral : A two-House system of government.
Canada' s Parliament is bicameral; it has a House of Commons and a Senate.
Bill: A proposed law. To become law, a Bill
must pass three readings and committee study and receive Royal Assent.
Budget : The government's estimated income and
expenses for a fiscal year. Alberta's fiscal year is from April 1 to March
Bylaw : A law made by a municipal government.
Cabinet (Executive Council): The heads of
government departments. The Premier is the head of the cabinet and chooses
cabinet ministers from among elected members of his or her party.
Cabinet Minister : A member of the cabinet; the head
of a government department. The Premier chooses cabinet ministers and the
Lieutenant Governor swears them in.
Caucus : All of the elected members from one party;
a private meeting of this group.
Chamber : The room where the Legislative Assembly
holds its sittings.
Civil Servants : People who work for
government departments or agencies.
Confederation : The
union of the British North American colonies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and
Canada (now known as Quebec and Ontario). Other provinces were later added
to this union, Alberta joining in 1905.
Constituency (Riding): A voting district. In
Alberta there are 83 constituencies; each elects one Member of the Legislative
Constitution : The supreme law of a
country. The Canadian Constitution is made up of the British North America
Act 1867 (now called the Constitution Act 1867) and its amendments, all the Acts
and orders which gave Canada new territories and created its provinces, the
Constitution Act 1982, plus unwritten customs called conventions.
Monarchy : A system of government in
which the supreme law is the nation's Constitution but the head of state is a
monarch (in Canada, represented by the Governor General federally and the
Lieutenant Governor provincially).
Department : A cabinet minister's area of
responsibility, or portfolio, including the people who work for it.
Examples are the Department of Health and Department of Labour.
Dissolution : The means by which a Legislature comes
to an end. The Lieutenant Governor dissolves the Legislature on the
Premier's request. An election always follows dissolution.
Election : A process by which the citizens of
the province choose the people they wish to represent them in the Legislative
Assembly. Under the Constitution elections must be held at least once
every five years.
Federation : A system of government that has
two levels which share responsibilities. Typically, the national level of
government looks after national concerns (currency, defense, monetary policy,
and so on) while the provincial or state level looks after regional concerns
(health, education and so on). Examples of federations include Canada,
Australia and the United States.
Government : In the parliamentary sense, the
cabinet (Executive Council), headed by the Premier. To remain in office,
the government must have the support of a majority of members in the
Hansard : The official, verbatim record of
parliamentary debates and proceedings.
House : The Legislative Assembly; also used to mean
Incumbent : A member of a
political party that is currently holding office.
Leader of the
Opposition : The leader of the
political party holding the second largest number of seats in the Assembly.
Legislative Assembly : A lawmaking body of elected
representatives; sometimes called the House.
Legislature : The form of government Canada's
Constitution prescribes for the provinces; consists of the Lieutenant Governor
(head of state and representing the monarch in the provinces) and the
Legislative Assembly (the elected representatives). Each election results
in a new Legislature.
Lieutenant Governor : The provincial representative
of the monarch and the (largely ceremonial) head of state. The Prime
Minister appoints the Lieutenant Governor to a five-year term and the federal
government pays the salary.
Mace : The ceremonial staff that symbolizes the
authority of the Legislature to make laws on behalf of the people.
Majority Government : When the governing party holds
more seats than all other parties combined.
Minority Government : When the governing party holds
fewer than half the seats in the House.
MLA : Member of the Legislative Assembly. Each
MLA is elected to represent a constituency and must represent everyone in that
Non-Partisan : A person
who does not support a cause or political party over other causes and
Official Opposition : The party having the second
largest number of seats in the Assembly. Known officially as Her Majesty's
Opposition : MLAs belonging to parties other than
the governing party. In the Chamber, opposition MLAs sit across from the
cabinet. The role of the opposition is to criticize government policies,
suggest alternatives, and make sure the public is aware of what the government
is doing or plans to do.
Procedure : The unwritten traditions
and written rules for conducting the Assembly's business. The unwritten
traditions have been handed down in Britain and Canada for hundreds of years and
are the foundation for the written rules, which each individual Assembly writes.
Parliamentary System of
Government : A system of
government in which the cabinet is appointed from among elected members of an
Assembly. The cabinet holds power, but for it to remain in power, its
major decisions must be supported by a majority in the Assembly.
Partisan : A person who supports a political party
or cause over other parties and causes.
Political Party : A group of people who hold similar
political aims and opinions who have organized, usually to contest elections so
that they might form a government. The Progressive Conservatives and the
Liberals are examples of political parties in Alberta.
Polling Place : A place
where one or more polling stations are provided for the purpose of voting at an
Polling Station : A
place within the polling place where an elector casts his or her vote.
Premier : The leader of the political party electing
the most members of the Legislative Assembly (in the case of a majority
government) or having the support of a majority in the Assembly.
Private Member : Any MLA who is not a cabinet
Referendum : When the
government allows the electorate to vote directly on an issue of public
Responsible Government :
A government (cabinet) responsible to the representatives of the people (Members
of the Legislative Assembly). The government needs the confidence of the
Assembly to stay in power.
Royal Assent : A ceremony in which the monarch's
representative, the Lieutenant Governor at the provincial level, gives final
approval to a bill.
Sergeant-at-Arms : Legislative Assembly officer in
charge of the security for the Assembly, the MLAs, and visitors to the
Chamber. The Sergeant-at-Arms also has custody of the Mace.
Speech from the Throne : The speech delivered by the
Lieutenant Governor which opens each new session and outlines the government's
plans for the session.
Statute : A law. A Bill is called a statute
once it receives Royal Assent.
Unicameral : Having only one legislative
Chamber. Each of Canada's provincial legislatures is unicameral.