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The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the
Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...
of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly are given royal assent by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario to become law. Together, the Legislative Assembly and Lieutenant Governor make up the unicameral Legislature of Ontario or Parliament of Ontario. The assembly meets at the Ontario Legislative Building at Queen's Park in the provincial capital of Toronto. Ontario uses a Westminster-style parliamentary government in which members are elected to the Legislative Assembly through general elections using a "first-past-the-post" system. The
premier of Ontario The premier of Ontario (french: premier ministre de l'Ontario) is the head of government of Ontario. Under the Westminster system, the premier governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority the elected Legislative Assembly of On ...
(the province's head of government) holds office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the Legislative Assembly, typically sitting as an MPP themselves and lead the largest party or a
coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...
in the Legislative Assembly. The largest party not forming the government is known as the
Official Opposition Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''th ...
, its leader being recognized as
leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
. The Ontario Legislature is sometimes referred to as the "Ontario Provincial Parliament". Members of the assembly refer to themselves as "Members of the Provincial Parliament" MPPs as opposed to " Members of the Legislative Assembly" (MLAs) as in many other provinces. Ontario is the only province to do so, in accordance with a resolution passed in the Assembly on April 7, 1938. However, the ''Legislative Assembly Act'' refers only to "members of the Assembly". The Legislative Assembly is the second largest Canadian provincial deliberative assembly by number of members after the National Assembly of Quebec. The current assembly was elected on June 2, 2022, as part of the
43rd Parliament of Ontario The 43rd Parliament of Ontario was elected in the 2022 Ontario general election. Members Front benches * Ford Ministry List of members Membership changes Seating plan ''Note: Bold text designates the party leader. '' Referen ...
. Owing to the location of the Legislative Building on the grounds of Queen's Park, the
metonym Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept. Etymology The words ''metonymy'' and ''metonym'' come from grc, μετωνυμία, 'a change of name' ...
"Queen's Park" is often used to refer to both the provincial government and the Legislative Assembly.


Lawmaking

In accordance with the traditions of the Westminster system, most laws originate in the
provincial cabinet Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Can ...
(government bills) and are passed by the legislature after multiple rounds of debate and decision-making. Backbench legislators may introduce private legislation ( private-member bills) or amend bills presented to the legislature by cabinet, playing an integral role in scrutinizing bills both at the debate as well as committee stages. In the Ontario legislature, this confrontation provides much of the material for Oral Questions and Members' Statements. Legislative scrutiny of the executive is also at the heart of much of the work carried out by the Legislature's Standing Committees, which are made up of ordinary backbenchers. A member's day will typically be divided among participating in the business of the House, attending caucus and committee meetings, speaking in various debates, or returning to his or her constituency to address the concerns, problems and grievances of constituents. Depending on personal inclination and political circumstances, some Members concentrate most of their attention on House matters while others focus on constituency problems, taking on something of an ombudsman's role in the process. Finally, it is the task of the legislature to provide the personnel of the executive. As already noted, under responsible government, ministers of the Crown are expected to be Members of the Assembly. When a political party comes to power it will usually place its more experienced parliamentarians into the key cabinet positions, where their parliamentary experience may be the best preparation for the rough and tumble of political life in government.


History

The Legislative Assembly was established by the British North America Act, 1867 (later re-titled ''Constitution Act, 1867''), which dissolved the Province of Canada into two new provinces, with the portion then called Canada West becoming Ontario. As such, the 1st Parliament of Ontario was one of the three legislative bodies succeeding the
Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the legislature for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper C ...
's
8th Parliament 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...
. The first election in 1867 produced a tie between Conservatives led by
John Sandfield Macdonald John Sandfield Macdonald, (December 12, 1812 – June 1, 1872) was the joint premier of the Province of Canada from 1862 to 1864. He was also the first premier of Ontario from 1867 to 1871, one of the four founding provinces created at Conf ...
and the Liberals led by Archibald McKellar. Macdonald led a
coalition government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...
with the support of moderate Liberals.
John Stevenson John Stevenson may refer to: Entertainment *John Andrew Stevenson (1761–1833), Irish composer * Steve Brodie (actor) (John Stevenson, 1919–1992), American actor *John Stevenson (writer) (born 1930), British writer of erotic fiction * John Stev ...
served as the first speaker for the assembly. Its first session ran from September 3, 1867, until February 25, 1871, just prior to the 1871 general election. The Legislature has been unicameral since its inception, with the Assembly currently having 124 seats (increased from 107 as of the
42nd Ontario general election The 2018 Ontario general election was held on June 7, 2018, to elect the 124 members of the 42nd Parliament of Ontario. The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, led by Doug Ford, won 76 of the 124 seats in the legislature and formed a majo ...
) representing electoral districts ("ridings") elected through a first-past-the-post electoral system across the province. In 1938, the title of Member of the Legislative Assembly was officially changed to Member of Provincial Parliament. Previously, multiple terms were unofficially used in the media and in the Legislature. Ontario uses the same boundaries as those at the federal level for its Legislative Assembly in Southern Ontario, while seats in Northern Ontario correspond to the federal districts that were in place before the 2004 adjustment. Ontario had separate provincial electoral districts prior to 1999.


Timeline of the 43rd Parliament of Ontario

The following notable events occurred during the 2018–present period: * August 8, 2022: The
43rd Parliament of Ontario The 43rd Parliament of Ontario was elected in the 2022 Ontario general election. Members Front benches * Ford Ministry List of members Membership changes Seating plan ''Note: Bold text designates the party leader. '' Referen ...
begins its first session. Ted Arnott, MPP for Wellington—Halton Hills, is re-elected as the speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario defeating a challenge by fellow PC MPP Nina Tangri, who had been endorsed by Premier Doug Ford. * August 9, 2022: Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell delivers the
speech from the throne A speech from the throne, or throne speech, is an event in certain monarchies in which the reigning sovereign, or a representative thereof, reads a prepared speech to members of the nation's legislature when a session is opened, outlining th ...
. * August 15, 2022: Andrea Horwath, former leader of the Ontario NDP, resigns her seat as MPP for Hamilton Centre in order to pursue a bid to become the mayor of Hamilton, Ontario during the 2022 municipal election.


Summary of seat changes


Media

Regular Legislative Assembly proceedings are broadcast to subscribers of the
Ontario Parliament Network The Ontario Parliament Network (stylized ONT.PARL since 2018) is a television channel in the Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, established in 1986 to broadcast the parliamentary procedure, parliamentary proceedings of the Legislative Assembl ...
in Ontario. A late-night rebroadcast of Question Period is also occasionally aired on TVO, the provincial public broadcaster.


Officers

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario, like the federal House of Commons, also includes procedural officers who administer the business of the legislature and impartially assist the Speaker and MPPs with their duties. These officers collectively make up the Office of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The Office of the Assembly consists of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker as well as the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly,
Sergeant-at-Arms A serjeant-at-arms, or sergeant-at-arms, is an officer appointed by a deliberative body, usually a legislature, to keep order during its meetings. The word "serjeant" is derived from the Latin ''serviens'', which means "servant". Historically, s ...
, executive director of Administrative Services, and executive director of Legislative Library, Research and Information Services. The Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario is the chief permanent officer of the Legislative Assembly, with the rank and status of a Deputy Minister, responsible for administering the legislature and advising MPPs on questions of procedure or interpretation of the rules and practices of the House. The Sergeant-at-Arms keeps order during meetings in the legislature, is charged with control of the
ceremonial mace A ceremonial mace is a highly ornamented staff of metal or wood, carried before a sovereign or other high officials in civic ceremonies by a mace-bearer, intended to represent the official's authority. The mace, as used today, derives from the or ...
in the legislature, and is responsible for security in the House and the Legislative Precinct.


Independent offices protecting certain public interests

Additional officers of the Legislative Assembly were created to protect certain public interests, these officers are appointed by unanimous votes of the legislature and report to the legislature through the Speaker rather than to the provincial government. These officers include the Auditor General, Information and Privacy Commissioner, Integrity Commissioner, Chief Electoral Officer, Ontario Ombudsman, and Poet Laureate of Ontario.


Symbols


Coat of arms

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario is the first and only legislature in Canada to have a coat of arms separate from the provincial arms. Green and gold are the principal colours, as in the coat of arms of Ontario. A mace is the traditional symbol of the authority of the Speaker. Shown on the left is the current mace, while on the right is the original mace from the time of the first parliament in 1792. The crossed maces are joined by the shield of arms of Ontario. The coronet on the wreath represents national and provincial loyalties, while its rim is studded with the provincial gemstone, the
amethyst Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Koine Greek αμέθυστος ''amethystos'' from α- ''a-'', "not" and μεθύσκω (Ancient Greek) / μεθώ (Modern Greek), "intoxicate", a reference to the belief that t ...
. The
griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Ancient Greek: , ''gryps''; Classical Latin: ''grȳps'' or ''grȳpus''; Late Latin, Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a legendary creature with the body, tail ...
, an ancient symbol of justice and equity, holds a
calumet Calumet may refer to: Places United States *Calumet Region, in northern Illinois and Indiana **Calumet River **Calumet Trail, Indiana ** Calumet (East Chicago) * Calumet, Colorado *Calumet, Iowa * Calumet, Michigan *Calumet, Minnesota * Calumet ...
, which symbolizes the meeting of spirit and discussion that Ontario's First Nations believe accompanies the use of the pipe. The deer represent the natural riches of the province. The Loyalist coronets at their necks honour the original British settlers in Ontario who brought with them the British parliamentary form of government. The royal crowns (left 1992, right 1792) recognize the parliamentary bicentennial and represent Ontario's heritage as a constitutional monarchy. They were granted as a special honour by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the recommendation of the Governor General. In the base, the maple leaves are for Canada, the trilliums for Ontario and the roses for York (now Toronto), the provincial capital.


Mace

The
ceremonial mace A ceremonial mace is a highly ornamented staff of metal or wood, carried before a sovereign or other high officials in civic ceremonies by a mace-bearer, intended to represent the official's authority. The mace, as used today, derives from the or ...
of the Legislature is the fourth mace to be used in Upper Canada or Ontario. It acts as a symbol, representing the authority of the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to oversee the proceedings of the assembly. The first mace was used by the Chamber of Upper Canada's first Parliament in 1792 at Newark (now
Niagara-on-the-Lake Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Niagara Peninsula at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, across the river from New York, United States. Niagara-on-the-Lake is in the Niagara Region of On ...
) and then moved to York (now Toronto). The primitive wooden mace was painted red and gilt, and surmounted by a crown of thin brass strips. It was stolen by American troops as a Prize of War in 1813 at the
Battle of York The Battle of York was a War of 1812 battle fought in York, Upper Canada (today's Toronto, Ontario, Canada) on April 27, 1813. An American force supported by a naval flotilla landed on the lakeshore to the west and advanced against the town, whi ...
during the War of 1812. The mace was subsequently stored at the United States Naval Academy in
Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
. It remained in the United States until 1934, when it was returned to Ontario after President
Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
sent an order to Congress to return the mace. It was initially kept at the
Royal Ontario Museum The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year ...
for a time, and it is now located in the Main Lobby of the Ontario Legislative Building. A second mace was introduced in 1813 and used until 1841. The third mace was not purchased until 1845. In 1849, it was stolen by a riotous mob in Montreal, apparently intent upon destroying it in a public demonstration. However, it was rescued and returned to the Speaker, Sir Allan Macnab, the next day. Later, in 1854, the mace was twice rescued when the Parliament Buildings in Quebec were ravaged by fire. The mace continued to be used by the Union Parliament in Toronto and Quebec until Confederation in 1867, when it was taken to the
Parliament of Canada The Parliament of Canada (french: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, the ...
in Ottawa, where it remained in the House of Commons until 1916. When the Parliament Buildings were gutted by fire during that year, the mace could not be saved from Centre Block. All that remained was a tiny ball of silver and gold conglomerate. The current mace used in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario was acquired in 1867, after Confederation. It was provided by Charles E. Zollikofer of Ottawa for $200. The four-foot mace is made of copper and richly gilded, a flattened ball at the butt end. Initially, the head of the mace bore the crown of Queen Victoria and in a cup with her royal cypher, V.R. When she was succeeded by Edward VII in 1901, her crown and cup were removed and a new one bearing Edward's cypher on the cup was installed. Eventually, it was replaced with the current cup, which is adorned in gleaming brass leaves. Through some careful detective work on the part of Legislative Assembly staff, the original cup with Queen Victoria's cypher was recently found in the
Royal Ontario Museum The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year ...
’s collection and returned to the Legislature. It is now on display in the Ontario Legislative Building. In 2009, two diamonds were installed in the mace. The diamonds were a gift to the people of Ontario from De Beers Canada to mark the opening of the Victor Mine near Attawapiskat in northern Ontario. Three diamonds were selected from the first run of the mine. Two stones, one rough and one polished, were set in platinum in the crown of the mace while the third stone, also polished, was put on exhibit in the lobby of the Legislative Building as part of a display about the history of the mace.


Party standings

Elections to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario occurred on June 2, 2022, as a result of which the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, led by Doug Ford, was re-elected as His Majesty's Government of Ontario.


Seating plan

The seating chamber is similar in layout to that of the
British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...
and the original St. Stephen's Chapel in the
Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parli ...
. The Parliament of Ontario, however, may be easily distinguished from this model by its use of individual chairs and tables for members, absent in the British Commons' design. The legislature's former host building and site, home to the Upper Canada and Union Houses, once boasted of a similar layout. Last update: August 17, 2022 ''Note: Bold text designates the party leader. ''


Membership changes


List of members


Officeholders


Speaker

* Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario: Ted Arnott ( Progressive Conservative) **Deputy Speaker (Government): Donna Skelly (Progressive Conservative) **Deputy Speakers (Mixed-Party): Bhutila Karpoche ( New Democratic),
Patrice Barnes Patrice Barnes is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2022 provincial election. She represents the riding of Ajax as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. Barnes is a form ...
(Progressive Conservative), Lucille Collard ( Liberal)


Leaders

*
Premier of Ontario The premier of Ontario (french: premier ministre de l'Ontario) is the head of government of Ontario. Under the Westminster system, the premier governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority the elected Legislative Assembly of On ...
: Doug Ford ( Progressive Conservative) *
Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
: Peter Tabuns ( New Democratic) * Leader of the Liberal Party:
John Fraser John Fraser may refer to: Politics *John Simon Frederick Fraser (1765–1803), commanded the Fraser Fencibles in Ireland and was (M.P.) for Inverness-shire *John James Fraser (1829–1896), 5th Premier of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, 18 ...
* Leader of the
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...
: Mike Schreiner


Floor leaders

* Government House Leader: Paul Calandra ( Progressive Conservative) * Opposition House Leader: Peggy Sattler ( NDP)


Whips

* Chief Government Whip: Ross Romano (Progressive Conservative) * Official Opposition Whip: John Vanthof (NDP)


Front benches

* Executive Council of Ontario *
Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet of the 43rd Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet of the 43rd Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada is the shadow cabinet of the main Opposition party, responsible for holding Ministers to account and for developing and disseminating the party's policy posi ...


Committees

There are two forms that committees can take. The first, standing committees, are struck for the duration of the Parliament pursuant to Standing Orders. The second,
select committee Select committee may refer to: *Select committee (parliamentary system), a committee made up of a small number of parliamentary members appointed to deal with particular areas or issues *Select or special committee (United States Congress) *Select ...
s, are struck usually by a Motion or an Order of the House to consider a specific bill or issue which would otherwise monopolize the time of the standing committees.


Standing committees

A committee which exists for the duration of a parliamentary session. This committee examines and reports on the general conduct of activities by government departments and agencies and reports on matters referred to it by the house, including proposed legislation.


Standing Committees in the current Parliament

* Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs * Standing Committee on Government Agencies * Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy * Standing Committee on the Interior * Standing Committee on Justice Policy * Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs * Standing Committee on Public Accounts * Standing Committee on Social Policy


Select committees

Select committees are set up specifically to study certain bills or issues and according to the Standing Orders, consists of not more than 11 members from all parties with representation reflecting the current standing in the house. In some cases, the committee must examine material by a specific date and then report its conclusion to the legislature. After its final report, the committee is dissolved.Legislative Assembly of Ontario: Glossary
retrieved 10 February 2010


Select Committees in the 39th Parliament

*The Select Committee on Elections completed its work on June 30, 2009. *The Select Committee on Mental Health and Addictions completed its work on August 26, 2010. *The Select Committee on the proposed transaction of the TMX Group and the London Stock Exchange Group completed its work on April 19, 2011.


See also

* List of Ontario general elections *
List of Ontario Legislative Assemblies This is a list of the Parliaments of the Ontario Legislative Assembly, the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, since Canadian Confederation in 1867. The Legislative Assembly has existed since 1867 when the British North America ...
* List of political parties in Ontario *
Office of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Office of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, also called the Office of the Assembly, is an organization mandated to support the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and the legislature's Members of Provincial Parliament in the exerci ...


References


External links


Official YouTube channel Ontario Legislative AssemblyLegislative Assembly of Ontario
official website
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of OntarioCanadian Governments Compared
{{Ontario politics Ontario 1867 establishments in Ontario Ontario