ON Parliament

A brief history of Parliament in Ontario

In our first episode we explore 229 years of Ontario's parliamentary history: from fires to stolen maces, a controversial design competition to big changes in parliament, this month's episode has something for everyone. Join us as we begin our journey to demystify the function, importance, and history of Ontario's Parliament (there will be lots of fun facts along the way)!

Introducing ON Parliament!

Introducing the ON Parliament Podcast from the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

What's the Difference between Parliament and Government?

This month's episode explores the difference between two often confused terms: Parliament and Government. We delve a little deeper into why they're important, how they're different and what each one truly means. We're hoping this episode will help expand everyone's parliamentary vocabulary but have no fear, there will be lots of fun facts along the way (and some pretty sweet parliamentary puns too).

Changing the Landscape: Women of Queen’s Park

This month ON Parliament presents a special episode in honour of International Women's Day. We had the opportunity to interview three former MPPs about their time at Queen's Park and learned all about what it means to be a woman in politics. Special thanks to Sharon Murdoch, Janet Ecker and Mary Anne Chambers for sharing their compelling stories with us. This is an episode you definitely don’t want to miss!

A House for Ontario: the Architectural History of the Legislative Building

Happy Birthday to the Legislative Building! This month we delve into the history of Ontario's Parliament Building and take a closer look at the architectural features, changes, and additions that have taken place over the years. We also set a new fun fact record and even managed to squeeze in some great architectural puns! This is one birthday celebration you don't want to miss!

Different Types of Bills

Have you ever wondered what happens before a law is passed? Laws have a big impact on our day-to-day lives, and we wanted to shed some light on how they come to be. This month we kick off a two-part mini-series on how laws are made. Part One explores the different types of bills that you’ll find in Ontario’s Parliament. Did we still manage to find some fun facts about bills? – You bet we did!

The Legislative Process

This month’s episode is part two of our mini-series on how a bill becomes a law. Continuing on our journey, we explore the legislative process in more detail. We’ll take you through all of the steps and stages. But don’t worry – there are sure to be lots of fun facts that pop up along the way too!

An Interview with Her Honour Elizabeth Dowdeswell, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario

This month ON Parliament presents a special episode - we had the opportunity to interview the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Her Honour Elizabeth Dowdeswell. We learned all about what it means to be the Queen's Representative in Ontario and got to chat about her most memorable moments and favourite parts of her role. This is an episode you definitely don’t want to miss!

 

*Editor's Note: Her Honour references a trip she took with the Countess of Sussex. However, Her Honour later confirmed to ON Parliament that the trip was with the Countess of Wessex.

An Interview with the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, the Honourable Ted Arnott

ON Parliament has a very special episode this month! We had the opportunity to interview the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, the Honourable Ted Arnott. We talked about the many things that make up the role of Speaker, fun hats, lots of traditions and learned about some of the Speaker's memorable moments in the chair. This is an episode you definitely don’t want to miss!

Keeping Parliament Running

This month we got to explore the fascinating roles of Parliament's procedural expert, the Clerk, and our head of security, the Sergeant-at-Arms. We learned all about their roles inside the Chamber as well as their little-known but incredibly important roles outside of the Chamber too. We also made sure to include lots of fun facts along the way - this is one episode you don't want to miss!