Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The Legislative Assembly of Ontario is the deliberative assembly for the Canadian province of Ontario, and is located in the Ontario Legislative Building in Toronto. The assembly has monarchical and parliamentary roots, with the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario representing the Canadian monarch and the Premier of Ontario serving as the head of government, advised by the Cabinet of Ontario. The assembly is composed of members elected by single-member districts using first-past-the-post voting, with the most recent election being the 2018 Ontario general election, which saw the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario win a majority under the leadership of Doug Ford, the current Premier of Ontario, with the support of Christine Elliott, Caroline Mulroney, and Rod Phillips.

● History

The history of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario dates back to the Constitution Act, 1867, which established Ontario as a province of Canada. The first assembly was elected in August 1867 and was composed of 82 members, with John Sandfield Macdonald serving as the first Premier of Ontario, advised by the Cabinet of Ontario, including Oliver Mowat and George Brown. The assembly has since undergone several changes, including the expansion of the franchise to include women's suffrage in 1917, with the support of Nellie McClung and the Political Equality League, and the reduction of the voting age to 18 in 1971, as part of the Canada Elections Act. The assembly has also been the site of significant events, including the Ontario general election, 1990, which saw the New Democratic Party of Ontario win a majority under the leadership of Bob Rae, and the Ontario general election, 2011, which saw the Liberal Party of Ontario win a minority under the leadership of Dalton McGuinty, with the support of Kathleen Wynne and Glen Murray.

● Composition

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario is composed of 124 members, each representing a single-member district in the province, with the most recent election being the 2018 Ontario general election. The members are elected using first-past-the-post voting, with the party or coalition with the most seats typically forming the government, led by the Premier of Ontario, currently Doug Ford, advised by the Cabinet of Ontario, including Christine Elliott, Caroline Mulroney, and Rod Phillips. The assembly is currently composed of members from the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, the New Democratic Party of Ontario, and the Liberal Party of Ontario, with the support of Green Party of Ontario and Ontario Liberal Party members, including Andrea Horwath, Steven Del Duca, and Mike Schreiner. The assembly also includes independent members, such as Jack MacLaren and Trillium Party of Ontario members, including Bob Yaciuk.

● Officers

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario has several officers, including the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, currently Ted Arnott, who is responsible for presiding over debates and maintaining order in the assembly, with the support of the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The assembly also has a number of other officers, including the Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and the Assistant Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, who assist the Speaker in their duties, including Rick Nicholls and Lisa Gretzky. The officers of the assembly are supported by a number of staff, including the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, who are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the assembly, with the support of the Ontario Legislative Building staff, including John Fraser and Jim Wilson.

● Procedures

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario follows a number of procedures, including the introduction of bills, which are proposed laws that are debated and voted on by the assembly, with the support of the Cabinet of Ontario and the Premier of Ontario. The assembly also has a number of committees, including the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs and the Standing Committee on Justice Policy, which are responsible for reviewing bills and conducting investigations, with the support of the Auditor General of Ontario and the Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth. The assembly also has a number of other procedures, including question period, which allows members to ask questions of the government, and members' statements, which allow members to make statements on issues of importance to their constituents, with the support of the Ontario New Democratic Party and the Ontario Liberal Party.

● Buildings and grounds

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario is located in the Ontario Legislative Building in Toronto, which was completed in 1893 and features a number of architectural styles, including Romanesque Revival architecture and Gothic Revival architecture. The building is surrounded by a number of other buildings, including the Ontario Parliament Buildings and the Whitney Block, which house a number of government offices, including the Office of the Premier of Ontario and the Ministry of Finance (Ontario). The grounds of the assembly are also home to a number of monuments and memorials, including the Ontario Veterans' Memorial and the Queen Elizabeth II Rose Garden, with the support of the Royal Canadian Legion and the Ontario Horticultural Association.

● Current assembly

The current Legislative Assembly of Ontario is the 43rd assembly, which was elected in the 2018 Ontario general election. The assembly is composed of 124 members, with the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario holding a majority of 73 seats, led by the Premier of Ontario, currently Doug Ford, advised by the Cabinet of Ontario, including Christine Elliott, Caroline Mulroney, and Rod Phillips. The assembly is currently addressing a number of issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, with the support of the Ontario Ministry of Health and the Public Health Agency of Canada, and the Ontario economy, with the support of the Ministry of Finance (Ontario) and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. The assembly is also considering a number of bills, including the Ontario Budget, with the support of the Ministry of Finance (Ontario) and the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario.