This reference book is primarily a procedural work which examines the many forms, customs, and practices which have been developed and established for the House of Commons since Confederation in 1867. It provides a distinctive Canadian perspective in describing procedure in the House up to the end of the first session of the 36th Parliament in Sept. 1999. The material is presented with full commentary on the historical circumstances which have shaped the current approach to parliamentary business. Key Speaker's rulings and statements are also documented and the considerable body of practice, interpretation, and precedents unique to the Canadian House of Commons is amply illustrated. Chapters of the book cover the following: parliamentary institutions; parliaments and ministries; privileges and immunities; the House and its Members; parliamentary procedure; the physical & administrative setting; the Speaker & other presiding officers; the parliamentary cycle; sittings of the House; the daily program; oral & written questions; the process of debate; rules of order & decorum; the curtailment of debate; special debates; the legislative process; delegated legislation; financial procedures; committees of the whole House; committees; private Members' business; public petitions; private bills practice; and the parliamentary record. Includes index.

Rebuilding the Houses of Parliament explores the history of the UK Houses of Parliament in Westminster from an environmental design perspective, and the role David Boswell Reid played in the development of the original ventilation and climate control system in parliament. This book retraces and critically examines the evolution of the environmental principles underlying the design of the Houses of Parliament, engaging with fundamental questions about air quality, energy efficiency and thermal comfort. This yields insights into the historic methods of environmental design that were characterised by physical experimentation and post-occupancy evaluation. Rebuilding the Houses of Parliament examines the history of the buildings' operation, studying the practical reality of its performance in use and offers the opportunity to reflect on current challenges faced by architects and engineers adapting to the realities of climate change. This book is an ideal read for academics, politicians and practitioners with an interest in architectural history and heritage, theory, engineering and conservation.

"Parliament is the space where politics literally takes shape. Here, collective decisions take form in a specific setting where relationships between political actors are organized through architecture. The architecture of spaces of political congregation is not only an expression of a political culture, it also shapes this culture. 0Since 2010, architecture office XML has researched the architecture of spaces of political congregation. The book 'Parliament' explores the double-sided relationship between space and politics by documenting and comparing the plenary halls of the parliaments of all 193 United Nations member states. Almost like a manual archive, the book documents the rooms in the same style and scale and also provides key data and the assembly hall's location within the larger parliament building. Organized as a lexicon, the book allows comparison of all 193 national parliaments in the world." --Cover.

For the first time in over twenty years, the exquisite and unique building of the Houses of Parliament, also known as the Palace of Westminster, is the subject of an authoritative and fully illustrated publication, offering new insight into Britain's most famous and celebrated symbol of state. Spanning the medieval period to the present day, The Houses of Parliament: History, Art, Architecture is a fresh, innovative study of this unique and complex Victorian building, placing it within a broad historical, political, and cultural context. The absorbing narrative is complemented by newly commissioned photography and rarely seen archival material, revealing the richly ornamented interiors, the art and the architecture, and how they relate to the political institutions within this monumental edifice, the site of British authority since the eleventh century. -- First book published on the building for over 20 years. -- Fresh perspectives on the history, architecture, art and design of one of the most famous and recognizable buildings in the world. -- Sumptuously illustrated with newly commissioned photography and unseen archival material and artwork from the medieval period to the present day. -- The scene of many of the most famous and significant events in British history and politics. Continues to be at the centre of the British political world today. -- One of the most visited monuments in Europe, drawing millions of tourists from Britain and around the world each year.

A Canadian architectural and cultural marvel, Canada's Parliament Building, or Centre Block, has been the focal point of Canadian parliamentary democracy for much of the past century. As the Parliament Building, with its iconic gothic revival Peace Tower, approaches its 100th anniversary, it will be closed for a decade or more for much-needed renovations. Although an entire generation will miss the opportunity to see this building's wonders, A Portrait of Canada's Parliament provides a permanent written and illustrated record of it at this watershed moment. With spectacular photographs by William McElligott and inspiring thematic articles by established professional subject specialists, this volume collectively paints a portrait of one of Canada's greatest symbols from its origins into the present and on to the plans for its future. The Parliament Building, which contains both the Senate and the House of Commons, is unveiled from various angles: the astonishing history, the visionary architects, the lofty aspirations, the democratic functions housed within, the urban features, the picturesque landscape, the powerful architecture, the engineering ingenuity, the decorations' symbolic meanings, the harsher memories, the evolution echoing a growing nation, and the challenges, opportunities, and technological innovations for the most ambitious architectural renovation in Canada's history - a revitalized Parliament Building fit for the twenty-first century and beyond. This portrait provides, for the first time, an intimate analysis of the character and spirit of Canada's Parliament, and how the building's design, contents, and setting have performed their role so successfully for successive generations of Canadians.

Why have the national governments of EU member states successively endowed the European Parliament with supervisory, budgetary, and legislative powers over the past fifty years? Building Europe's Parliament sheds new light on this pivotal issue, and provides a major contribution to the study of the European Parliament.Rittberger develops a theory of delegation to representative institutions in international politics which combines elements of democratic theory and different strands of institutionalist theory. To test the plausibility of his theory, Rittberger draws on extensive archival material and offers theory-guided, in-depth case studies of three landmark decisions in the history of the European Parliament: the creation of the Common Assembly of the ECSC in 1951 and the concomitant acquisition ofsupervisory powers vis-à-vis the quasi-executive High Authority; the delegation of budgetary powers following the signing of the Treaty of Luxembourg in 1970; and the delegation of legislative powers resulting from the adoption of the Single European Act signed in 1986. This is followed by the charting ofmore recent key developments, culminating in the adoption of the Constitutional Treaty in 2004.The book provides a welcome addition to the literature on institutional design by reflecting on the conditions under which governments opt for the creation and empowerment of parliamentary institutions in international politics. It also makes a valuable contribution to the application of democratic theory to the study of the European Union by demonstrating that political elites shared the view that the new supranational polity which emerged from the debris of World War II suffered from'democratic deficit' since its inception, thus disproving the claim that the lamented 'democratic deficit' is a recent phenomenon. Winner of the European Union Studies Association Prize for Best Dissertation 2002-2004

Although Parliament is constantly in the news and televised daily, much of its work remains a mystery to outsiders and is sometimes perplexing even to its own members. This book provides a unique insight into the work and daily life of Parliament. It sets out plainly and intelligibly what goes on and why things happen, but it also analyses the pressures within the institution, its strengths and weaknesses, and ways in which it might change. Covering every aspect of the work, membership, and structures of both Houses, this book also reflects the profound changes that have taken place in Parliament over the years.