Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Well, I have a great interest into the legal aspects of our world.

So when I heard about a chance to come and see the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in action, I was just, I couldn't wait for the opportunity.

So I decided to apply for it.

That's Manuthi.

Something that really was memorable to me was how a bill becomes a law and even seeing that firsthand throughout the chamber was just a really great experience and it really put everything into perspective.

Now, the person who leads the students through this learning is Francisco Gutierrez.

He's the page coordinator at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and he joins me now to talk about the program.

So why don't we start with you describing the full description of the role?

Bill 105 has been ordered to have its third and final reading.

The Ontario Legislature returns on October 27th.

To British Columbia now, where a judge has thrown out a drug trafficking case involving a man facing extradition to the U.S.

According to the case, the Canadian man at the center of it was approached by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration at his home back in 2015.

I wish I could say the same, but all the, the reporters at Queen's Park, you know, there are often times where if you come to Queen's Park you'll find more journalists than you will actually find politicians.

A lot of us have offices embedded within the Ontario Legislature, and we show up, you know, mo- most days, if not every day.

Um, it, the only people who are missing are the actual politicians-

[laughs]

All it is is politicians looking for sound bites and to post something that they can put on their Instagram or Twitter to show their constituents that they're yelling about their side.

So what is really, if anything, being missed by this being silent? Is this not just allowing them to get real work done?

Well, first of all, I mean, the entire point of an MPP's role is to be in the Ontario Legislature, right? When, when you're elected as an MPP, what are you elected to? You're elected to a seat, a riding, and that seat is situated inside the chamber of the Ontario Legislative Assembly where you get to propose legislation, uh, debate legislation, and even amend it before passing it, right? This is where, um, all of the concerns of the province of Ontario kind of come and are tied together in some kind of a, a, a legal mechanism, uh, to, you know, perhaps improve the lives of the people of Ontario.

And anyone, any MPP, can table or propose legislation, whether it's a private member's bill or a party can propose something that they would like the government to consider.

Bill 105 has been ordered to have its third and final reading.

The Ontario Legislature returns on October 27th.

To British Columbia now, where a judge has thrown out a drug trafficking case involving a man facing extradition to the U.S.

According to the case, the Canadian man at the center of it was approached by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration at his home back in 2015.

Welcome to season three of On Parliament, a podcast highlighting the history, processes and people that shape Ontario.

If you want to know more about what happens behind the iconic doors of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, then you're in the right place.

Hi, my name is Amanda Capito.

I'm a podcast producer and I work with the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to help share nonpartisan stories with people like you.

We've got a lot of great episodes lined up for you this season, including today's show, which breaks down the process for how a bill becomes a law.

Thank you, Speaker.

it's figurative and literal front row seats.

The chairs behind us are the chairs where you sit.

And within these organizations, I realized the way that the government treats them and these recommendations that come from my people, that come from the highest levels and the leaders that I respect.

And when I was able to get into the Ontario Legislature, when Bill 5 was being read over, I seen just the disrespect that the Canadian government, that the Ontario government had for my leaders.

That they participated in these hearings, they participated in these committees, they also had strong opposition to resolution and yet that was ignored and we were given basically no amount of time to have any kind of change within these bills.

And when I seen that bill get passed and the look on my leadership face, it let me know that this is just something that we can't keep going on this way of having our highest form of leadership being overrun and overturned as if it doesn't mean anything, as if our people, our words don't mean anything to the government.

Not only are we involved in the legal space of applying to be interviewers, but we're also doing many things educationally on the ground.

And as Okinawak started, we started doing rallies and holding these rallies.

We held it at Queen's Park right beside the Ontario Legislature.

We held it in Parliament Hill.

And now with our new chief of police for York Regional Police, we really do have a very dedicated team of leaders that are on the municipal level really, really helpful.

A few days after the shooting, Doug Ford organized the delegation to come visit our synagogue with a number of different members of Ontario Parliament and other dignitaries.

And he expressed deep concern and care.

But unfortunately, when push comes to shove, I don't know that we can really count on the Premier to do more than just say that he stands with the Jewish community.

Have you ever wondered what a day in the life of an MPP looks like? Or what about how a bill becomes a law? Plus, did you know what happened in 1909 that destroyed part of Ontario's legislative building? Hi, I'm Amanda Capito with the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

Get ready for Season 3 of On Parliament, highlighting the history, processes and people that shape Ontario.

We're going to talk about committees, petitions, art, culture, and even ghosts.

If you're wanting to know more about what happens behind the iconic doors of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, then this podcast is for you.

A new season is launching soon.

Be sure to hit that follow button on your favorite podcast player so you don't miss an episode.

Uh, Doug Ford, uh, wears the Conservative logo, but a lot of people out west would cons- you know, it's one of those things.

Like, I worked at the, uh, Alberta Legislature before coming back here, and I always said, "If it's coming out of Queen's Park," which is the Ontario Legislature, "I don't want it.

I don't wanna see it." Uh, so I think that kinda creates tension within the Federal Party.

Um, provincially, it's a different story.