Day 3. "The House of Commons and the Parliamentary Library"

Discussion/warm up

Let’s check what you know about the House of Commons so far!

1.     What is the House of Commons? (Its is one of three branches of Parliament; it is one of 2 Chambers)

2.     Who are MPs? (Members of Parliament)?

3.     What is the difference between an MP and a senator?

4.     What is a constituency? Into how many constituencies is Canada divided?

5.     Who is who in the House? What are their roles? (The Prime Minister, the Leader of Opposition, the Speaker, Cabinet Ministers)

6.     What is Question Period (QP)?

7.     Why is the House of Commons green?

8.     What does the House of Commons do?

Students then receive the copies with the correct answers and answer the questions again using the information in the handouts.

Introducing new vocabulary

stone carvings- a shape made in stone for decoration

stained glass- glass of different colours used for making pictures and patterns in windows, especially in a church

constant reminder- reminder that happens regularly or all the time

constituency- an area of a country that elects a representative to a parliament

guide - to help someone or something to move in a particular direction; to show someone the right way to do something, especially something difficult or complicated

preside- to be in charge of a formal event, organization, ceremony etc

*** Presiding Officer - the person who officially controls the meetings and discussions in the Scottish Parliament or the Welsh Assembly. The Presiding Officer's position is the same as that of the Speaker of the House of Commons.

occupy- to live or stay in a place

ornate- covered with a lot of decoration

accommodate- to provide someone with a place to stay, live, or work

assemble- gather together in one place, often for a particular purpose

spending - the amount of money spent, especially by a government or organization

scrutinise- to examine someone or something very carefully

Watch the video:

The House of Commons

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4oKuEsoFzU&list=PLF_YRVnBKD-wCdMQwp3ZOjhPAuSKJMnpB

The House of Commons

Transcript

The House of Commons Chamber, at the west end of the Centre Block, is decorated in green in the tradition of the British House of Commons. Stone carvings, stained glass windows and other artistic representations of Canada's history decorate the Chamber, as a constant reminder of the Canadians that Members of Parliament represent and serve.

MPs are elected to represent Canada's 308 constituencies. In the Commons Chamber, Members devote most of their time to debating and voting on bills. The Chamber is also a place where Members represent constituents' views, discuss national issues and call on the government to explain its actions.

In keeping with our Parliamentary traditions debate is guided by the Presiding Officer of the House of Commons – the Speaker who occupies the ornate chair at the head of the chamber. Galleries located on the upper level of the chamber accommodate diplomats, members’ guests, the press and the public. An audio guide provides interpretation in both official languages.

The members who assemble here propose debate, scrutinise and vote on bills and spending that will (if passed) in the House of Commons and in the Senate become the law of the land.

Answer the following questions:

What elements decorate the House of Commons Chamber?

How many constituencies do MPs represent?

What do MPs usually do in the Chamber?

Who is the Presiding Officer of the House of Commons? Where does he sit?

Who can sit in the galleries?

When does a law become the law of the land?

 

Fill in the gaps using the words from the list below:

Stone ____, ____ glass windows and other artistic representations of Canada's history decorate the Chamber.

MPs are elected to represent Canada's 308 ____.

Debate is ____ by the ____ ____ of the House of Commons – the ____.

Galleries located on the upper level of the chamber ____ diplomats, members’ guests, the press and the public.

The members who ____ here propose debate, ____ and vote on bills and ____.

Accommodate, stained, spending, guided, constituencies, Presiding Officer, carvings, assemble, Speaker, scrutinise.

Introducing new vocabulary

 

showpiece- something that an organization, government etc wants people to see, because it is a very good or successful example

variety- a lot of things of the same type that are different from each other in some way

handcrafted- skillfully made by hand, not by machine = handmade

circular- shaped like a circle

domed - covered with a dome or shaped like a dome

*** dome - a round roof on a building

marble- a type of hard rock that becomes smooth when it is polished, and is used for making buildings, statues etc

beast- an animal, especially a large or dangerous one

 paneling- long or square pieces of wood that are used to cover and decorate walls

*** pine paneling

alcove - a place in the wall of a room that is built further back than the rest of the wall

inspiration - a good idea about what you should do, write, say etc, especially one which you get suddenly

pose a threat – cause a threat.

*** threat- harm or trouble 

raging- very great and hard to control

blaze- fire

*** raging blaze

claim lives- if a war, accident etc claims lives, people die because of it - used especially in news reports

reduce- to make something smaller or less in size, amount, or price

irreplaceable- too special, valuable, or unusual to be replaced by anything else

handle- to do the things that are necessary to complete a job

outreach- when help, advice, or other services are provided for people 

on behalf of-  instead of someone, or as their representative

Watch the video:

 The Library of Parliament

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noTOdH0il8o&list=PLF_YRVnBKD-wCdMQwp3ZOjhPAuSKJMnpB

The Library of Parliament

 

Transcript

                  

At the end of the Hall of Honour is the Library of Parliament, a showpiece of High Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. 

Inside, the variety of textures, colours and handcrafted details are typical of this architectural style. In the centre of the circular, domed room stands a white marble statue of the young Queen Victoria. Thousands of flowers, masks and mythical beasts have been carved into the white pine panelling, and the galleries display the coats of arms of the seven provinces that existed in 1876 when the Library was built.

 

The library circular shape and the use of galleries and alcoves were the inspiration of the first parliamentary librarian, Alpheus Todd.

He recommended that the building be spacious and lofty and wisely advised that it be separated from the Centre Block by a corridor to protect it from fire.

Fire has posed a serious threat to the library on several occasions in its history. On February 3^rd, 1916 around 9 pm a small fire started in the Commons reading room in the Centre Block. It soon grew to a raging blaze that claimed seven lives and reduced all that the North-West wing and the library to a charged shell.  Had an employee not closed the library’s iron doors in time thousands of irreplaceable books would also have been lost. The library has more than seventeen linear kilometers of materials in its collection, including books, periodicals, government documents, CD-ROMs, DVDs and videos. It offers information, references and research services to parliamentarians and their staff, parliamentary committees, associations and delegations and senior Senate and House of Commons officials. Although its surroundings speak of another era, the Library of Parliament uses the tools of the electronic age to support parliamentarians in their work. The skilled staff handles hundreds of requests for information and reference assistance daily and provides visitor and outreach services to the public on behalf of parliamentarians. 

 

Day 2. “The two Chambers of Canadian Parliament. Speech from the Throne”

1. Discussion/warm up

1. What are the names of the 2 Chambers of Parliament?

2. Who is the official head of state in Canada? 

3. What is the Speech from the Throne? When is it given? What happens after the Speech?  Did you have a chance to watch it?

4. What is the name of Governor General of Canada and what is his role? 

5. Who is Canada’s Prime Minister? Which political party does he belong to? 

6. Have you ever been inside one of the Chambers?

2. Speech from the Throne

Let’s check our knowledge about the Speech from the Throne! Follow the link à http://www.speech.gc.ca/eng/frequently-asked-questions-faq

Split into groups and read Q 1, Q 2, Q 3, Q 7,Q 10 and Q 11.  Do not use dictionaries and try to understand the main idea. Chose the representative from your group to answer these questions using your own words (paraphrasing)

Click on Q8 to get the full text of the last Speech J

3. Parliament Chambers

Introducing the new vocabulary:

Chamber- one of the two parts of a parliament

Speech from the Throne- the Speech from the Throne officially opens every new session of Parliament

Legislative process- the legislative process is a series of steps that a legislative body takes to evaluate, amend, and vote on proposed legislation; the legislative process is the sequence of steps required for laws to move through the system, from ideas to formally adopted legislation

a consort- a wife or husband of a ruler

a Dominion- a country belonging to the British Empire or commonwealth

Coats of arms- is a unique heraldic design. Coat of arms was used by medieval knights to cover, protect, and identify the wearer.

1.

carpeting- carpets in general, or the material used for making them

upholstery- material used to cover chairs

to abound with sth- to contain a very large number of sth

heritage- the traditional beliefs, values, customs etc of a family, country, or society

assent- approval or agreement from someone who has authority

to be of the particular note- to deserve attention

magnificent- very good or beautiful, and very impressive

to adorn- to decorate something

a sacrifice- when you decide not to have something valuable, in order to get something that is more important; the act of dying while you are fighting for a principle or in order to help other people

to appoint- to choose someone for a position or a job.

to appoint somebody to something (He's been appointed to the State Supreme Court).

devoted- giving someone or something a lot of love and attention; dealing with, containing, or being used for only one thing

to debate- to discuss a subject formally when you are trying to make a decision or find a solution

a bill- a written proposal for a new law, which is brought to a parliament so that it can be discussed

extensive- containing or dealing with a lot of information and details

a committee- a group of people chosen to do a particular job, make decisions etc

an issue- a subject or problem that is often discussed or argued about, especially a social or political matter that affects the interests of a lot of people

a witness- someone who sees a crime or an accident and can describe what happened

to approve (to approve the bill)- to officially accept a plan, proposal etc; to think that someone or something is good, right, or suitable

to contribute- to give money, help, ideas etc to something

a destiny- the things that will happen to someone in the future, especially those that cannot be changed or controlled

2.

to reflect- if a person or a thing is reflected in a mirror, glass, or water, you can see an image of the person or thing on the surface of the mirror, glass, or water; to show or be a sign of a particular situation or feeling

a carving (carved)- an object or pattern made by cutting a shape in wood or stone for decoration

a panel- a flat piece of wood, glass etc with straight sides, which forms part of a door, wall, fence 

a documentary- a film or television or a radio programme that gives detailed information about a particular subject

fabric (Canada's social, economic and political fabric)- the fabric of a society is its basic structure, way of life, relationships, and traditions

to extend- to continue for a longer period of time, or to make something last longer

to contain- if something such as a bag, box, or place contains something, that thing is inside it

Watch the videos:

The Senate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLadbJe4MXg&list=PLF_YRVnBKD-wCdMQwp3ZOjhPAuSKJMnpB

The House of Commons Foyer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atv027jtFPI&list=PLF_YRVnBKD-wCdMQwp3ZOjhPAuSKJMnpB

Transcripts:

1. The Senate

In the Senate Chamber, at the east end of the Centre Block, red carpeting and upholstery and a ceiling of gold leaf decorate the place where our Head of State meets Parliament. The Senate Chamber abounds with artistic expressions of Canada's history and heritage. These works of art serve to remind Senators of the people and country they serve. Of particular note are the eight magnificent paintings that adorn the Senate's walls; they commemorate the sacrifice made by Canadians during World War I and Canada's evolution towards full independence. The Senate has 105 members. Senators are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister to represent regions, provinces or territories. Part of their time is devoted to debating and voting on bills in the Chamber. Senators also do extensive work in committees studying bills and other important issues and hearing from witnesses. The Speaker of the Senate sits on a raised platform at the front of the Chamber. Directly behind the Speaker’s chair are the thrones for the monarch or the Governor General and his or her consort.

These are used during the Speech from the Throne which takes place at the beginning of each new session of Parliament and in Royal assent ceremonies. Royal assent is the final step of the legislative process when the Crown formally approves bills that have been passed by both the Senate and the House of Commons. Visitors are welcome to attend the sittings of the Senate when it is in session in the public galleries located at each end of the Chamber. Together Senators and Members of Parliament play an active role in the legislative process contributing their ideas and energy to create our laws. For more then 140 years Parliamentarians have participated in the development of our democracy and shaped Canada’s destiny.

2. The House of Commons Foyer

In the House of Commons Foyer the history and traditions of the Canadian people are reflected in the stone carvings that line the walls.
Ten panels make up the monumental History of Canada sculpture series, each with one centre stone and two side stones. Here, Dominion Sculptor Eleanor Milne created a living documentary of Canada's social, economic and political fabric that extends over 25,000 years. The glass panels in the ceiling contain the French “fleur de lis”, the English rose and the grouping of three maple leaves that symbolizes Canada.

Carved around the centre door are the Canadian and provincial coats of arms that were used around 1919-1920 when the building was constructed. 

4. Comprehension exercises:

 Answer the following questions:

1.     What elements decorate the Senate Chamber?

2.     What is the main mission/task of every senator?

3.     How many paintings decorate the Senate’s walls?

4.     How many members are there in the Senate?

5.     Who appoints the Senators?

6.     What kind of work do the Senators do? What is their daily routine?

7.     What is the name of the final step in the legislative process?

Day 1. “Politics. Introduction to the Canadian Parliament”

1. Discussion/warm up

·        What comes to your mind when you hear the word “politics”?

·        Would you like to work in politics?

·        Is politics important to you?

·        Do you read about political issues of your country?

·        What do you think of your country’s political system?

·        If you are a politician, what political issues would you focus on?

·        What qualities make a good political leader?

·        Should religion and politics mix?

2. Parliament buildings

Introducing the new vocabulary:

Foyer-- a room or hall at the entrance to a public building (lobby)

Flanked by (to flank) -- to be on both sides of someone or something

Distinctive -- having a special quality, character, or appearance that is different and easy to recognize

To linger -- to continue to exist, be noticeable 

Completion -- the state of being finished; the act of finishing something

Gothic revival -- an architectural movement/style that began in the late 1740s in England

To serve -- to be useful or helpful for a particular purpose or reason

Grand ­­-- big and very impressive

Commemorating (to commemorate) -- to do something to show that you remember and respect someone important or an important event in the past

Notable -- important, interesting, excellent, or unusual enough to be noticed or mentioned

Confederation –

was the process by which he federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies became four provinces of the new dominion. The existing Province of Canada was divided into the new provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and two other colonies, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, also became provinces of the Dominion of Canada.

Shields (a shield) –

a) a large piece of metal or leather that soldiers used in the past to protect themselves when fighting

b) a piece of equipment made of strong plastic, used by the police to protect themselves against angry crowds 

Made up (to make up)—to invent/ create/form

Oak -- a large tree that is common in northern countries, or the hard wood of this tree

Watch the videos:

Parliament buildings

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaaDML6n9IA&list=PLF_YRVnBKD-wCdMQwp3ZOjhPAuSKJMnpB&index=1

The Senate Foyer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wthS9GyiBp8&list=PLF_YRVnBKD-wCdMQwp3ZOjhPAuSKJMnpB

Transcripts

1. Parliament buildings

Few Canadian symbols are as well known as well known as the Parliament buildings.  Flanked by the East and West blocks, the Centre block of Parliament with its distinctive Piece Tower and Library is familiar to Canadians and people around the world. Although the buildings are alive with the drama of modern day debates, the echoes of times and personalities long since past still linger here. The Parliament buildings were built between 1859 and 1866, with the exception of the Tower and the Library. One year after their completion Canada became a country and the buildings were immediately chosen as the seat of government. But the Centre block you see today is not the first. The first Centre block of the Parliament buildings burnt down in 1916. The new structure designed in the modern gothic revival style was completed by 1922. The Piece Tower was finished later in 1927.

2. The Senate Foyer

The Senate Foyer serves as the grand entrance to Parliament’s Upper House commemorating Canada’s past with paintings of past monarchs, names of former speakers of the Senate and sculptures celebrating notable Canadians before Confederation. In the upper corners of the Foyer are the shields of the four provinces that made up the original Confederation of Canada: Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The ceiling has the shields of all of the provinces except Newfoundland, which did not enter Confederation until after it was constructed. These oak doors provide the official entrance to the Senate Chamber. They carry the shields of the ten provinces, as well as Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

3. Comprehension exercises:

 Are the following statements true or false?

1.     East Block of the Parliament is familiar to Canadians and people around the world.

2.     The Parliament buildings were built between 1922 and 1927.

3.     Canada became a country a year after the completion of the Peace Tower and the Library.

4.     The structure of the new Parliament buildings is designed in neo-gothic style.

5.     The paintings of the notable Canadians are represented in the Senate Foyer.

6.     Six provinces made up the original Confederation of Canada.

7.     The doors of the official entrance to the House of Senate are made of oak.

4. Vocabulary extension/memorizing exercises:

Match the words on the left with their definitions on the right:

1.	foyer	important, interesting, excellent, or unusual enough to be noticed or mentioned
2.	distinctive	the state of being finished; the act of finishing something
3.	commemorate	to do something to show that you remember and respect someone important or an important event in the past
4.	notable	having a special quality, character, or appearance that is different and easy to recognize
5.	grand	to be on both sides of someone or something
6.	shield	a room or hall at the entrance to a public building
7.	To serve	to be useful or helpful for a particular purpose or reason
8.	To linger	a large piece of metal or leather that soldiers used in the past to protect themselves when fighting
9.	completion	big and very impressive
10.	To flank	to continue to exist, be noticeable

*** Make up your own sentences using the new vocabulary

5. Post-listening discussion:

Has anyone been inside the Canadian Parliament?

What did you like about it? Was it impressive or not?

Would you like to visit it again?