SJRYP Handbook - 72nd Session

7/31/2019 SJRYP Handbook - 72nd Session

1/15

St. Johns Regional Youth Parliament 2012

1

St. John's Regional Youth

Parliament

Delegate Handbook

72st

Session

November 2nd

4th. 2012


2/15


2

Table of Contents

Introduction.3

A Letter from the President.4

Agenda.5

House Officers.6

Summary of Rules and Standing Orders..7

Government Resolutions..8

Government Resolution 1, a Resolution Concerning the Fur Trade.....8

Government Resolution 2, a Resolution Concerning Income Support.....10

Government Resolution 3, a Resolution of Thanks..11

Sample Private Members Resolution Form...12

Notes13

Autographs..15


3/15


3

Introduction

WELCOME to the 72nd Session of the St. Johns Regional Youth Parliament! The St.

Johns Regional Youth Parliament Association has worked hard to prepare for this biannualevent, bringing youth together to debate topical issues in accordance with parliamentary

procedure. Not only will you have the opportunity to learn about Canadas democratic system,

you will be invited to express your own opinions concerning the key issues which face our city,

province, and country. We hope that the information set out in this handbook will make your

weekend all the more enjoyable.

Our youth parliament is one of two in this province. It is based upon the procedures of the

House of Commons, with members deliberating and voting on motions with a presiding Speaker.

There is one major difference between our parliament and the House of Commons, however: all

members besides members of the Government and Opposition are free to speak and vote as

they please, outside of party lines.Should you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, do not hastate to speak to one

of our Association members:

Executive:

President

Vice-President

Treasurer

Secretary

Member-at-Large

Government:

Ryan Steeves, Premier

Jonny Lomond

Noah Davis-Power

Daniel Escott

Michael Sullivan

Evan Moffatt

Ryan Steeves

Shelby Marshall

Alex Mason

Opposition:

Christoph Pike, Leader of the Opposition

Michael Sullivan

Evan Moffatt

Alex Mason

The complete and authoritative rules of Youth Parliament procedure are established by

the Standing Orders of the Newfoundland and Labrador Youth Parliament (2008),BeauchesnesRule sand Forms of the House of Commons of Canada, and the body of Youth Parliament

precedent and tradition. Copies of the aforementioned documents are available for

consultation throughout the session at the Clerks table. A summary of the Standing

Orders has been provided within this handbook.


4/15


4

A Letter from the President

Parliamentarians,

It is my pleasure to welcome you all to this, the 72nd

Session of the St.

Johns Regional Youth Parliament. You are following in a proud tradition of youthcoming together to discuss their past, present, and future in order to educate and

express themselves.

I am especially glad to welcome all new members to our organisation. You

may feel nervous and unready nowwe have all felt that way at a pointbut I can

assure you that if you participate and immerse yourself in the activities of session,

this will be a rewarding weekend.

I have no doubts that debate will be strong this session. We will be

discussing resolutions from a respectable government concerning the Fur Tradeand Income support. In addition, we will be discussing resolutions brought forward

by other members of the house who commit to writing one. In fact, a template for

your resolution can be found on the twelfth page of this handbook. I encourage you

to pick a topic which excites you, worries you, or otherwise interests you and write

a resolution on it. If you need help, I, or any other member of the government or

opposition (but preferably opposition) will help you articulate your thoughts.

Of course, a session of parliament isnt just about debate. Its also abouthaving good times. In addition to a place to bring ideas, parliament is a place to

bring your best jokes, puns, anecdotes, and so on. Im sure that you will discoverwho to go to for laughs during our first question period.

Session is not possible without its many supporters and helpers. We would

like to thank the Honourable Jerome Kennedy, Minister of Natural Resources and

Ryan Cleary, MP for St. Johns South-Mount Pearl for taking the time to

contribute to our session. We would also like to thank the St. Johns City Hall for

allowing us to use the wonderful Foran/Greene Room again. Finally, I will thank

the members of the St. Johns Regional Youth Parliament Association (Evan,Ryan, Shelby, and Alex) and all of those is House positions for organising what I

hope will be an excellent session.

Cheers,

Michael Sullivan


5/15


5

Agenda

Friday, October 19th 2012

4:30PM6:30PM: Introduction to Youth Parliament and Icebreakers

6:30PM7:00PM: Opening of the House

7:00PM8:00PM: Introductions and First Reading of the Constitution

Saturday, October 20th 2012

8:30AMArrival of Delegates

9:00AM12:00PM: Debate on Government Resolution #1

12:00PM1:00PM: Lunch (At this time there will be a group lunch at Jungle Jims

this meal is not paid for)1:00PM2:00PM: Second Reading of the Constitution

2:00PM4:00PM: Debate on Government Resolution #2

7:00PM10:00PM: Saturday Night Social

Sunday, March 25th 2012

8:30AMArrival of Delegates

9:00AM12:00PM: Debate on Private Members Resolutions

12:00PM1:00PM: Luncheon with Ryan Cleary, MP

1:00PM4:00PM: Debate on Private Members Resolutions, Prorogation, and

Elections

7:00PM9:00PM: Banquet


6/15


6

GovernmentRyan Steeves, Premier

Noah Davis-Power, Minister of NaturalResources

Daniel Escott, Minister of HumanResources and Skills Development

Jonny Lomond, Minister of Justice

OppositionChristoph Pike, Leader of the Opposition

Michael Sullivan, Critic

Alex Mason, CriticEvan Moffatt, Critic

SpeakersJamie Brace

Shelby Marshall, Deputy

Sergeant at ArmsMegan Smith, Sergeant at Arms

James Doyle, Deputy Sergeant at Arms

Aide-de-CampZachary Northcott

Provincial SecretaryShelby Marshall


7/15


7

To speak, You must rise in your place, address the speaker, and be recognized.

While Speaking, Members should address themselves to the Speaker only and refer to others in the third

person using their seat name (e.g. the Member for, the Minister/Critic of).

Members may not read directly from a prepared speech, but may use speaking notes. Members should avoid irrelevance and repetition, Members have 10 minutes to speak on Government resolutions and 5 minutes to speak on

amendments or Private Members Resolutions. The time limits on debate are 3 hours for

Government Resolutions, 20 minutes for amendment, and 1 hour for Private MembersResolutions.

If a Member is breaking House rules or lowering decorum, Any other Member may stand up during the Member in questions speech and call a

Point of Order against him/her. The Member who was speaking sits down as the Memberraising the point indicates how the rules have been broken. The Speaker then makes a

ruling on the point.

If you are misquoted, misrepresented, or defamed by another Member, You may stand up after this Members speech and exclaim point of person privilege.

You will then have a chance to inform the House of the misrepresentation or to indicate

how you have been defamed. No ruling is made on points of personal privilege.

To introduce a Private Members Resolution, You must stand when the Speaker asks for notices of motion and say

I beg leave to give notice that in a future sitting of this house, I will introduce PrivateMembers Resolution number ___, a Resolution Concerning _______________.

After this, you must table two copies of the resolution by laying them on the ClerksTable.

Members may not: Violate the Sacred Triangle between the Speaker, speaking Member, and the mace. Interrupt other Members during their speeches, except for a point of order. Fail to sign the Oath of Allegiance.

To vote, Say either aye or nay when called upon by the speaker to vote for or against a motion

respectively.

If you disagree with the Speakers ruling on a vote, you may stand to demand a Standingvote. If four others join you, the Speaker will commence a Standing vote in which thevote of each member is counted.


8/15


8

A Resolution Concerning the Fur Trade

Whereas there are presently twenty-two mink farms in the province of Newfoundland and

Labrador;

Whereas the population of the arctic herd of harp seals has surpassed 9,000,000;

Whereas the European Union has placed a ban on commercial seal products.

Therefore we, the members of the 72nd session of St. John's Regional Youth Parliament, go on

record as advocating that:

1. The Government of Canada increases the quota for Harp Seals to a maximum allowablecatch of 500,000 animals for one year. The following years quota would return to thequota formula based on remaining numbers.

2. The Government of Canada will create a diplomatic unit to demand a lifting of the ban onCanadian seal products in the European Union and the Russian Federation.

3. A seal meat-based mink food shall be produced for use on mink farms.4. The number of mink fur farms in the province shall be increased from twenty-two to

twenty-five.i. The new three mink farms are to be owned by the Crown.ii. Animals on these farms are to be fed primarily with the seal based mink feed.

5. Copies of this resolution be sent to:i. The Honourable Kathy Dunderdale, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador;ii. The Honourable Tom Hedderson, Minister of the Environment and Conservation

of Newfoundland and Labrador;

iii. The Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans;iv. The Honourable John Baird, Minister of Foreign Affairs;v. The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade;vi. The Fur Council of Canada;vii.Robert Chisholm, Critic of Fisheries;viii.Phillip Toone, Deputy Critic of Fisheries (East Coast)ix. Don Davies, Critic of International Trade

x. Paul Dewar, Critic of Foreign Affairs


9/15


9

A Resolution Concerning Income Support

Whereas the annual average of EI claimants for 2011 according to Statistics Canada was

848,893;

Whereas of the aforementioned claimants 582,994 were receiving income support specifically

due to a lack of employment. This does not include people who are unable to work because of

sickness or because of further education or training;

Whereas the 2012-2013 Federal Budget has taken measures to push more Canadians back into

the workforce.

Therefore we, the members of the 72nd session of St. John's Regional Youth Parliament, go on

record as advocating that:

1. All recipients of income support, because of a lack of employment, will be issued afinancial assistance card, with a balance equal to the amount a recipient would avail of

under current regulations and without any scheduled monthly fees.

i. The provincial governments will deposit directly into the bank account linked tothe card each month, transfers will be allowed only to accounts held by registereddependents; any other transfers will be sent back to the issued account.

ii. The statements of this card will be mailed both to the recipient and therecipient's provincial department responsible for income supportiii. Each card will be made to look like a replica of an already existing credit card at a

widely recognized financial institution.

iv. The monetary value of the card will not be redeemable for purchases of productswhich are deemed to be frivolous by the respective provincial department incharge of income support.

v. This card will be negotiated by the respective provincial jurisdictions to everyavailable financial institution to find out where would give the best deal and

expediency.vi. Cash withdrawals from the card will be severely limited as determined by the

respective provincial government.

2. A citizen of Canada will be granted Income support, because of a lack of employment,for a maximum of 3 years in total, unless the reason for attaining income support is

linked to a physical or mental disability.i. A maximum of an additional 2 years, for a total of 5 years of Welfare, if the

citizen makes a social appeal to the government, and the reviewing entity, being


10/15


10

the social worker, will decide if the circumstances of the citizen give legitimate

reasons as to an additional 2 years of welfare security.ii. Any citizen who is accepting welfare payments must actively look for a

job/career. At the time of the 3 year expiration, if the citizen has not found a

job/career, and unless the condition of Clause 2(a) of this resolution is met, allfurther welfare payments to the citizen will end.

iii. Workers who attain consistent seasonal employment will be exempt from the capthis resolution places on income support

3. If a citizen is found to have a job while accepting income support without reporting it, thecitizen will be arrested and fined the sum of all accepted welfare payments during the

period of their employment.i. If any employee of a financial institution becomes aware of suspicious activity on

a recipients account they will be expected to notify their manager who will thenbe expected to notify the provincial department responsible for income support.

4. This resolution shall be sent to:a. The Honourable Joan Burke, Minister of Advanced Education and Skillsb. The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills

Development


11/15


11

A Resolution of Thanks

WHEREAS Several people and organizations have contributed to the success of the

71st Session of the St. John's Regional Youth Parliament.

WHEREAS These people should be recognized for these contributions in a manner

befitting their dedication to the St. John's Regional Youth Parliament.

Therefore, be it resolved that we, the members of the 71stSession of the St. John's

Regional Youth Parliament, go on record as thanking the following individuals and

organizations:

St. John's City Hall Elaine Henley

The Honourable Jerome Kennedy, Minister of

Natural Resources

Ryan Cleary, MP for St. Johns South-MountPearl

The Department of Advanced Education and

Skills

Jungle Jim's, George Street

Old Town Pizzeria

Executive President: Michael Sullivan Vice President: Evan Moffatt Treasurer: Ryan Steeves Secretary: Shelby Marshall Member-at-large: Alex Mason

Government Premier: Ryan Steeves Minister: Noah Davis-Power Minister: Daniel Escott Minister: Jonny Lomond

Opposition Leader of the Opposition: Christoph

Pike Critic: Michael Sullivan Critic: Alex Mason Critic: Evan Moffatt

Speakers Jamie Brace Shelby Marshall, Deputy

Sergeant-at-arms

Megan Smith James Doyle, Deputy

Aide de Camp Zachary Northcott


12/15


12

Private Members Resolution __

A Resolution Concerning ______________________________

Whereas____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________;

Whereas____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________;

Whereas____________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________;

Therefore, we, the 71st session of St. Johns Regional Youth Parliament, go fourthas advocating that:

1. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

4. Copies of this resolution be sent to:i. ___________________

ii. ___________________ iii. ___________________iv. ___________________


13/15


13

____________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________


14/15


14

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________


15/15


Documents

SJRYP Handbook - 72nd Session