What is the Structure of the Alberta Provincial Government?
- The Lieutenant governor represents the monarch and gives impartial Royal Assent to legislation
- Based on a democratic, political party system
- Alberta has 83 seats for elected representatives
- Government is formed by the party that largest number of seats
- The premier is the head of the majority party
- Official Opposition is the party with the second largest number of seats
- The Legislative Assembly Chamber is where the Assembly meets.
- The Speaker sits at the head of the Chamber. Members of the governing party sit to the Speaker’s right. Opposition Members sit across from them. Sometimes a government has such a large majority that there aren’t enough seats on the government side. Some of the government Members would then have desks placed on the opposition side but separated by an aisle. In some cases, when the government has only a minority of seats in the Chamber, some opposition Members may have to sit on the government side.
Lieutenant Governor |
The Lieutenant Governor is the Queen’s representative. the Lieutenant Governor is
not a Member of the Assembly and only enters the Chamber upon invitation. This person grants royal assent to bills which have passed third reading. the Lieutenant Governor also opens and closes sessions of the Assembly, reads the Speech from the throne and dissolves the Assembly for an election (this is called dissolution). |
Speaker |
The Speaker is an MLA who presides over debate in the Chamber.
This person is responsible for enforcing the rules of the Chamber and ensures that all MLAs are treated fairly. the Speaker must serve all MLAs equally no matter which party they belong to. the Speaker does not normally vote on bills except in the case of a tie. the Speaker is also responsible for the Legislative Assembly Office, whose staff provide support for the MLAs and the Assembly as a whole. |
Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) |
An MLA has two roles–as the representative for a constituency (also called a riding)
and as a legislator. each of Alberta’s constituencies elects one representative. While some have additional duties within their parties or within the Assembly, all are responsible for:
To find out who your MLA is click here |
Government MLAs |
Premier: is the head of government and has overall responsibility for everything
the government does. Cabinet Ministers:head various government ministries such as health, education and agriculture. The Premier chooses them from the MLAs in his party. They sponsor new bills that concern their ministries. Private Government Members: are also often referred to as backbenchers. These MLAs belong to the party that has the most representatives in the Assembly. These individuals are not cabinet Ministers. they sit behind Ministers and debate and vote in the Assembly. The Chair of Committees: runs the meeting during Committee of the Whole. This person is usually a private government Member. His or her role during committee is similar to that of the Speaker during regular session. The Chair can vote during session but not during Committee of the Whole unless there is a tie vote. |
Opposition MLAs
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Leader of the Official Opposition: leads the part that has the second greatest number of elected MLAs
Members of the Opposition: examine, question and suggest alternatives to government policies. They bring questions about government policies and actions to the attention of the public. |
Table Officers
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The Clerk of the Assembly: is the adviser to the Speaker. This person calls the daily order of business. The Clerk also has overall responsibility for the various administrative services that MLAs need to do their work such as financial administration and library services.
The Law Clerk: Is a senior procedural adviser and is also responsible for approving amendments and petitions and helping to draft rulings on procedural issues. Parliamentary Counsel: is the group of legal advisers who advise the Speaker and MLAs on Assembly procedure. Throughout the year they help draft new laws for MLAs and provide legal and procedural advice to MLAs, committees and staff who support the Assembly. The Committee Research Co-ordinator: Conducts procedural research, keeps Assembly records and helps produce the Assembly’s daily agenda (the Order Paper) and the minutes (Votes and Proceedings). |
Sergeant-at-Arms |
The Sergeant-at-Arms is responsible for security in the Chamber and the galleries.
the Sergeant-at-Arms also carries the Mace into the Chamber each sitting day. The Sergeant-at-Arms leads the Speaker’s procession into them Chamber to signal the start of the day’s sitting. |
Hansard |
The people who work for Hansard produce the official report of the debates of the
Legislative Assembly and its committees. Besides typing and editing well over 30,000 words spoken by MLAs every day that the Assembly meets, they ensure all proper names are spelled accurately. They produce final transcripts of House debates within nine hours. |
The Media (Reporters) |
The role of the media is very important in a democracy. The media ensures that the
public is aware of the decisions made by elected representatives. The media take notes throughout the debates, interview MLAs afterwards (particularly cabinet Ministers and opposition critics) and report this information through television, radio, newspapers and online. |