Deciding a tied election - 1930

Tomorrow - 84 years since Winston Churchill addressed Canada's parliamentarians with his speech that included the famous line "some chicken, some neck!" Image: Library and Archives Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Jx...

The more you know! Thanks @rmbflk.bsky.social !

Inspired by Destiny's Child...

Why did the explanatory notes form a support group? They needed a safe space to talk about feeling overlooked! ... And if you think that joke is terrible, wait for the CIAJ's 2026 Legislative Drafting Conference! Our program (draft, subject to change) is now available in preview.

Today in Canadian parliamentary history (Dec 29, 1951): royal assent to several bills, including a NATO one with “organisation” in the title (note the S!) Later laws use Z, but thanks to an amendment this very Act also has provisions with the 'organization' spelling while the title keeps its S. 🤓

Haven't posted a legislative oddity thread in a while so here's one related to December 28th - it's a deemed date in the Appropriation Act No. 1, 1980-81 for a veteran to be deemed honourably discharged from World War II service back in 1945. The story? From what I gather... 1/5

On this day in Canadian parliamentary history - December 28, 1971 - The House meets and congratulates Prime Minister Trudeau on the birth of his son, future Prime Minister Trudeau.

Meant to post yesterday: December 26, 1941 - before heading to Canada to address its parliament, UK PM Winston Churchill was in DC along with US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Canadian PM William Lyon Mackenzie King. The three watched a movie together -- The Maltese Falcon.

Greetings from Sintra. No Parliament here. 0 stars.

Dear fellow parliament nerds, I am pleased to report that my book "Unparliamentary" can now be pre-ordered :-) I'm so excited I might have used some unparliamentary language when they told me :-P utppublishing.com/doi/book/10....

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the House of Commons... one of my favourite Hansard editor's insertions:

Greetings from Portugal - very light turn out for "Bring your Hansard to the beach" day it seems

On this day in Canadian parliamentary history - December 21, 1967: Justice Minister Trudeau gives a press conference outside the House of Commons on the government’s omnibus criminal law bill. His notable quote? “There is no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation.”

Back to my other December hobby -- applying freedom of information redactions to Christmas carols. You know ███ and ███ and ███ and ███. ███ and ███ and ███ and ███. But do you recall, the most famous ███ of all? ███ the ███ ███, had a very █ █████

The Hansard factory looks lovely at Christmas 🎄🇬🇧

It's almost curtains up on "Order! The Erskine May Musical" -- I hear the Speaker role is brilliantly cast :) Either that or I've misread my ticket..

Love Actually is a serious case of false advertising

Page proofs in my hands! Brb going to add some typos to see who spots them first :p

Huge changes in the "senior ranks of the public service fantasy league" standings after this 🍿

To all my Canadian law nerd friends - Happy Vavilov Anniversary! 🎉 I defer to you on how best to celebrate but hope your day will be marked by reasonableness and, where appropriate in limited circumstances, correctness!

On this day in Canadian parliamentary history - December 18, 1996: A senator raises an issue that has caused many fights around the parliamentary procedure fantasy league table: Does the House need quorum before coming to the Senate for royal assent?

🎄DYK? The phrase "Christmas Tree Bill" for omnibus legislation in the US is believed to have been popularized by a Time Magazine article (first image) published in 1956. However, reports of senators using a Christmas tree analogy for big bills can be traced back to at least 1930 (remaining images).

Curious if Santa will stop to celebrate 15 years of reaffirmed Canadian citizenship this year 🇨🇦🎅

On this day in Canadian parliamentary history - December 17, 1952: The House celebrates MP Power on starting his 36th year of service. MP Power replies in part quoting 'an epitaph on the politician' that, I have to admit, I was not expecting...

On parliaments with nicknames (from a Canadian paper in 1923)

Rejected parliamentary holiday card messages this year: ~May the red and green of the season remind you of upper and lower houses ~Hoping you gather with friends and family in numbers sufficient to constitute a quorum ~Wishing you and your family peace, joy, order and decorum

According to my phone - on this day in 2018: The House being dismantled

For the Astérix & Hansard fans (1999)

On this day in Canadian parliamentary history - December 15, 1999: Proceedings are slowed with multiple unanimous consent requests to table various documents - if my count is right, there were 37 requests back-to-back and no consent for any of them.

Sharing just for some light -- that time when I introduced my New Zealand parliamentary mace bear to his first Hanukkah. He really liked the latkes... we have that in common!

How small is Ottawa? I woke up to a selfie from a friend with another friend - the two had never met before. One sat behind the other at the National Arts Centre last night and noticed them looking at something I'd posted on Instagram and then struck up conversation 🤣

Heated Rivalry season two spoiler: This time it's based on 1930s Canadian politics when "lifelong bachelors" William Lyon Mackenzie King and R. B. Bennett switched places as Prime Minister and Opposition Leader and back again. 🍿

On this day in Canadian parliamentary history - December 13, 1979: Joe Clark's government loses a matter it regards as confidence 139-133. Since the end came rather unexpectedly, the Speaker clarifies he has "not arranged" (nor intends to arrange) for any hospitality.

Bachelor 2: I like long walks on the beach, during which I think about legislative scrutiny... #TheNerdDatingGame

Personally, I am very excited for 2026.

From the archives - a UK parliamentary Christmas carol (?) published in 1894.

In other parliament news - if I've followed correctly - alleged error spotted in a bill, minister accused of incompetence, committee asked to 'fix' it... but really, the minister orchestrated this because using that committee bypassed a procedural rule on amendments 🤯 www.rnz.co.nz/news/thehous...

Happy Statute of Westminster Day to all who celebrate!! Also, happy 'read more closely' day to those who fall for the trap that the image on the Government of Canada's page about the Statute of Westminster is of the PM signing the Statute of Westminster... :-P

It's that time again - your annual reminder about the sleigh bells section in Ontario's Highway Traffic Act -- plan accordingly! ☃️🛷🔔🦌

Played parliamentary carols in my parliamentary sweater! Tunes included: 🎄O Little Town of Westminster ☃️Carol of the Bills 🎅Once in Royal David’s Select Committee ❄️Hark the Hearld PMB 🎁I Saw Three Readings

Canadian Hansard, 1972.

Heading back to Scotland but going to miss this view for my morning reading of the Canada Gazette

Malta has excellent benches from which to read the printed copies of select committee reports that you pack in your luggage. Follow me for more travel advice.

The House will now proceed / to consideration of Private Members' Business / as indicated on today's Order Paper. Gets me every time. Right in the feels.

National Day of Remembrance Act WHEREAS on December 6, 1989, fourteen women died as a result of a massacre at the University of Montreal; AND WHEREAS it is important to denounce violence against women; AND WHEREAS the Canadian people wish to reflect on the event [...]

Today's Hansard reading spot!

Brb -- updating my will now that Ryanair has provided this unexpected windfall

Okay but who is going to win the inaugural Eurovision peace prize????

This week in Canadian parliamentary history (1990) - Senator Gigantes goes for a Guinness record for longest speech. His anti-GST screed lasts some 17 hours and 45 minutes. He said it was nothing compared to the 17 days he was a PoW during the Korean War.