Sunday, February 24, 2013

Casual Fridays in an Ancient Building

Last Friday, unlike normal days, the Legislative Pages didn't have to wear their uniforms.
Why?
The Legislative Assembly does not sit on Fridays.


As we don't have to work, Fridays are usually fun days; it is on these days that we go on trips outside of Queen's Park. However, today was the Orientation Day for the next group of Legislative Pages who begin work on Monday, March 18th. As our teacher Ms. Tedford needed to be with the new group of pages to train them, we had an extra-early release. While dismissal on Friday is normally two, today we were allowed
to leave at 12:30. As well, today we couldn't go on a trip. So instead, we went on tours.

The Main Building in Queen's Park was constructed in 1893; before that, there was a Mental Hospital for Women on the same grounds, more commonly called the Insane Asylum.
With a history like that, the Ontario Legislative Building must have some ghost stories. In fact, it has many.

The first tour that we went on was to the Attic; the Pages and I were standing directly above the Chamber. Because the wooden floors in the attic was the same that it was built off nearly one hundred and twenty years ago, and for that reason we all had to walk on special paths. We walked to the center of the room, and were given permission to go in pairs off the path to a spot in the center of the floor where you can see down into the Chamber. It was an amazing view.
As well, we were told of a ghost that lives there in the attic; if you look up at the top three windows on the South Side of the Legislative Building at night, you may catch a glimpse of Clarice, the attic ghost.

After our attic tour we headed to the 'dungeons', a basement storage area that was the same as the one in the Insane Asylum. Our tour guide told us of a ghost sighting that occurred there just a few years ago. A construction worker, with limited English skills claimed to have seen a male figure in clothes that a doctor might wear, before the figure floated to him and disappeared.

After our tour of the dungeons, we all headed to the Page Quarters to get our jackets; we were going to go on a scavenger hunt. In pairs, we had to search the Queen's Park for answers to several questions; for example, we needed to find the statue of Sir. John S. Macdonald to figure out the name of the Premier who shared a first and last name with the first Premier of Ontario, Sir. John A. Macdonald.

After an hour of running around in the cold, me and my partner came in last place. Oh well.

We headed back inside and went to the room in which press meetings occurred and got a special visit from one of the reporters that worked at Queen's Park. She explained to us about the Media's part in politics, and how things like Press Meetings and Scrums (mobs of press) worked. It was a great experience, as I to wish to go into journalism or writing when I am older.

After that, the Pages went back downstairs to the Security's Main office. The Head Constable there explained to us the different strands of constables that work at Queen's Park, as well as how their uniforms look like and what they do. We got to meet a constable dressed in Riot Control uniform, and test him on his reaction skills when one Page yelled 'Gas gas gas!', the signal for a gas bomb. The Constable got his gas mask on and redressed in his uniform in a mere 27 seconds!
We also got to interact with the Constable who was monitoring the 160+ security cameras that were placed in and around the Legislative Building; we even got to control one of the cameras with a joystick!

Shortly afterwards, we headed across the hall back to the Page Quarters. At this time, the new Legislative Pages for next term were already there, getting fitted and socializing. My group of pages were told to wait in the classroom, while the pizza was being brought for lunch. Once it arrived, we got a chance to interact with the new patch of pages; I jumped onto this opportunity to welcome them. We were also told to give the new pages some advice for their term.
For any new pages going into the program; my suggestion for you is to make sure that your shoes fit your perfectly. My shoes had already been broken in, but since I hadn't worn them for a year, I got massive blisters on my first day. It really isn't comfortable to be limping around when you have three trips to the Whitney Block across the street.

At twelve thirty, the Term 1 Pages packed up our stuff,  were given our paychecks and said goodbye to the new pages.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Page Captain

Today was a very special day for me; not only was it my first day working in the Chamber in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, but I was a Page Captain!


Each Page gets to be a Page Captain once in their legislative duty. I was fortunate enough to catch a spot as the first Page Captain in the session.

Being a Page Captain comes with several benefits and responsibilities: The pair, sometimes trio of Page Captains gets to walk in the Speaker's procession, along with the Clerks and the Sergeant-at-Arms up through the Main Building of the Legislative Precinct to the Chamber. As this was the first time that the House was sitting ever since the Government was prorogued, the entire procession was filmed and televised. If you tune into the Ontario Legislative Assembly on TV, there is a good chance you will see me in the Speaker's Procession at the beginning of the day!

Speaker's Procession; Sergeant-at-Arms at the Front, followed by the Speaker, the four clerks and the Page Captains.
As well as being given the honor of walking among the Speaker, Clerks and Sergeant-at-Arms, Page Captains have special duties throughout the day; They need to be demonstrating how an ideal Page would behave; they need to watch over the other Pages and make sure everyone is neat and in order, as well as make sure that the Page Quarters are clean. Also, Page Captains must present a report the following morning, giving feedback to the group on the previous day and how to improve.

But I'm sure some of you may be wondering; Daniella, how was working in the chamber?

Personally, I found the experience amazing. Of course, it was very stressful at the beginning of the day; there was a few times that I was asked to deliver a note, and I completely forgot every MPP that I had spent months studying.
However, I really enjoyed the sense of responsibility, professionalism and importance as I carried myself through the Legislative Chamber. Pages always need to look professional; in our suits, that isn't very difficult. But it makes me feel good when I walk in a tall, proud stance to an MPP to deliver their water. I feel important, when I stand on the Dias beside the Speaker. I feel like a belong, among the other Legislative Pages.
This is were I belong.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

My First Day, and the Throne Speech.

Today was my first day on the job as a Legislative Page.


Traditionally, a Page's first day is very hectic; they begin to work in the Chamber at 9:00. However, as today was the first day that the Parliament was working after it was prorogued by Mr. McGuinty, today was the day of the Throne Speech: Mr. Onley, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario read a speech written by the Cabinet Members of their plans for this session. 

The Throne Speech was at 3pm; this left us with the whole day to study and go over how to be Pages. 

When I arrived at Queen's Park this morning, I went to the Page Quarters. I quickly got changed into my new 3-piece uniform, along with the rest of the Pages. We then all went to the classroom, where we played some ice-breakers before beginning 'Legislative Process' class. For the next hour and a half, we went over several aspects of being a page; how to deliver the four Key Documents (Reports by Committees, Introduction of Bills, Motions, and Petitions), how we walk to and from the Chamber in our Procession Lines, how we navigate the Legislative Precinct (The Main Building, Whitney Block, The North Wing) and much more. After a short break for socializing and eating, we all headed up to the Hansard's Office. The Hansard is a team of people who work to scribe everything that goes on in the Chamber. We were introduced to some of the Hansards before heading back downstairs. Instead of returning to the Page Quarters, we went to the (then empty) Chamber and practiced our page duties. 

After an hour long break for lunch, we were back in the classroom. We went over more Page Program things; how to deliver and take deliveries from the Whitney Block across the street, and the step-by-step process of delivering water to an MPP. At around 2:00, we all got into our procession lines and headed upstairs. By that time, the Legislative Building was getting busy; all sorts of important personnel were arriving for the Throne Speech. The Pages arranged ourselves in two lines on either side of the hallway leading to the Chamber from the West Wing. As the hour up to the Throne Speech passed, me and my fellow pages stood there, greeting MPPs and guests alike with cheerful 'Hello!'s and 'Good Afternoon!'s. 
At five minutes to three o'clock, the mood in the room changed as the crowd settled down and entered the Chamber. Down in the West Wing, a group of people began to walk towards the Chamber. Led by a praised member of the Canadian Military, the Lieutenant Governor, Premier and Clerks walked down, passing by the two lines that the Pages made. 

The procession, which was followed by several other members of Militia, made its way past the main entrance to the Chamber to the Government Entrance in the East Lobby, and then went in to begin the Throne Speech.

At this point, the Pages and I had to go back to the Page Quarters; only invited members are allowed in the Chamber during the Throne Speech, and the Pages weren't invited members. We attentivelly watched the Throne Speech, projected on a Smart Board in our Quarters for the next fourty-five minutes until the Lieutenant Governor finished. 
The rest of our shortened day was spent learning in the Page Quarters. 

Overall, I'd say that I had an amazing, fun first day. I got to know the other wonderful Pages that will be serving alongside me for the next three weeks; I got an extra day to study and go over my materials (which is a huge plus!) and I got to experience some of the page's everyday life.

Tomorrow, not only will it be my first day serving in the Chamber but I will be a Page Captain; When the Speaker comes into the Chamber with the Sergeant-of-Arms and the Mace, two Pages accompany them. Tomorrow, I will be one of those pages.
I can't wait!

Monday, February 18, 2013

Anticipation

I begin my term of duty as a Legislative Page on Tuesday, February 19th, 2013.
That's tomorrow.


All this week I've been super excited to begin my term; I've been studying MPPs, watching the training video, reading my study materials and checking the Legislative Assembly of Ontario's site. I even practiced how to sit (ankles together, right hand draped over the left) and how to walk (back straight, swiveling on one foot when turning).
And now the time is here.

When I realized how close I was to finally get to serve at the Legislature, I was hit with a wave of worry; what happens if I forget an MPP's name when they are talking to me? What if I forget not to walk in between the Mace and the Speaker of the House? What if I spill my food on my uniform, and ruin it? What if?

Then I reminded myself the feeling of happiness I felt when I was told I had been accepted to the Legislative Page Program. I  reminded myself of how fun my orientation day was. I reminded myself how excited I've been in the last few weeks, of the relief I felt when I was told that the Legislature was resuming. I reminded myself how much I wanted to do this. I was accepted to the Page Program; I was good enough to get in, that must mean that I have nothing to worry about.

As I'm writing this, I'm not as worried as I was earlier today.
I'm excited; after half a year of waiting and studying, I'm finally getting to do what I applied for.
Tomorrow, I am a Legislative Page.


Sunday, February 17, 2013

My MPP

Normally, a Legislative Page gets the chance to meet the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) that represents the Riding that the Page is from, and even get to have lunch with them.
To help us prepare for an hour with our MPPs, as one of our assignments before we begin to serve at the Legislature, Pages need  to do some research and write four facts about their MPPs. As I was writing this, I realized; why don't I post them here, on my Page blog?

  1. My MPP is Peter Shurman, whom represents Thornhill. He is a member of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party.
  2. Mr. Shurman has been representing Thornhill in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for two terms, from October 2007-present.
  3. As a member of the Opposition Party, Peter Shurman acts as a critique, questioning the how the Government is dealing with certain issues. He is responsible for critiquing the Liberal Party's plans on terms of Financial, Francophone and Toronto Affairs.   
  4. Since most MPPs are in committees, so is my MPP. Currently, he is a Member on the committee on Finance and Economic Affairs. 
I am very excited to meet Mr. Shurman and socialize with him; I'll be sure to tell you about my experience when I meet my MPP. 


Saturday, February 16, 2013

Orientation Day!!

 Friday, February 8th was a very special day for me. It was the day that I was finally going to meet the Legislative Page Program staff and the other Pages. It was the day I was going to get fitted in my Page uniform, the day I got to see the Page Quarters. It was the day of my Orientation.


My mother and I woke up at 6am, and were at the subway station by 7. An hour later we were sitting inside the Main Entrance of Queen's Park, being greeted by the Page Program staff. 
Then the rest of the Pages, their parents, my mum and I were all escorted upstairs to a room in the West Branch of the Legislative Building, where the Page Director, Manager and the Coordinator 'Officially Welcomed' us and explained the basics that we needed to know about the Page Program- such as the building's faculties, our uniform, non-partisanship, etc.

At around 10:15, the group split off; the male pages went to get fitted, and girls to get their security passes and the parents on a tour of the Legislative Precinct. 

When I was walking along with the other female pages, I managed to make some friends. The good thing about the Page Program is, everyone else there is really nice; they are all really good at working with other people, and a great people to be around. I loved meeting all of the other Pages on my orientation, and I can't wait to spend three weeks working alongside them. 

After we got our fancy security passes, the girl's group switched places with the boys and we got fitted.
While I was trying on my 3-piece uniform (consisting of pants, a vest, jacket, white shirt and jabot) the Page Program Director (Ms. LaMantia) came in, telling all of us to come and meet the Premier-Designate.
Ms. Wynne has already been sworn in as the Premier of Ontario, but at the time she was still the Premier-Designate.
So, the rest of the female pages and I all wandered through the Legislative Precinct, semi-dressed in our uniforms to meet the Premier.

Once we got back, we finished getting fitted and then had lunch, followed by a lesson in the classroom. There, the Page Coordinator/teacher further explained to us about being a Page; how to walk, how to sit, our homework for next week, etc. Then, we walked to the Legislative Chamber and got more lessons about the everyday life of a page; where we sit, where we stand, where we walk, where we do not walk, and how to pour water, as well as a ton more information.

Overall, I'd say that I had an amazing orientation day- it was tons of fun and entertaining. For those of you thinking of applying to the Legislative Page Program, if it is as great as my orientation day was, do it. You'll have an amazing time.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Oh, Sorry... but It's Not Happening. Or So You Think.

On October 16th, Dalton McGuinty resigned from his position as the Member of Provincial Parliament representing Ottawa South, the Leader of the Liberal Party and his job as the Premier of Ontario. When he did this, Mr. McGuinty also prorogued the 40th Legislative Assembly of Ontario- he postponed the Parliament's session. And because the Parliament wasn't going to be working, I wasn't going to either.


However, there was a silver lining to the heavy black cloud; if the Liberal Party elected a new Premier before I graduated eighth grade, my term would be rescheduled.

So, I waited. I went to school during the five week space that my term was supposed to occur on. Three months passed, and every once in a while, I'd check the large news companies from Toronto for any word about the Premier election. If anyone told me that they heard anything about the Liberal's party election, I would hold onto the rumor for dear life. I wanted, I needed the Parliament to resume; I had been accepted to the Legislative Page Program, this is what I wanted to do.

Friday, January 18th was an average P.A. Day for me; I slept in late, and then helped around the house until dinner time. I was cutting green beans for my mother when she turned to me and told me the words that made my day.
"Oh Daniella, I forgot to tell you; The Page Program called."

She explained to me that the Liberal Party will be electing their new leader in a week, and that my term of duty was rescheduled to February 19th.

I was ecstatic. Finally, after the roller coaster of ups and downs I was getting to serve as a Legislative Page.

Time to start studying again.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Studying, Studying, Studying... and More Studying.

Once I was accepted to the Legislative Page Program, I had a lot of work to do; applying was the easy part. 

As I mentioned in a previous post, there are 107 Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. To be prepared to serve in the Legislative Chamber, a Legislative Page needs to have memorized the faces, names, Ridings and seats of the MPPs, as well as the names and faces of the Clerks, the Lieutenant Governor, and the Sergeant-at-Arms.
That is not a very simple task.
In the mail, I received *most* of my study materials that I needed to memorize (Pictured right); the remaining study materials were given to me on my orientation, which I had last Friday.

As well as the people in the Parliament, I also needed to memorize how to deliver the 4 Key Documents- Reports by Committees, Bills, Motions and Petitions.

Quite frankly, I found and am finding memorizing the MPPs is and was a lot more difficult task.

I found it really overwhelming to study them all; how was I going to do it?

When I first got accepted to the Page Program, a friend of mine told me that a boy at her school had already been accepted to the page program; So, I called him up and asked him for tips on studying.

Using what my friend's friend told me, I began to study; I cut up the cue cards that came in the mail, and I folded the names backwards so I just had the MPP's face too look at. Then I would read the name and riding a few times, and find their place on the seating chart. In my head, I would repeat that person's name and riding over and over and over and over and over again, until it was memorized.
Once I memorized a new person, I would put them at the back of my stack of memorized people and go through the pile, naming each person based on their face. This helped me refresh my memory.

I studied for several weeks, memorizing MPPs from all three of the Political Parties.

And then, one email sent everything crumbling down. On October 16th 2012, Dalton McGuinty, leader of the Liberal Party and the Premier of Ontario resigned. He prorogued the Legislature, and canceled my term of duty.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Seconds Time's the Charm!

As I spoke about yesterday, I was not accepted to the Legislative Page Program on my first application.
Come around June, and I was trying again. 

On my second essay, I made sure to be writing in a more positive, active tense than the previous one; I checked and double-checked for errors, factual or not. I was sure to keep a non-partisan face.

 I succeeded. I got in. 


I remember when I was told that I was admitted to the Page Program like it was yesterday. It was about 9am on a Friday morning in late July; I was sleeping in, as I did nearly every day during the summer break. My sister ran into my room, waking me up and handing me the phone. I was hardly awake, still rubbing the sleep out of my eyes when the woman on the other end of the phone (Deanna, the Page Program Secretary) told me that I was accepted to the Legislative Page Program. I was in disbelief; I had reached my goal.

Now what?

In the following week, I got a folder in the mail. This folder contained a welcome booklet for me, my parents and one for my school. As well, the study materials for my term of duty was included in the package; 107 Members of Parliament (MPPs)'s photos, names and Ridings on cue cards and posters, as well as several copies of the seating plan for the 40th Legislative Assembly of Ontario. I had  four months to memorize all of that before my term of duty, which was sheduled for November 13-December 13th.
It was time to get serious, to get studying.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

The Concept of Rejection, and How to Not Write an Essay

It was late February when I received my rejection letter in the mail. 

I didn't know how to react.
Over the time that I wrote my essay, applied and waited for a response I became more and more sure that I would be accepted to the Legislative Page Program; I got my hopes up.
Because I did that to myself, when I got the letter in the mail telling me that I was not chosen to serve as a Page, I was crushed.

So I made an oath to myself: I would get accepted. I had two more chances to apply, and I was going to take them and get into the program.

But to apply again, I needed to write a new essay.

I figured the best way to write a better essay, would be to learn from my mistakes.

So here is my list of ways not to write an essay.

  1. Be Passive; In my first essay, I often say 'If I were to get into the Page Program...' etc. When I was writing my second (and successful) essay, I made sure not to do this. Instead, I wrote in the active tense; "When I get accepted to the Legislative Page Program...' and so forth. And guess what? I did get accepted.
  2. Use false information; I actually didn't realized that until recently, but my first essay had some factual mistakes. My biggest error was probably when I stated that in the Legislature of Ontario there are 308 seats. In truth, there are 107 Ridings in Ontario, and therefore 107 seats.  
  3. Be Partisan; The act of being partisan, or choosing a group/party over another is an extremely important thing to avoid if you are planning on applying to the Legislative Page Program. I can't even express how vital it is for the staff working in the Legislature of Ontario to be partisan; the Legislative Page Program Coordinator (A.K.A. My teacher while I am serving my duty) explained to me that she even had to sign a contract that swore she would be non-partisan. In my essay, I wrote something that may have been misinterpreted by the Legislative Page Program team as a political statement. I was explaining about my chances to be accepted, and I was referring to the other applicants and I as different coloured jellybeans in a jar. Unintentionally, the colours I chose in my essay are colours that represent two of the political parties in Ontario.
To those of you planning on applying to the Legislative Page Program, take a fine-toothed brush and search through your essay for any hints of you being partisan. I'm almost completely positive that my unintentional act of partisanship caused me to be deemed unsuitable for the Legislative Page Program during my first application, and I don't want any of you to feel the dismay that I did when I realized that I could have been turned away for simply making a careless mistake.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Application and Essay

The requirements for the Legislative Page Program are simple:

A student needs to be in either Grade 7 or 8 at the time of applying; they need to be living or going to school in Ontario, and they need a Level 4 Academic Standing (80% average or higher). The difficult part comes next:

The essay.

When I first applied in November 2011, as well as now, applicants must answer a two part question in their 750-word essay:
"1. Tell us what experiences, achievements and activities you have been involved in, at school, outside of school or at home, that make you an ideal candidate for the Legislative Page Program?
2. What unique contributions could you make to the program and how would you benefit from this experience?" (Application Process, Legislative Page Program)

The first question was easy to answer; At the time of my application, I'd volunteered at a food bank several times. I was taking a lifesaving course at the community center, as well as part of 6 clubs and sport teams at school. I was also tutoring a family friend in Hebrew outside of school. In my standards, I'd consider that a good sized list. Would you agree?


The second question, that was what I needed to think about. In my essay, I spoke about my good memory, my organization skills, and my sociability skills. Another big thing I wrote about was this blog; I was writing another blog at the time that I was applying, and I had the idea to write a blog about my experiences at the page program while I was serving. Hopefully, writing here will benefit the page program; After all, other future pages could come across this site, and be inspired.


And for those of you considering applying for the page program; You should. Scratch that. You have to. I haven't even had my first day on the job, and I'm looking forward to it so much. You get to meet 20-something other kids just like you, with similar goals. You get to look all professional, in your fancy uniform. You get to be on TV! You get to meet your MPP, the Speaker of the House, the Clerks, the Leaders of each party... lots and lots of important people. In fact; on my orientation day I met Kathleen Wynne, whom was sworn in as the new Premier of the Legislature of Ontario today.  



Sunday, February 10, 2013

Introducing ME!


Let me introduce myself: My name is Daniella Mikanovsky, and I am a Legislative Page.

Some of you may be wondering; what in the world is Daniella talking about?

I live in Canada. In each of the provinces in Canada, there is a provincial parliament. The province that I live in is called Ontario, and the government here is the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

In each of the parliaments of Canada, whether it is one of the provincial parliaments or the Federal Parliament in Ottawa, there are Legislative Pages; students who assist the MPPs/MPs, Speaker of the House, Clerks... basically anyone who is part of the Parliament. In Ontario, Legislative Pages are students in grades 7 and 8, but in other provinces it differs. The program calls for high-achieving, successful students, with good teamwork skills. When I first heard about the program, I knew it was for me.



Discovery.


I am going to begin serving my term of duty next week, February 19th. But I didn't only hear about the program now, oh no. 

I first learned about the page program in August 2010; it was the summer between my grade 6 and grade 7 year. My cousin was visiting from abroad, and my mother took my sister, my cousin and me to visit Queen’s Park, the Ontario Parliament. We got a tour of the building, and learned several interesting things (The West Branch is one floor taller than the East Branch!). On the tour, we were taken to a special room that was built to look like the Legislative Chamber, only much smaller. There, our tour guide explained to us about the different people who work in the Chamber and what they do: The Speaker of the House, who “presides over proceedings in the Assembly... enforces and interprets the rules of the house, decides what matters of order, delivers rulings, and maintains order and decorum.” (Legislative Page Program Study Materials, Roles, pg 3); The Clerk(s), who is in charge of the Parliament and how it runs; and Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs), who represent each riding in Ontario. The tour guide told us about each of these jobs and pointed out their spot in the room. Then, she pointed at the stairs below the Speaker, otherwise known as the Dias.

“This is where the Legislative Pages sit. Legislative Pages are students in Ontario who are in seventh or eighth grade. They need to be very good as school, with an average of at least 80% or higher; they also need to have good teamwork skills. Pages carry documents between the MPPs and the Speaker, and deliver water to the members.” the tour guide explains, before moving on in her speech. While the tour guide was talking about the Pages, I turned to smile at my mother, who was raising her eyebrows at me from across the room. We both knew that this program was calling my name.