Photo dump!

This is probably going to be my final post on this blog.
It has been two and a half weeks since my last day in the Chamber.

I miss the Page Program, so so so much.
I miss everyone I met there.
I miss working in the chamber.
I miss everything.


As all the Pages received a CD full of photos from our experience, I thought it would be fitting to post them here.
Enjoy!

Hon. Dave Levac, Speaker of the House

Our meeting with The Honourable David C. Onley, the Lieutenant Governor

 Before lunch with Deborah Deller, the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly

Outside of the Chamber with the Hon. Dennis Clark, Sergeant-at-Arms

Meeting with the Hon. Kathleen Wynne, the Premier of Ontario

Page Jeopardy with Hon. Trevor Day, Table Clerk and Senior Clerk of Committees 

Meeting with Ashley Csandy, Journalist for the QP Briefing

Skating at Nathan Phillips Square

The tour of the attic

More and More Meetings

I realize this post is like two weeks late. But it's never to late to talk about the Legislative Assembly, right?

March 5th was a  very eventful day for us as Legislative Pages. 

To start off the day, we had to be at Queen's Park early then normal; While we normally had to be in uniform for morning briefing at 8:15, that morning we needed to be ready to leave the Page Quarters at that time. We rushed upstairs to the second floor, to an office in the east wing. A very special office indeed; the office of Kathleen Wynne, the Premier of Ontario. We were escorted to one of the meeting rooms in her vast office. Ms. Wynne came in promptly, very excited to meet us. We were very privileged to have a meeting with the newly elected Premier. We got to learn all sorts of interesting things about Ms. Wynne. I felt very fortunate to have this chance to meet with her; The experience was very fun and I really enjoyed getting to speak to the Premier.

After our meeting, the day continued like it normally would; we went up to the Chamber for Orders of the Day, and at 10:00 Question Period started.

After Oral Questions, we got into our procession lines. We walked down the main staircase in the Legislative building, but instead of going downstairs to the Page Quarters for lunch we headed towards the South Entrance. Soon we were at the Clerk, Deborah Deller's door.
We went into the Clerk's office and made ourselves comfortable; Clerk Deller arrived shortly afterwards and our meeting with her quickly began. Clerk Deller was a very humourous and friendly person to talk to; I loved the meeting with her and learned a whole lot about how the Legislature operates. The fun meeting ended off with a pizza lunch, and more hilarious stories about the Legislature's past. Clerk Deller has been serving in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in different positions for many years, and it was quite interesting to have the perspective of a person who's been at Queen's Park for so long.

Thank you very much for making the time to meet with us!

The End

Last Thursday, the SP13-1 Pages and I handed back our uniforms, packed our bags and said our goodbyes.

It was a very emotional day for all of us;
At 11:45, our last Question Period as Legislative Pages ended.
At 1:00, we had our last procession line as a group.
At 2:00, our last Routine Proceedings at Legislative Pages ended.
At around 4:30, the House adjourned and ended our last day as Pages.
An hour and a half later, we left the Page Quarters for the last time.

I can't even express how amazing this experience was for me. I got to experience things, to meet people that hardly any kids my age get to.
I got to walk onto the Legislative Chamber floors.
I got to meet the Speaker, the Clerk, the Premier and the Lieutenant Governor, all in the span of a week.
I got to work in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, while I was still in middle school.

But it's not just the work that I'll miss. Of course I will still miss it. I'll miss how professional and important I felt in my uniform, walking around on the Chamber floor knowing exactly what I need to do. I'm going to miss walking in the Legislative Precinct. I'm so familiar with some of the places at Queen's Park, I felt at home there.

But what I think I miss most of all is the group. The Legislative Pages.
The Parliamentary Protocol and Public Relations Branch, the section of the Legislative Assembly responsible for the Legislative Pages only chooses the best of the best students in Ontario for their program.
When you stick twenty four of the best kids in Ontario in one classroom, you are bound to make some friendships.
I can't describe the relationship I've made with the other Pages. They are from all over Ontario; some from as far as Sault St. Marie and Ottawa. Despite the distances between us, I'm going to be sure to keep in contact with them. They are some of the nicest and funniest people I've known. The private jokes we've made up, the memories we've built together will never leave me.

I'll never forget the SP13-1 Pages.
I'll never forget the Legislative Page Program. 

These are the Perks of being a Legislative Page.

Side note: I will be publishing the post about my meetings with the Premier and the Clerk later this week. I just felt it was more appropriate to talk about the end of my experience before hand.

Second Week Recap

It has been one week since I last posted on this blog. 

Don't get me wrong, working at the Legislative Assembly is really hard and tiring work. On Friday evening I was asleep by 9:30, which is quite early for me.
I decided that as I haven't gotten a chance to update all this week, I will recap my second week in one post.

Time in the chamber this week was really fun. The rest of the Pages and I are getting into the swing of things. In fact, on Thursday we got a 'perfect 10' on our procession lines (the formation in which we travel to and from the chamber and around the building), and were awarded with 'zippies' (those reels of string that keep our building passes at our waists, instead of on a lanyard.). There was alot of excitement in the chamber, between votes and debates, as well as the always-busy question period. Between our long hours in the House, we got to meet several important people from the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:
On Tuesday, after question period the Pages posed for a photo with Speaker Levac before heading up to a special lunch with him. The food was delicious; Speaker Levac was funny and charming, cracking jokes that made the entire group laugh. We all had lots of fun that day, learning more about Speaker Levac's past and his job at the Legislature.
The following day, we got to meet yet another person from the Legislature; some might consider him one of them most important. The Honourable David C. Onley, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and the Representative of her Majesty the Queen made time out of his busy schedule to meet with the SP13-1 Pages. His Honour was very friendly, and heartwarmingly replied to all of our questions about his career as Queen Elizabeth's representative.
But the introduction to Legislative peoples wasn't over; On Friday afternoon we got to spend a lot of time with Mr. Trevor Day, one of the Table Clerks in the Chamber. We played a game of Page Jeopardy, with buzzers and all! Of the four teams that played, my team came in third with 100 points. At the end of the day, we were all happy; Mr. Day proved to be an amazing game show host and a great person to speak with. We didn't get much of a chance to speak about Mr. Day's job in the Legislature, but our time with him was well spent.
This week was also special for another reason; as this group of Pages is serving for three weeks, we got to go on a trip outside of the Legislative Precinct this week! By mutual consent, we chose to walk down to Nathan Phillips Square, in front of City Hall to go skating in the outdoor rink there. Many of the Pages are very skilled skaters, between hockey players and figure skaters. I loved the experience, bonding with all these kids that are so similar, yet so different to me. I love hanging out with all the Pages everyday, and I really hope that we manage to keep in touch after the program ends.

Overall, I had quite a busy and fun-filled week. I am hoping to be able to update more frequently next week. I will have plenty to write about, too! Next week we will be having lunch with Clerk Deller, the 'Head' Clerk in the Chamber, as well as a meeting with Ms. Wynne, the new Premier of Ontario.

I can't believe it's gonna be my last week at the Legislature; I am having the time of my life and as much as I miss my school friends, don't really want it to end.

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.

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.

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!