#whyiyp

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Today, I’d like to introduce some special guests to help explain how to dress at Session, as well as a few things you should make sure to pack. Jessie & Sam are here to model our dress code, just in time for Boxing Day shopping!

Sam’s Outfit: Upper Body: Sam is wearing a dress shirt underneath a suit jacket. You need your shoulder covered by a jacket or sweater to be recognized in the House! Sam would’ve accessorized with a tie or bow tie but sprinkles are a challenge. Lower Body: Sam is wearing dress pants, and dress shoes. PRO-TIP: Sam fits the dress code, but still looks snazzy. We want to look professional in the House, but we still want to see your personality!

Jessie’s Outfit: Upper Body: Jessie is wearing a dress - Jessie will still need a blazer or cardigan to be recognized to speak. However, Jessie’s shoulders are covered by her dress, so it can be worn in the House. Lower Body: Jessie’s dress is too short for Session, but that’s ok because Jessie is a cookie. Jessie is wearing stockings under the dress (tights or stocking are needed for skirts and dresses), and Jessie has dress shoes on. PRO-TIP: If you don’t want to wear your dressy shoes on the way to and from the House, put your shoes in your bag, and wear boots when you have to walk places. That way, you can look spiffy in the House and still be warm and comfortable walking around Victoria.

Other things to Pack: Comfy Clothes: Once we get out of the House, we can change out of our Parliamentary dress for the evening activities and for hanging out around Victoria! Book or Music Player: This is totally optional, but consider bringing something to do (A) while traveling, and (B) as downtime. I really like to listen to music when I chill out and take a break, so if there’s something you like to do self-care wise, throw it in. HYPE: Endless hype. This blog has barely scratched the surface of everything that’s awesome about BCYP, and Session is just the beginning! Jessie & Sam hope this has been helpful for you! Don’t forget - wear your Parliamentary dress to Session on the 27th, as once we arrive at the hotel there is no time to change!

[parliamentaryeducation-blog]

BCYP 106: Intro to Introductions

Behind the scenes (or, in the middle of the house), there are a lot of people that make Session happen. These are people you'll see around the House, making sure everything runs smoothly, and facilitating events and curfew check-ins at the hotel. It's a lot of new facts at the start of session, so here's a sneak preview of some of the people who aren't members who will be at Session. PS 3 DAYS HYPE

The Speaker You'll meet our Speaker in the very first sitting, and you will get to know and recognize them very quickly. They mediate debate in the House, and run the sittings according the schedule. If you want to speak, you'll stand up, and you'll be addressing them. If you call a point of order, they will rule on it. They are non-partisan members of the House. Fun Fact: The Speaker is fair game for question period, so feel free to call on them as well! The Clerks These are a group of individuals, who you will see a lot from, although you won't hear from them as often. Their job at Session is a big one - they provide all the paperwork that comes past your desk at Session, AND they create a journal with all the things we did at Session inside. You'll see them in the center of the House, taking notes on the debate to be recorded in the journal. If there's ever a contentious vote, they are the ones who come in and do an official count. Chief Returning Officer (CRO) & Registrar Sometimes one person, sometimes two, both of these jobs revolve around one thing: you! They will deliver the safety speech and remind you of BCYP's Code of Conduct at the start of Session, and they will facilitate curfew check-ins later. Talk to them about any issues you have that aren't related to the sittings (eg, if you're feeling sick). Fun Fact: Curfew check-ins and the supervision at the hotel is done by BCYP alumna or friends of the association - many of them have been to a youth parliament session and share the same interests that BCYP-ers do, so say hi to them and see what stories & experiences they had that made BCYP so special to them. Lieutenant Governor The LG for BCYP is part of our opening & prorogation ceremonies - at the start of Session, they read the Throne Speech, and at the end of Session, they provide Royal Assent (they sign and approve all of the legislation that we pass in the House). Senate Senate, AKA BCYP's Board of Directors, is the group that oversees Session and all of BCYP's activities. Some members of Senate will be present at Session, and will be filling some of the above roles. After Session, Senate reviews all of the legislation we pass and may debate parts of our legislation. All legislation, including PMRs, must pass Senate's review before it is final.

[parliamentaryeducation-blog]

BCYP 105: First Day Hype

It’s hard to believe the first day of Session is only four days away! Every day at Session is jam-packed, but the first day is particularly full, with getting settled in and learning parliamentary rules while having our first two sittings. To help you get ready for the excitement and chaos that is Day 1, here's what a typical first day of Session looks like.

8:00 AM - Lower Mainland members and their interior billets grab breakfast and their bags, ready for Session. 8:45 AM - Lower Mainland members and Interior billets meet at the bus station Soon after, the buses will leave and we'll be on our way to Session! Key to Success: Wear your parliamentary dress in the morning, since there will be no time to change at the hotel before the first sitting of the Session. 11:00 AM - Members on the bus catch the ferry to the island. Enjoy the free time on the ferry to meet your fellow parliamentarians, grab some food, and relax & rest up in preparation for the week ahead 1:00 PM - Members arrive at the hotel, and Island members begin to arrive as well. Each member gets their keys and takes their stuff to their room (there is no time to get changed here though) Key to Success: There are a lot of members to process - be patient, but efficient, and take the extra time to get to know the folks around you. 2:00 PM - Members are welcomed to the legislature When we arrive at the legislature, we first receive a tour around the building, and a safety speech that introduces key figures, outlines BCYP's rules, and provides information for emergency situations. 4:00 PM - Our first sitting begins! The first sitting mostly involves the formal opening ceremony, including all BCYP members signing an Oath, and the selection of a Speaker. Key to Success: The script for the ceremony is written out in your standing orders, starting on page 11. 6:00 PM - Dinner time! Some of the dinners at Session are arranged by the Minister of Sessional Affairs, and some are free choice. On the first night, the dinner is arranged, and each member will be eating with their mentor/mentee - it's a great chance to catch up after a busy first day and ask any questions that have come up. 7:30 PM - Our second sitting! For our second sitting, Opening Ceremonies are all over, and we start debate. The first debate in the House isn't really a debate at all - in response to the Throne Speech, each member rises and introduces themselves to the House in lieu of debate. The introductions are often simple, and can include your parliamentary experience, service experience, or other interests. The Catch: The reply to the Throne Speech is also a competition - since each member must rise to introduce themselves, the Government and Opposition sides of the House race each other to see who can have all their members introduced first. Key to Success: If you're like me and tend to dislike this kind of forced introduction, you may want to think ahead of time of a few things to say, so that you can jump up whenever you feel comfortable and aren't left as one of the last few members under pressure to win it. And remember, the 'no names' rule applies to yourself as well! 10:00 PM - Evening Activity: Team Trivia Challenge Each night, there will be an evening activity offered upon return to the hotel. Our first night, it will be a team trivia challenge. There will be teams, there will be trivia, and there will be friendly competition - need I say more? Key to Success: This is a MAJOR key. Evening activities are completely optional. Session can get intense, and these evening activities can sometimes just make a long day even longer. So, feel free to take the evening to take care of yourself - read a good book or go to sleep early. Self-care is a MAJOR key to success. But, if you feel up to it, I highly encourage attending evening activities. It's when you best get to know people and when you see people outside of the context of debate. At the end of the day, you do you. 1:00AM - Curfew for minors! If you are under 19 years of age, by 1:00AM you must have checked in with the supervisors in the lobby. You can check in any time during the evening, but once in you cannot leave the hotel again until the next morning. And that's the end of day one! It may seem busy but it is only the beginning of what Session has in store. #gethyped

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BCYP 104: Standing Orders

In honour of having only 5 days left before Session, and of my extreme fondness for list-icles, here are the top 5 Standing Orders you'll encounter most at Session. The Standing Orders can be found in your pre-sessional packages if you want to learn more!

1. Be nice Hopefully, this one is a given. But, it is in the official standing orders (and in our BCYP code of conduct) that you can't use offensive language against other members. Fun Fact: You also are not able to speak ill of the Royal Family or any representative thereof 2. Follow the Speaker Whenever the Speaker rises to enter or leave the chambers, all members must also rise. This holds true for the Deputy Speaker or the Lieutenant Governor as well. Fun Fact: The Speaker will also bow to each side of the House when coming and going - make sure to bow back! 3. Don't pass between the Speaker and the speaker Whenever someone is speaking in the chambers, imagine an invisible line going directly between them and the Speaker. The Standing Orders require that no one cross over that line when moving around in the House. Fun Fact: Whenever you enter or exit the House (and once you've avoided the speaking line) you'll need to bow - once to the Speaker, and once to the member speaking, 4. Know your audience Every time you rise to speak in the House, you are technically speaking to the Speaker, not anyone else in the House. So, if you say "you", you're addressing the Speaker. (So, maybe refrain from saying things like "you couldn't be more wrong") Fun Fact: The Speaker can also call points of order and can request apologies - and they often take advantage of the opportunity to get dramatic and/or sarcastic. (In hindsight, this fact is probably more fun for the Speaker). 5. No names In the House, you can't refer to other by their real names. If you want to refer to a specific person, use their constituency ("The member for Vancouver-Point Grey") or by their Ministry ("The Minister of Service" or "the Leader of the Opposition"). If you don't know someone's name, a good back is "The member across the way" or "My friend/colleague across the way". Fun Fact: This is an old Parliamentary tradition stemming from when it was dangerous to be in Parliament, and so using someone's name was essentially revealing their secret identity, and their lives could then potentially be threatened. Moral of the story: be cool, don't spoil secret identities.

[parliamentaryeducation-blog]

BCYP 103: Crash Course in Private Member’s Resolutions

Only 6 days left til Session! And what better way to spend those days than writing a PMR to be presented in the House. What's a PMR, you ask? A PMR, or Private Member's Resolution, is a resolution put forward by any member of the House that asserts an opinion on any subject. They're a great way to share and debate something you're passionate about, or to break up the intensity of Session with some lighthearted debate in the House. So, here are 5 quick steps to writing a PMR.

STEP 1: Choose a subject The subject can really be anything (appropriate) that you can think of, so figure out what you're passionate about and want to share. Once you have a topic, choose a stance on it. PMR's are always either in opposition or support of something - for example, In Opposition of Colonizing Other Planets, or In Support of Puppies. Your subject plus your stance on it are framed (with either the words In Opposition or In Support) will be your title (so make sure it's not too long). KEY TO SUCCESS: PMR's are your chance to shine with your passions, but if you want it to get debated and debated well, try and find something that the rest of the House will likely know about and be able to debate. If your debate is accessible to the rest of the House, the debate is more likely to be quality.

STEP 2: Find supporting facts The first half of the PMR consists of your support for your stance. Within the PMR, you do NOT include any opinions (that's saved for the debate in the House). But your PMR will include facts that support your stance. Example of a fact: puppies are one of the most common pets (insert citation here). Example of an opinion: puppies are better than any other pet or animal or being. Typically, PMRs include 3 to 5 of these facts, so choose the one that best support your argument. KEY TO SUCCESS: Make note of where this evidence is found so you can cite it in the PMR!

STEP 3: Choose who to send the PMR to The second half of a PMR consists of a restatement of your stance on the subject, and what's called a "communication clause". The communication clause is a list of people who the PMR will be sent to if it's passed. These should be people for whom the clause would be relevant. For example, if BCYP were in Opposition of Colonizing Other Planets, the communication clause may include the heads of NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, or maybe even Chris Hadfield. Don’t just list a huge organization like NASA, give a specific person to address it to. KEY TO SUCCESS: Remember, what happens in the House at Session translates to real action - when a PMR is passed, a copy of it is actually sent to each person listed in the communication clause.

STEP 4: Format the PMR Now, you've got all the pieces of your PMR, it's time to put them together. You don't need to format the fonts, but your PMR should be put in the right order. It's easiest to see this written out, so here's one of our examples in full (bonus example can be found in your Parliamentary Handbook). Your title is your subject + stance, the whereas clauses contain your facts, and the resolution includes your communication clause. In Support of Puppies WHEREAS puppies are one of the most common pet(citation); AND WHEREAS puppies are proven to reduce stress levels(citation); AND WHEREAS puppies and dogs can be trained as guide and therapy animals(citation). Therefore, be it resolved that 1 The 87th British Columbia Youth Parliament supports puppies. 2 The Provincial Secretary communicate this position to (a) the Director of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (b) the Secretary-General of the United Nations General Assembly KEY TO SUCCESS: If you present your PMR in the House, you will need someone to second it. That person doesn't have their name on the document, but choose someone (hopefully with the same passion about your PMR) before you present it in the House.

STEP 5: Send it the Attorney General The AG will review your PMR and make sure it's got all the information needed (which yours will, since we just worked on it together). The AG is also the one who will let you know if your PMR is going to be debated. He can be reached at: [email protected] KEY TO SUCCESS: The earlier the PMR, the better! The AG will have more time to make any edits, and there'll be more chances throughout Session for your PMR to be debated.

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BCYP 102: Currents in Parliamentary Traditions

One of the best parts of Session is all the weird and wonderful traditions we have - they break up the serious tones of debating legislation with some well deserved silliness. Of course, they’re more fun when you actually know what’s going on, so, since there are 7 days (!!!) left till Session, here are the top 7 wacky things we do in our Sittings:

7. Banging on the  Desks Ok, so we don’t quite get credit for this one - this is a classic Parliamentary tradition. When someone says something you agree with in the House, instead of clapping, to show support we bang on our desks.I t's a great way to get stay involved in the debate and cheer on your fellow Parliamentarians! Pro-Tip: Bang on the sides of your desk only. The middle is made of leather, and banging directly on it will damage the desks.

6. Joke Budgets Partway through Session, each member will receive a copy of the budget estimates, which contain what each Ministry plans to spend in the upcoming Sessional Year. Read carefully though, it often contains extravagant and exotic expenditures that are more fantasy than fiscal reality. Debating these is always a highlight - but be prepared, as they are often fiercely defended. Pro-Tip: Keep your eye out for joke clauses in the legislation as well!

5. Shame! Resign! Dance! Similar to banging on the desks, this is one of the ways members can actively participate (read: heckle) during debate. If something is said that you disagree with, you're able to call out 'Shame!', 'Resign!', or 'Dance!'. In extreme cases, a member may stand up and move that, for whatever reason, the member or Minister "do the honourable thing, and resign (or dance)". Pro-Tip: Don't panic if any one (or, say, the entire Cabinet) actually do resign - the resignations are (usually) only temporary!

4. Shocked, Appalled, and Flabbergasted A favourite phrase of Parliamentarians, these words are used in one's speech to highlight particularly outlandish moments or comments in the House. This phrase is typically accompanied by three slaps on the desk, which follow each adjective, and the entire House typically joins in the slapping. Example: "I am shocked (slap), appalled (slap), and flabbergasted (slap)..." Pro-Tip: Pair this with asking the offending member or Minister to resign and/or dance for a #classic BCYP moment.

3. Funky Bows Each time a sitting begins, the Speaker enters the House and bows to each side of the room. During certain sittings, the Government side and the Opposition side each perform a short song before bowing. The song (potentially with actions) is often one verse of a pop song rewritten with words in honours of the speaker. Pro-Tip: Have no shame during Funky Bows. Sing loud and dance proud.

2. Elaborate Apologies The Standing Orders are a collection of rules that regulate how debate works in the House (bonus pro-tip: there's a copy in your pre-sessional package). When someone violates a Standing Order, any other member may call a 'point of order', and the Speaker will often call for an apology to be made. These apologies are sometimes in the House, sometimes not, but always within earshot of the members and always completely ridiculous and over the top! Pro-Tip: Here’s a classic - Standing Order 37(3) prohibits addressing members by name (only by constituency). Just remember, with great standing orders comes great responsibility.

1. Question Period Question Period is a 15-minute period at the beginning of each sitting where any member can ask a question of Cabinet or the House Leaders (Premier, Deputy Speaker, and Leader of the Opposition). Traditionally, it's used to ask questions specifically related to Ministries, but often this is 15 minutes of vaguely Parliamentary silliness. There are enough shenanigans that go on in Question Period to fill a whole post, but suffice to say that it rarely fails to entertain. Pro-Tip: On the last day of Session, Question Period is often adapted so that anyone can be asked a question, so be on the lookout all week for some good material!

[parliamentaryeducation-blog]

BCYP 101: Intro to Parliamentary Education

Welcome to the first post for the Ministry of State (Parliamentary Education)! Session is less than one week away, and since I’m a big fan of countdowns, we’ll be counting down the last 7 days to Session with all the pro-tips you need for a great first Session! The Ministry of Parliamentary Education has got your back - we’ll be sharing the keys to more success, so ride with us on the pathway to Parliamentary success, and check back for new posts each day leading up to Session.