An Advocacy Guide for Psychologists

PSYCHOLOGY AND PUBLIC POLICY

Act of Parliament: A bill which has been passed by both the House of Commons and the Senate, has received Royal Assent and has been proclaimed. Unless a provision of the Act specifies otherwise, the Act comes into force on the date of Royal Assent.

Adjournment: Termination by the House of its own sitting for any period of time within a session.

Amendment: An alteration proposed to a motion, a stage or clause of a bill, or to a committee report.

Appropriation: A sum of money allocated by Parliament for a specific purpose outlined in the Government’s spending estimates.

Assistant: The Member of Parliament’s political staff person.

Backbencher: A Member who is not a minister of the Crown, a Parliamentary Secretary, a House Leader, a Whip, or an Opposition critic.

Bill: A proposed law submitted to Parliament for its approval.

Budget: The Government’s statement of its fiscal, economic and social policies. It is usually presented once a year, although there is no requirement for an annual presentation.

Business of supply: The process by which the Government submits its projected annual expenditures for parliamentary approval.

Business of ways and means: The process by which the Government obtains the necessary resources to meet its expenses. It has two essential elements: the presentation of the budget and the motions which lead to the introduction of tax bills.

Cabinet. The executive of the Government, consisting of those Members and Senators appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister.

Chairperson: Member of the governing party who presides over the work of a committee.

Clause: A division of a bill consisting of an individual sentence or statement. Once a bill becomes law, its clauses are referred to as sections.

Closure: A procedure forbidding further adjournment of debate on any motion or on any stage of a bill and requiring that the motion come to a vote at the end of the sitting in which it is invoked.

Committee Report: A committee’s written statement about a given piece of legislation or public policy. Committee reports are especially important because they often contain implementing and enforcing language for the legislation.

Concurrence (in a report): Agreement with a committee report, including the conclusions or recommendations it contains.

Department of Finance Canada: Primarily responsible for providing the Government of Canada with analysis and advice on the broad economic and financial affairs of Canada and with developing tax policy, fiscal policy and the Government of Canada’s annual budget.

Department of Justice Canada: Supports the Minister of Justice in working to ensure that Canada is a just and law-abiding society with an accessible, efficient and fair system of justice. It also provides legal services and counsel to the government and to client departments and agencies.

Deputy minister: The public servant, reporting directly to the minister, who is the permanent administrative head of a Government department and responsible for its day-to-day management.

Fiscal Year: The financial operating year of the Federal Government, beginning April 1^st and ending March 31^st of the next calendar year.

Government House Leader: The Government Member responsible for managing the Government’s business in the House.

Health Canada: Primarily responsible for advising the Government of Canada on health and health care issues and for health promotion, food and drug safety, aboriginal health, etc.

Health Promotion and Programs: See National Health Research and Development Program.

House Leader: The Member of a party responsible for its management in the House.

House of Commons: The major federal law-making body. Members are elected to represent ridings in a Parliament which last for a maximum of five years.

Joint committee: A committee made up of a proportionate number of members of both the House of Commons and the Senate. It may be either a standing or a special committee.

Legislative committee: A committee created under the Standing Orders on an ad hoc basis to study a bill in detail either before or after second reading.

Medical Research Council of Canada (MRC): The major federal agency responsible for funding health research in Canada including psychology. It also has a major role in supporting research training of health scientists, acts as an advisor on health research and is responsible to the federal Minister of Health.

National Health Research and Development Program (NHRDP): Funds national health research and program initiatives which advance the understanding of, and effective response to, national health issues which fall within the purview of Health Canada.

National Research Council Canada (NRC): The principal science and technology research agency of the Government of Canada. NRC performs and supports research across the country, and helps thousands of clients every year through the Canadian Institute for Scientific and Technical Information, the Industrial Research Assistance Programs, and the Canadian Technology Network.

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC): The major federal agency responsible for the funding of basic university research and training in the natural sciences and engineering. It funds brain, behaviour and cognitive science research by psychologists. It has a major role in supporting research training of natural scientists and engineers, acts as an advisor, and is responsible to the Minister of Industry.

Opposition Leader: Leader of the main minority party in either the House or the Senate.

Order in Council: An order issued by the Governor in Council (the Cabinet), either on the basis of authority delegated by legislation or by virtue of the prerogative powers of the Crown. It may deal, among other matters, with the administration of the government, appointments to office or the disallowance or reservation of legislation.

Orders of the Day: Items of business placed on the agenda of the House.

Order Paper: The official agenda of the House of Commons, published for each sitting day, listing all items that may be brought forward on that particular day.

Parliament: is made up of one or more sessions which begin with a Speech from the Throne and end by prorogation or dissolution. A Parliament cannot exist for more than five years.

Parliament of Canada: The legislative branch of Government, composed of the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General), the appointed Senate, and the elected House of Commons.

Prorogation: The ceremonial ending of a parliamentary session, which abolishes all pending business and halts all committee work.

Put the question: To put the motion before the House to a vote. At this stage no further debate or amendment is possible.

Recess: The period between prorogation and the beginning of a new session. Often loosely used to refer to a long adjournment.

Resolution: A formal statement of a decision or opinion by the House of Commons or the Senate.

Royal Assent: The approval, by a representative of the Crown, of a bill passed by the House and the Senate, making it into an Act of Parliament.

Secretariat for Science, Research and Development : Federal government support office that conducts research, primarily at the request of committee chairpersons, on the impact of new or changing technology on people’s lives and on society.

Senate: The Upper House of the Canadian Parliament. It considers legislative proposals after they have been approved by the House of Commons. The Senate also initiates legislation, but any bills concerning taxation or the expenditure of public money must originate in the Commons.

Session: One of the fundamental periods into which a Parliament is divided, usually consisting of a number of separate sittings. Sessions are begun by a Speech from the Throne and are ended by prorogation.

Sitting: A meeting of the House of Commons. A sitting may last for only a matter of minutes or may extend over several calendar days.

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC): The major federal agency responsible for the funding of university research and training in the social sciences and humanities. It funds social science research by psychologists. It has a major role in supporting research training of social scientists and humanists, it acts as an advisor and is responsible to the Minister of Industry.

Speaker of the House of Commons: The presiding Member of Parliament in the House of Commons. The Speaker is elected by the House.

Speaker of the Senate: The Senator officially presiding over the Senate. The Speaker is appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister.

Standing committee: Appointed for the life of a Parliament to deal with subjects of continuing concern to the House.

Supply: See ‘business of supply’.

Table: To place a document before the House or a committee for consideration or consultation.

Unanimous Consent: The consent of all Members present, required when the House wishes to set aside its rules or usual practices without notice.

Ways and means: See ‘business of ways and means’.

Whip: A Member charged with keeping other Members of the same party informed concerning House business and ensuring their attendance in the House, especially when a vote is anticipated.

Canadian Association of School Psychologists (CASP): Is an incorporated professional association which represents the concerns and interests of school psychologists across Canada.

Canadian Consortium for Research (CCR): Consists of scientific and educational societies that represent an estimated 50,000 researchers and 400,000 students in universities, government laboratories, and private sector research centres across Canada. It is the largest organization in Canada whose primary concerns are the funding of research in all sectors and the support of post-secondary education.

Canadian Council of Professional Psychology Programs (CCPPP): Is an organization that represents Canadian university psychology academic programs and psychology internship programs that train clinical, counseling and clinical neuropychologists as well as applied psychologists in other substantive professional areas.

Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Is Canada’s largest association of psychologists. Since its founding in 1939, CPA has been working for the advancement of the education, science and practice in psychology as a mean of promoting human welfare.

Canadian Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology (CRHSPP): Identifies psychologists who meet nationally established standards of training and experience in health service provision.

Canadian Society of Brain, Behaviour and Cognitive Science (CSBBCS): Is a national organization of psychologists whose primary function is to advance Canadian research in experimental psychology, behavioural and cognitive neuroscience.

Council of Canadian Departments of Psychology (CCDP): Is an organization that represents Canadian university departments of psychology.

Council of Provincial Associations of Psychologists (CPAP): Is the alliance of duly constituted provincial or territorial associations of psychologists, provincial or territorial regulatory bodies.

Health Action Lobby (HEAL): Is a coalition of national health and consumer organizations dedicated to protecting and strengthening Canada’s health system. It represents more than half a million providers and consumers of health care.

Humanities and Social Sciences Federation of Canada (HSSFC): Is a federation of learned societies, universities and colleges that advocate for the humanities and social sciences. It currently represents over 24,000 scholars and graduates active in the study of humanities and social sciences.

Network for the Advancement of Health Services Research (NAHSR): Is a coalition of national health organizations dedicated to the promotion of behavioural and social science research in health and health care.

© Canadian Psychological Association