C-001 Seaton Youth Government Act, 2017 (S.Y.G.A. 2017)

Seaton Youth Government Act, 2017

Section

1 Name of Parliament

2 Definitions

3 Composition of Youth Parliament

4 General Sessional Procedures

5 Senate Legislative Review

6 Standing Orders

7 Candidate Representation

8 Election of House Leaders

9 Election Process

10 Appointment of House Servants

11 Role of the Premier

12 Role of the Leader of the Opposition

13 Role of the Deputy Speaker

14 Oath of Office

15 Terms of Office

16 Fundraising

17 Amendment

18 Commencement

An Act authorizing the Seaton Youth Government; Determining the Organization of the Parliament; the Procedure to be followed in the Session Thereof; the Number of Representatives; the Methods of Election; and Other Matters Pertaining to the Parliament.

WHEREAS the young people of Seaton shall utilize the Seaton Youth Government to facilitate the discussion and debate of local, national, and international issues, and thereby to promote the mental, physical, spiritual, and social well being of the youth of Seaton and Vernon;

AND WHEREAS it is now expedient that the rules and regulations for the conduct and organization of the said parliament be set forth;

THEREFORE, the W. L. Seaton Administration, by and with the advice and consent of the Seaton Youth Government, enacts as follows:

Name of Parliament

1 The name of this Parliament shall be Seaton Youth Government.

Definitions

2 In this Act:

(a)“Cabinet” means the collection of individuals elected by the House.

(b)“Candidates” means the individuals who are nominated to the Parliament.

(c) “House Servants” means the individuals who serve as Clerks, Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Page(s) and Sergeant-at-Arms.

(d) “Legislative Assembly” means the body of the elected Members of the Legislature.

(e) “Legislature” means the Legislative Assembly.

(f) “House” means the Legislative Assembly.

(g) “Members” means the individuals who have signed the Oath of the Youth Government.

(h) “Oath of the Youth Parliament” means an oath reading:

“I hereby promise that I shall do all in my power to further the mental, physical, spiritual, and social development of the youth of W. L. Seaton Secondary School.”

(i) “Order in Council” means a regulation issued by the Cabinet, having full force of legislation, which adds new orders to or amends any piece of legislation authorized by the Legislative Assembly.

(j) “Premier” means the executive head of the Legislative Assembly.

(k) “Senate” means a group of individuals elected by the House.

(l) “Speaker” means the chairman elected by the Parliament to preside over the Legislative Assembly in its proceeding, as is outlined in the Standing Orders.

(m) “Standing Orders” means the rules of Parliamentary Procedure under which the House is run.

Composition of Youth Parliament

3 The Seaton Youth Government shall consist of the Senate and the Legislative Assembly.

General Sessional Procedures

4 There shall not be more than 50 members elected to the Legislative Assembly.

Senate Legislative Review

5

(1) Any Bill passed by the Seaton Youth Government shall be subject to the approval of Senate.

(2) If Senate has any objections to any Act, or portion thereof, it shall submit them in writing to the Regional Secretary within one calendar month of the first Senate meeting after the prorogation of the Legislative Assembly.

(3) If no decision can be reached within a further fourteen day period, the Act or portions thereof, shall be reserved from consideration at the succeeding Session of the Legislative Assembly.

Standing Orders

6

(1) The Legislative Assembly shall follow the Standing Orders of the Seaton Youth Government

(2) The Standing Orders may be amended during Session upon one sitting’s notice of the House.

Candidate Representation

7 Every candidate for Parliament shall

(a) have attained his or her thirteenth but not his or her nineteenth birthday as of December 31 of the year in which the current Session is being held,

(b) be reasonably certain that during the year following the Session, he or she will be able to fulfill the obligations of his or her office, and

(c) be willing to take the Oath of the Youth Parliament prior to taking his or her seat in Parliament.

Election of House Leaders

8

(1) The positions of Premier and Leader of the Opposition for the upcoming Parliament shall be filled by separate and simultaneous elections at Session.

(2) To stand as a candidate, a person must be a Member of the current Parliament and must be within the age limit prescribed for a member of the Parliament at which he or she will serve if elected.

Election Process

9

(1) Each Nominee and a Nominator of his or her choice shall speak for a maximum of three minutes each.

(2) The casting of secret ballots shall follow these speeches by no less than half an hour and no more than four hours.

(3) Those Candidates receiving a plurality of the votes shall be declared the Premier-elect, the Leader of the Opposition-elect, and in event that a tie still exists, the Speaker of the House shall cast the deciding vote.

(4) If a House Leader resigns, or forfeits his position, the Speaker shall be responsible for appointing a new House Leader from those Members eligible for the position.

(5) The Premier and the Leader of the Opposition may only hold their respective positions twice.

Appointment of House Servants

10 The following appointments shall be made by the Speaker:

(a) The Deputy Speaker;

(b) House Servants, including:

(i) a Head Clerk;

(ii) at least one assistant clerk;

(iii) a Sergeant-at-Arms; and

Role of the Premier

11 The Premier shall

(a) coordinate his or her ministries’ actions in accordance with the wishes of the Legislative Assembly,

(b) carry out duties specified in the Ministerial Responsibilities Act and the Seaton Youth Government Act, and

(c) act as the Legislative Assembly’s representative to Senate.

Role of the Leader of the Opposition

12 The Leader of the Opposition shall endeavour to

(a) educate the Membership in Parliamentary Procedure,

(b) ensure that the legislation presented by Cabinet is of a satisfactory quality, and

(c) initiate debate in the House, in committee, and in Caucus meetings.

Role of the Deputy Speaker

13 The Deputy Speaker shall

(a)take the Chair and perform the duties of the House, or in the Committee of the Whole, whenever requested to do so by the Speaker,

(b) endeavour to educate the Membership in Parliamentary Procedure, and

(c) encourage Members to partake in debate.

Oath of Office

14 Each House Leader and Minister of the Crown shall take the following Oath, in addition to the Oath of the Youth Parliament:

“As (name of position or office) of the (parliament number) Seaton Youth Government, I promise that I shall, to the best of my abilities, carry out the duties entrusted to me by the Legislative Assembly.”

Terms of Office

15

(1) The Lieutenant Governor in Council shall hold office from the first day of the first semester to the last day of the first semester.

(2) The Speaker shall hold office from the first day of the first semester to the last day of the first semester.

(3) House Leaders shall hold office from the first day of the first semester to the last day of the first semester.

(4) Members shall hold office from the Opening Ceremony of one Session to the day prior to the opening day of the subsequent Session.

Fundraising

16 If the raising of funds through normal means is not sufficient to finance the activities of the Seaton Youth Government, fundraising activities shall be held to raise the necessary funds.

Amendment

17 This Act may only be amended by an Act of Parliament.

Commencement

18 This Act shall come into force September 22, 2017.

**CARRIED**

**RATIFIED**