Orientation - the big day!

Today was AMAZING!

I walked with my parents to Queen’s Park from where I’ll be staying during my term of duty. It took about 15 minutes to get there and the walk was actually really nice. I got to see some of the Toronto neighbourhoods and some of the University of Toronto buildings.

We arrived at about 7:45 in the morning and had to wait for the doors to open at 8:00. The building is very big and has many different entrances. We walked around to the side of the building and waited by the Southwest entrance.

Outside the big door of the main building at Queen's Park

As we waited, some of the other pages were arriving. I was kind of relieved to see that they really were all kids just like me.

At 8:00 a security guard opened the doors and let us in to the main lobby.  I was amazed by how big the building actually is. It has very tall ceilings and the main lobby has a great staircase that is made of wood and cast iron. It’s like walking into a palace! There are big chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and paintings and statues along the walls.  Everything in the main building is very big… the windows, the ceilings, and even the doors to different rooms!

The main staircase is beautiful!

We gathered as a group and were given our little visitor’s badges with our names on them. We waited for the rest of the new pages to arrive. During that time, our Page teacher came to meet us. She introduced herself as Mrs. Tedford and right away I knew that I would really like her! She was dressed very professionally, she is tall and has long, blond hair and a really nice smile.

Once we all had our badges, she escorted us to a room on the second floor of the building. We sat in rows with our parents, had some juice and waited for the presentation to start.

Waiting for the slideshow

Ms. Roula Dimakarakos began the presentation by congratulating us on being accepted to the program. She showed us some slides about the program and focused on the importance of being non-partisan when you’re a page.

Quick tip: being non-partisan means not favouring one party over another or treating members of a party better than other members. When you are working at Queen’s Park, or being a Page, you are required to be non-partisan and you can’t even vote!

Ms. Dimakarakos also showed us a mannequin dressed in the full Page uniform. She told us about the strict dress policy (how we can’t colour our hair or paint our nails or wear jewelery while we are pages). During her slideshow, she popped up pictures of some of the faces of the MPPs and asked us to name them and tell what riding they were from. I raised my hand and answered a couple of times.

When she was done her presentation she asked all of the pages to stand up. She told us that she’d like to know a little about each of us and asked us to say our name, what riding we are from and to share what our favourite extra curricular activity and favourite foods are. Of course I announced that I love lasagna and dance! I was actually surprised by the different interests of each of the pages. Even though we share some similarities, we are all unique too!

Next, the pages were asked to go with Mrs. Tedford to the Page Quarters for a tour and to do some learning activities. The Page Quarters are in the lower level of the building and has restricted access. This means only Pages, Mrs. Tedford and Paula (the administrative assistant) can get in using special passes.

The Page Quarters are really neat! When you first enter through the locked door, there are a couple of couches, colourful bulletin boards and a piano! There are locker rooms for the girls and the boys where we will change into our uniforms each day. On the right side of the hall is the Ping Pong room! In case that’s not self-explanatory enough, the Ping Pong room has a ping pong table in it! This is where we can relax during our short breaks. In the Ping Pong room is also a little kitchen where we will make our snacks and lunches. It’s a long day at Queen’s Park so we’ll need to use this room a lot I think!

The Ping Pong room and our kitchen!

We all went into the classroom together and sat at the desks. We were given our Orientation Binders which have a lot of information that we will need to prepare for our first day. We received a training booklet that we had to fill out as we moved through the day.

Our class and some of the visiting parents

Mrs. Tedford asked us to look around the class and tell her why we thought there were so many stuffed frogs everywhere. We all thought it might be because frogs are her favourite animal but no………

She told us that the word for when you walk between the Speaker and the Mace (a big NO-NO! NEVER, EVER come between the Speaker and the Mace!!!!!) is called ….

FROGGING!

Quick Tip: The Mace is a long stick with a crown on the end that is very symbolic of power and order. The Sargeant-At-Arms carries the mace and places it carefully on a pillow in the Chamber.

Bonus Quick Tip: The mace is really pretty and sparkly and it has 2 diamonds on the top of it that were given to the Legislative Assembly by a diamond mine. 

 

The Mace is on display right now because Parliament isn't in session. Once they start up again on September 9th, the Mace will be carried into the Chamber by the Sargeant-At-Arms every day.

We are never, ever, ever supposed to FROG in the Chamber. That’s just one of the many rules we have to remember while we are doing our work.

Next, Mrs. Tedford brought us into the Chamber to do some training. 

The main doors to the Chamber. So pretty!

We learned all about the different areas of the Chamber. In this picture, you can see the Speaker's Dais (it's like the throne on the stage at the right hand side of the picture). This is where the Speaker sits and 8 Pages will sit on the step by his feet. You can also see the MPP desks. The ones at the top of the picture (where the man in the white shirt is sitting) is where the government (Liberal party) sits. The ones on the bottom part of the picture belong to the (opposition) PC party. You can't see the NDP seats in this picture, but they are to the left of the PC seats. 

In this picture, we are sitting and practicing on the Dais. As Pages when we are positioned on the Dais, we will have to stand when the Speaker stands and sit when he sits. 

I'm sitting in the second place on this side of the Dais. Just wait until we are all wearing our uniforms, we are going to look SO GREAT! 

In this picture (above) you can see the Press Gallery (those are the seats right above the Speaker's Dais and under the three colourful flags). Members of different newspapers come and sit there so they can watch the proceedings and report about it. One of our jobs is to deliver messages to members of the press but we CANNOT talk to the press or be interviewed by them. In the picture you can also see the Public Gallery (see all of the people sitting up in the rows of benches above the MPP desks). This is where regular members of the public can come and sit and watch. 

This picture (above) is of the Clerks table. At this table sits Deborah Deller (in the fancy, big chair at the right end of the table) who is the Clerk. She advises the Speaker about proceedings in the Chamber. In the other 4 chairs sit Todd Decker (Deputy Clerk) Ann Stokes (Senior Clerk - House Documents) Tonia Grannum (Clerk of Procedural Services) and Trevor Day (Senior Clerk - Committees). 

This desk that's close up in the picture above is the Hansard desk. Every single word that is spoken in the Chamber is recorded verbatim by Hansard (that means, exactly as it is said). These words are all kept in the Hansard offices in books for ever and ever and ever. 

In this picture above, it shows the Speaker's Gallery. It's where important guests of the Speaker come to sit and watch the proceedings. Under the Speaker's Gallery is the Member's Gallery. This is where special guests of the MPPs can be invited to sit to watch the proceedings. See the big chandeliers? So pretty! Also, did you know that the official colours of Ontario are GREEN and GOLD? So a lot of the decorations and colours in the Legislature are green and gold. 

The Chamber is also full of amazing carvings. I thought these guys who are carved into a wooden pillar are very cute! 

Gremlins in the House? 

I also liked that there were meanings behind some of the carvings like this one of the Owl for instance. It is placed right over the Opposition side, facing the Government side. It is there to remind the Government in power to be WISE!

Who's wise? Who? Who?

Once we looked around the Chamber and learned about the different places We had to learn how to move in the Chamber. No FROGGING, move swiftly and professionally, stand up straight, never stop and turn around always walk in one fluid direction, don't come between an MPP who is presenting in the front row and the Speaker. There were SO many rules! A big part of why we have to be so professional and careful about where we walk and stand is because parts of the day are televised. You can see the cameras that are hidden in the walls ... 

 You're on candid camera!

This is the media room where they record everything and play it to watch on the Legislative Assembly Channel on TV!

We also had to learn how to pick up and deliver the four key documents in the House. 

The four key documents are: 

1. Reports by Committees

2. Bills

3. Motions

4. Petitions

There are different ways to pick up and deliver each of these. Some have to go to the Speaker to be read before they are delivered to the Clerks. Some have to go to certain clerks. It's a lot to learn, but the practice really helped! 

I practice picking up a Petition from Mrs. Tedford

After our practice, we went back to the Page Quarters for lunch. Can you say PIZZA PARTAY!? Yum! Our Ping Pong table was transformed into a pizza table and we all ate and got to know each other a little better. I made friends with all of the girls right away. I think we're going to have a great time together!

After lunch, we had a tour of the building. One thing I like about the Main building is that it is divided into two parts. The old part called the East Wing is all wooden. It's super cool.....

The old, wooden side of the building is so pretty. I love the ceiling! 

The newer part of the building is called the West Wing and it is made of marble. It's beautiful too! 

The marble section of the Main Building

I had a quick stop to see the Legislative Library. The public can't go in, but I got to see it! 

This is the Legislative Library where Aides do research for their MPPs. 

A couple of other neat things from our tour was seeing the huge marble walls where all of the past MPPs had their names carved. In this carving you can see two of the first women elected as MPPs to the House, Mrs. Rae Morrison Luckock and Miss Agnes C. MacPhail

 The first women in the House in 1943 had their names carved in the wall with MISS and MRS. in front of them to really highlight the fact that they were women. This statue is of Miss Agnes MacPhail

I also got to see where some of the MPPs had their offices in the building. Guess whose office this is? 

Premier Wynne's office door!

One of the super coolest things about Queen's Park is that it is attached to a building across the road called the Whitney Block by a TUNNEL!!!!!!

Quick tip: The Whitney Block is named after former Premier James P. Whitney and is where the Clerks offices are. 

As PEYge, I will get to deliver messages to the Clerks offices in the Whitney block by underground tunnel! It's sort of like a super spy mission! I think it's cool!

The Whitney Block!

After our tour, we went back to the Page Quarters to be fitted for our uniforms. The tailor took our measurements and will alter the pants and jackets to fit us perfectly for our first day. Here is how I look in my uniform (it's just missing the vest and the jabot. Oh, and my hair will have to be tied back with black elastics and hair pins while I'm working). 

Almost ready!

We joined our parents for a question and answer period back in the second floor room to finish the day. It was a full day but I felt really great and much more confident about what I'm going to be doing. There is still a lot to learn before my first day and I'm sure I'll be a little nervous but I really liked my teacher, my Page team and the building. I'm looking forward to starting in just one week and 5 days. 

--- PeyThePEYge

PS. For those of you wondering how I did on my MPP test...... the teacher decided to be a little lenient with us and to give us the BIG test on our first day. I'm glad I studied and knew everything for Orientation though because I was able to answer questions and move around in the Chamber a lot easier since I already knew where people would be sitting. :)