A Focus on Parliamentary Administration.

• Author: Stos, Will
• Position: Letter from the Editor

Many Canadians have never seen their federal, provincial or territorial parliaments in person. As a result, when asked to picture what goes on in these buildings, the image that may come to mind is most likely what they may have seen on television or the Internet: a fiery Question Period exchange, a recorded vote on contentious legislation, or perhaps scenes from a budget address or Speech from the Throne.

People who work in these buildings know there is much more happening than what short televised clips would suggest, and it takes a finely tuned administrative system to keep all the moving parts working smoothly.

In this edition of the Canadian Parliamentary Review, we've collected articles exploring the inner workings of Canadian parliaments: the programs, processes and people that keep the cogs in the parliamentary machine turning.

Jennifer Ruff and Kim Hawley George offer insights into the auditing process at the House of Commons and Newfoundland and Labrador's House of Assembly, respectively. Ms. Ruff describes how "audit" need not be a scary word and outlines ways internal audits with buy-in from stakeholders can help organizations refine their operations. Ms. Hawley George recounts Newfoundland and Labrador's experience with a spending scandal that transformed the way the House of Assembly manages its internal finances to provide better protection and transparency.

Artour Sogomonian writes about the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia's first-of-its-kind governance framework for a parliamentary institution. He explains why the framework was established, details the principles informing it, and outlines its general structure. He notes that when parliaments are proactive in establishing and maintaining good governance internally, they help create and sustain...