Twenty fifth Canadian Presiding Officers' Conference.

• Position: Conference news

Speakers and Presiding Officers from every Canadian legislature except Nunavut met in Quebec City from January 24-27, 2008.

The Presiding Officers' Conference was hosted by the President of the Quebec National Assembly, Michel Bissonnet. Other Speakers in attend.ance included: Peter Milliken (House of Commons), Bill Barisoff (British Columbia); Don Toth (Saskatchewan); Steve Peters (Ontario); Roy Boudreau (New Brunswick); Alfie MacLeod (Nova Scotia); Kathleen Casey (Prince Edward Island); Roger Fitzpatrick (Newfoundland and Labrador); Ted Staffen (Yukon), and Paul Delorey (Northwest Territories).

The first business session, chaired by Speaker Casey, dealt with the theme of "Parliamentary Management Boards and the Role of the Speaker in Effective Decision Making." The lead presenter was Speaker Barisoff.

The second session was entitled "The Secrets of an Effective Speakership" and it featured presentations by Speakers Milliken and Bissonnet. The chair was Deputy Speaker Bonnie Korzeniowski of Manitoba. The third session was chaired by Speaker Fitzgerald and featured a presentation by Speaker Boudreau on "Maintaining Order and Decorum."

The First Vice President of the National Assembly, Fatima Houda-Pepin, chaired the fourth session which was devoted to the report by Chief Justice Derek Green of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Clerk of the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, William...