The House of Commons and the Senate

March 2, 2010

Last week I took the tour through the Parliament Buildings. This week has been my chance to watc h the Question and Answer Period in the House of Commons.

Babe Maloney
Photo credit: legacy.com

That was such an enjoyable time that I decided to go back yesterday to watch the Senate, who began with a tribute to the late Honorable Marion Maloney . Her sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren were in the gallery with us.  The first senator opened his remarks by saying, "When I first asked her name, she said, Marion, but you can call me Babe.  And so he did. 

The senators turned our way to deliver their three minute tributes – they had been put on alert – no one more than 3 minutes and the tributes were to last no more than 15 minutes. Three of them mentioned that she was the mother of the Judy LaMarsh Fund which I thought was a charming metaphor, given that it is rare a woman is given the phrase “mother of cash for politics”.

I bow to her, since I had to take a whole university course to figure out that women belong in politics.

At the door of the Senate Chamber a piece of paper was put in my hand, the senators listed by province on the one side, and a map of where they were sitting on the other side. I took out my pen and began to check off who was speaking, on what topic, and of course, looking around to see who was there. Alberta’s jazz musician, Tommy Banks, was absent. I heard Romeo Dallaire speaking out against current world atrocities. I watched the screen the spoken text delayed by only a few seconds.


A guard came by and told me that there was no taking of notes in the Senate. I turned my paper to him to show him I was just ticking off names. His shoulders shrugged up to his ears as in what can I do about the rule. And I put the pen away, laughing inside at my need to have a paper and pen in hand.  Alhough they are the ones who put the paper there in my hands, I put my pen away.

Mary and I attended the Tuesday organ concert at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. The theme was Music of Wales for St. David’s Day, three preludes by Ralph Vaughan Williams and pieces by William Mathias: Processional (1964). Canzonetta (1978), and Fenestra (1989). After the Vaughn Williams piece I turned to Mary saying, "The theme of that piece is a Welsh tune we use in one of our Sacrament Hymns."

"I didn't recognize it," said Mary.

Having not thought about all of the tunes and words I have memorized in our hymnal, for a while, I had to work hard.  But finally the words came: Let me not forget O Savior / Thou Didn't Bleed and die for us ....  So much fun to have those old Welsh melodies both in our songs and occuring again in organ concert pieces.

Other works by William Mathias

Before he played Mathias's "Fenestra", Thomas Annnand, the organist, turned to the audience and said, “In the year that we have been doing the weekly concerts, I have never spoken to the audience. But I want to talk about Fenestra today, for this is the first time it has been performed in Ottawa to my knowledge.” Then he talked about the origin of the poem, the composer, and the themes we would hear in the next 14 minutes.

Sometimes a person feels as though they are present at a holy moment during the day, and the organ concert might have been it for Tuesday, the Senate withstanding.

Arta