COMMITTEE PARTICIPATION: A MULTIMEDIA APPROACH
MORE THAN IDLE CHATTER: A MULTIMEDIA APPROACH TO COMMITTEE PARTICIPATION
Public involvement in the work of committees is a goal widely sought but difficult to achieve. The Alberta Legislative Assembly has twice turned to the internet to bring more people into the discussion about how the province’s multi-million-dollar trust fund from oil and gas revenues is being invested. Senior Asembly officials report mixed results and and discuss possible ways to improve outreach.
Dr Philip Massolin and Dr David McNeil in Edmonton. Dr Massolin is the Manager of Research Services and Dr McNeil is the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of the western Canadian province of Alberta.
Dr Philip Massolin
Members of a committee of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, a province in western Canada, recently embarked upon an effort to increase citizen participation in its annual public meeting. The Standing Committee on the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund has employed a multimedia approach to enhance citizen engagement at its past two annual public meetings. The public meeting’s objective is to provide a forum for the public to learn about and discuss the
52 | The Parliamentarian | 2013: Issue One Dr David McNeil
investment activities and financial results of the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund. This article outlines the logistics
of planning for and implementing the committee’s multimedia approach. It also attempts to assess the successes of the committee in augmenting citizen involvement in light of not only increased meeting participation but also of achieving a measure of enhanced citizen engagement through interaction,
facilitated by social media technology. Lastly, we will discuss the benefits, costs and risks associated with this multifaceted approach. To understand the efforts of
the Standing Committee on the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund, it is necessary to understand the committee’s mandate and the objectives of its annual public meeting. The Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund (AHSTF) is a fund of approximately $16 billion made up of resource revenues which was initiated in 1976. The Standing Committee on the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund is an all-party committee of nine Members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. It annually reviews and approves the Fund’s performance, business plan and annual report; receives and reviews the quarterly reports on the Fund’s operations and results; and reports to the Legislative Assembly on whether the mission of the Fund is being fulfilled. Traditionally the annual public
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92