When the Speaker takes the Chair, the Mace Bearer places the Mace on the Table to signify that the Senate is in session.

(1) The way citizens choose a representative in an election. (2) The process Senators and Members of Parliament use to make a decision.

An officer of the Senate who is sent to summon members of the House of Commons to the Senate Chamber for ceremonies such as the Throne Speech and Royal Assent. The Usher uses the black rod to knock on the door of the House of Commons Chamber.

Another name for the Senate.

Something that is done a certain way because it is the way it has been done for many years.

A special chair in the Senate Chamber reserved for the use of the monarch or the Governor General.

> See provincial or territorial government

The speech given by the Governor General at the start of a new session of Parliament, describing what the government plans to do.

When the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Sergeant-at-Arms with the Mace, the Clerk of the House and other officials walk formally from the Speaker's Office to the House of Commons before the opening of a sitting.

Senate When the Speaker of the Senate, the Clerk of the Senate, the Usher of the Black Rod, the Mace Bearer and other officials walk formally from the Speaker's Chambers to the Senate before the opening of a sitting..