Private Bills are initiated by an individual or group and affect only the people or institutions named within the Bill, not the population as a whole.

They are sponsored by a private Member rather than a Cabinet Minister. A common example is a Bill to establish a foundation. These Bills are considered by a committee before Members debate them in the Assembly. These Bills are numbered Pr1 and Pr2, et cetera.

Every MLA who is not in cabinet is a private Member. Private Members propose Bills and motions that allow the Assembly to debate important issues and opposition parties to promote their policies.

Private Members’ motions usually ask the government to do something such as introduce a Bill or change a policy. These motions often pass although the government is not bound by the motion.

Private Members’ public Bills come up for debate every Monday. Like government Bills, they are proposals for laws, but they are sponsored by private Members from any party and do not have cabinet’s formal approval. Private Members’ public Bills do not always pass, but they do give Members a chance to propose policies and raise concerns in the Assembly. Private Members cannot introduce Bills that require the appropriation of public funds. These Bills are numbered 201 to 299.

Written questions are submitted to Cabinet Ministers by Members usually from opposition parties. They differ from oral questions in that they seek more detailed information. Ministers must provide either written or oral answers within a specified period of time if they agree to answer written questions. Members may debate the decision if a Minister refuses a written question.

Motions for returns are requests, usually from opposition Members, for documents from Cabinet Ministers. For example, a Member might ask for minutes of meetings, agreements with private companies or detailed breakdowns of government actions in connection with plans for industrial development. Even though the governing party may defeat motions requesting material it does not want made public, debate on these motions allows opposition Members to criticize government actions and generate greater awareness for the issue.

Government motions are proposals by the Government that require a decision by the Assembly. A motion may be debatable or non-debatable.

Government Bills propose the laws, or amendments to existing laws, that, if passed, govern certain areas of our society. Before they are introduced, usually by a Cabinet Minister, these Bills are approved by the cabinet. Although they are sometimes amended, they nearly always pass because they are supported by the party commanding a majority in the Assembly. Government Bills also include appropriation Bills, which are introduced by the Minister responsible for finance. These Bills request the Assembly to approve the government’s spending of public funds. Government Bills are numbered from 1 to 199.

At certain stages of its business the whole Assembly meets as a committee to study government business in detail. The Committee of the Whole studies Bills after they have passed second reading. The Committee of the Whole must approve all Bills before they can receive third reading. Bills can also be referred to legislative policy committees for more detailed consideration. Either the Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees or Deputy Chair of Committees, not the Speaker, chairs both the Committee of the Whole and the Committee of Supply.

Debating government business enables government Members to promote and explain their party’s policies while opposition Members can question and challenge policies and propose amendments. Debate on motions and Bills is a good way to learn how political parties differ in their ideas about how Alberta should be governed.