PARLIAMENTARY RESOURCES | Click on images below for links
National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP)
National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP)
National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP)
The National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP), founded in 1930, is the largest international organization devoted to the study of Robert's Rules of Order.
Most NAP members are not professional parliamentarians, but are interested in learning more about parliamentary procedure. A short membership examination, based on Robert's Rules in Brief, is required to join.
Interested members may seek to obtain the credentials of Registered Parliamentarian (RP) and Professional Registered Parliamentarian (PRP).
Current membership: just under 5,000.
Local chapter:
Visit the website of the
Ontario Association of Parliamentarians (OAP).
Contact: OAP President Justin Pappano at president@parliamentarians.ca.
American Institute of Parliamentarians (AIP)
National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP)
National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP)
The American Institute of Parliamentarians (AIP), founded in 1958, has approximately 1,000 members.
AIP encourages the study of a number of parliamentary authorities, including:
Robert's Rules of Order, the AIP Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, and Cannon's Concise Guide to Rules of Order.
The AIP issues two credentials to those interested: Certified Parliamentarian (CP) and Certified Professional Parliamentarian (CPP). An additional 'Teacher' qualification is also available at either level. The majority of AIP members, however, do not seek a professional designation, and simply want to study parliamentary procedure.
Local chapter:
Parliamentary Society of Toronto
[see separate resource listing].
Parliamentary Society of Toronto
National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP)
Parliamentary Society of Toronto
The Parliamentary Society of Toronto (PST), established in 1986, is Chapter 51 of the American Institute of Parliamentarians.
The Society typically meets either in person or virtually at 5:45 pm on the first Tuesday of each month from September through May, to discuss and practice parliamentary procedure.
Visit the Society's website for meeting details, information on how to join, links to parliamentary resources, and copies of previous member-presentations.
Follow the PST on X (Twitter): @ParliaSocietyTO.
New members and guests are always welcome!
Contact: President Michael Kobzar c/o parliamentary.society.of.toronto@gmail.com
Robert's Rules Official Site
Society of Clerks at the Table
Canadian Parliamentary Review
This is the official site of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, and contains much useful information, including an FAQ section, a Q&A forum, and official interpretations provided by the RONR authorship team.
Canadian Parliamentary Review
Society of Clerks at the Table
Canadian Parliamentary Review
The publication of the Canadian Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, containing interesting articles from those who work in the Parliament of Canada and the Canadian provincial legislatures.
Society of Clerks at the Table
Society of Clerks at the Table
Society of Clerks at the Table
The Society of Clerks at the Table in Commonwealth Parliaments, founded in 1932, is intended to foster communication among clerks of parliaments and legislatures in Commonwealth jurisdictions. The website contains useful information, including full articles from the annual journal, The Table.
Standing Orders of the Ontario Legislative Assembly
Rules of Procedure of the Senate of Canada
Standing Orders of the Ontario Legislative Assembly
This is the site for the Standing Orders of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada's most populous province. Unlike the federal Parliament, which consists of two legislative chambers (the House of Commons and the Senate), each of the ten provincial parliaments is unicameral, consisting of one assembly, based of course on the Westminster parliamentary model.
There are links on this website to individual members, status of legislation, committees, and the record of debates (called, as in most Westminster legislatures, Hansard).
Standing Orders of the House of Commons of Canada
Rules of Procedure of the Senate of Canada
Standing Orders of the Ontario Legislative Assembly
This is the section of the Parliament of Canada website that contains the Standing Orders of the House of Commons (the permanent written rules under which the House regulates its proceedings), as well as a separate Annotated Standing Orders, which includes a concise commentary and brief history of each Standing Order.
The site also contains House of Commons Procedure and Practice (2017), which provides a complete description of the rules, practices and precedents developed and established since Confederation in 1867.
Rules of Procedure of the Senate of Canada
Rules of Procedure of the Senate of Canada
Rules of Procedure of the Senate of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is a bicameral body, consisting of two legislative chambers: the House of Commons and the Senate. This is the section of the parliamentary website that contains the Rules of the Senate (similar to the Standing Orders of the House of Commons), including: a Companion to the Rules, Speakers' Rulings, Procedural Notes, and a summary of Senate procedure in practice.
Like the Commons website, the Senate site has links to pages on individual members, the status of business, committees, and the record of debates (known as Hansard in both bodies).
Rules of the U.S. Senate
Erskine May Online (25th Edition) U.K. Parliament
Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives
The Congress of the United States consists of two legislative chambers - the Senate and the House of Representaives.
This is the section of the U.S. Senate website that includes the Senate's Standing Rules, as well as much additional reference material, including a comparison of the rules of procedure in the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives
Erskine May Online (25th Edition) U.K. Parliament
Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives
This is the section of the U.S. House of Representatives website that includes the Rules of the House (one of the two chambers that comprise the United States Congress, the other being the Senate). The site includes manuals, special rules and committee rules.
Erskine May Online (25th Edition) U.K. Parliament
Erskine May Online (25th Edition) U.K. Parliament
Erskine May Online (25th Edition) U.K. Parliament
Sir Thomas Erskine May, who became Clerk of the British House of Commons, produced his Treatise on the law, privileges, proceedings and usage of Parliament in 1844. The 25th edition was the first to be posted online (in 2019). It is fully searchable, and is free to use.
Known simply as Erskine May, it is an authoritative source for understanding how procedures have evolved.
Parliament of the U.K.
Lochrie's Meeting Procedures
Parliament of the U.K.
This is the website of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the 'Mother of Parliaments' at Westminster.
There are separate sections devoted to each of the two legislative chambers: the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
There are also links to the standing orders of both bodies, as well as to other information on roles, procedures and debates.
Jason Robinson's Blog
Lochrie's Meeting Procedures
Parliament of the U.K.
Jason Robinson, a Toronto-area professional parliamentarian, writes an occasional blog for Sport Law, where he specializes in risk management, governance, meeting procedures, sponsorship, and strategic engagement.
Jason has written about virtual meetings and online voting, as well as other topics, informed by over 20 years of experience serving organizations in the public and not-for-profit sectors.
Lochrie's Meeting Procedures
Lochrie's Meeting Procedures
Lochrie's Meeting Procedures
Toronto-based Parliamentarian James Lochrie wrote Meeting Procedures: Parliamentary Law and Rules of Order for the 21st Century in 2003. A former President of the American Institute of Parliamentarians, Lochrie intended his book as a manual to be adopted by democratic organizations to help members advance 'the aims of the organization through good decision-making, supported by due process and procedure'.
It has been adopted by a number of municipal councils as their parliamentary authority. At 216 pages, it is a modern and simplified alternative to Robert's Rules of Order.
Jurassic Parliament
Philippe Lagassé's Blog
Philippe Lagassé's Blog
Seattle-based professional parliamentarian and former association executive Ann Macfarlane offers her services via an excellent website, on which she writes a regular blog about rules of order and parliamentary procedure.
The site also features an advice column ('Dear Dinosaur'), responding to enquiries from the public, as well as a number of free downloadable resources.
Well worth a visit.
Philippe Lagassé's Blog
Philippe Lagassé's Blog
Philippe Lagassé's Blog
Phillipe Lagassé is an associate professor and Barton Chair at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University. His research examines executive power and legislative-executive relations in Westminster states, as well as the Crown, Parliament, and their relationship in the Canadian constitution. He writes an occasional blog on these topics.
Perfect Rules
Philippe Lagassé's Blog
Perfect Rules
This website, maintained by Florida parliamentarian Timothy Wynn, offers many helpful resources, including free instructional videos, descriptions of motions, downloadable templates, and parliamentary quizzes.
There is also considerable information here on minutes - tips for secretaries on taking them, what they should contain, how to approve them, as well as sample minutes and a downloadable template.
A Great Meeting, Inc.
Jim Slaughter Parliamentary Blog
Civility: The Law of Order Blog
Parliamentarians Colette Trohan, Craig Henry, and Marie Wilson operate A Great Meeting, Inc., based in Maryland. Their website offers a number of free resources, including a series of one-page information sheets on parliamentary topics called 'Snippets'. Also available are downloadable forms and parliamentary crossword puzzles.
Civility: The Law of Order Blog
Jim Slaughter Parliamentary Blog
Civility: The Law of Order Blog
Based in Alabama, lawyer-parliamentarian Sarah Merkle offers parliamentary services under the name 'Civility', and writes a regular blog calted The Law of Order.
Her blog provides short summaries and useful advice on a variety of parliamentary topics.
Jim Slaughter Parliamentary Blog
Jim Slaughter Parliamentary Blog
Jim Slaughter Parliamentary Blog
Jim Slaughter is a lawyer and parliamentarian based in North Carolina. His website features a number of free resources, including charts, articles, and quizzes. Of particular note are links to news articles about Robert's Rules of Order, and a database to search for titles of parliamentary procedure journal articles. Jim also writes a regular blog.