Welcome to Citizen Factory

Parliament is confusing. That's why Citizen Factory is here - it's an online resource for Canadian youth created by Apathy is Boring. Our goal is to make information about Parliament accessible and meaningful so you can understand how your government works. There are four basic elements in Citizen Factory:

MPs and Senators are the people who represent you in Parliament. Take a look at your MP's and Senator's profiles to see what they're doing and how you can contact them. 

Committees are small groups of MPs and Senators who study a bill or an issue in detail, so they can make recommendations to the rest of Parliament. Find out what committees your MP is a member of.

Debates are where MPs spend a lot of time asking questions, contesting issues, or sometimes just taking shots at each other. Find out what your MP is saying in the House of Commons.

Votes on motions are held whenever Parliament wants to do something. See how your MP voted in the House of Commons.

You can use this information to take action as a citizen, or bring Citizen Factory into the classroom using our Teacher's Guide.

Parliament of Canada Website and Resources

The Library of Parliament has produced a number of resources on behalf of Parliament:

How Canadians Govern Themselves by Eugene Forsey is a great way to learn all about the workings of Parliament.
Our Country, Our Parliament is designed specifically for youth and people learning English or French to learn about Canada's Parliament.
Youth Connection has links to all the youth friendly web and print products, along with job opportunities and outreach activities on Parliament Hill.

You can get more resources from the Library of Parliament, in print and online.

There are also a number of glossaries available on the Parliament of Canada website:

Glossary of Parliamentary Procedure
Compendium – House of Commons Procedure Online
Glossary of Parliamentary Terms for intermediate students
Glossary of Parliamentary Terms for younger students