What is a Professional Parliamentarian? Do we need one?

There are basically three different kinds of parliamentarians. The first group consists of representatives who are typically elected (or appointed) to a political or legislative body. In Canada, the term is often applied to Members of Parliament and Senators federally, as well as to members of provincial legislatures. In the United States, members of Congress and state legislatures are also technically parliamentarians in this sense. The second group of parliamentarians consists of members of the ancient <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/48539466" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Order of Strigiformes</a>, of particular interest to ornithologists. And finally, the third kind of parliamentarian is someone who is appointed by an organization to provide advice and assistance on parliamentary procedure and rules of order. Robert’s Rules of Order defines a parliamentarian as “a consultant, commonly a professional, who advises the president and other officers, committees and members on matters of parliamentary procedure”. But what, specifically, does a professional parliamentarian do? Parliamentarians of the ‘third kind’ (see above) can perform a variety of functions, depending on the needs of each organization. Most commonly, a parliamentarian will attend meetings, including conventions and annual general meetings (or AGMs), and will sit close to the chair or presiding officer to provide advice and assistance during the meeting, if required. The same basic process can be followed in virtual meetings. <a href="https://medium.com/@mmouritsen/what-is-a-professional-parliamentarian-do-we-need-one-9c14e4f70144">Read More</a>