Legislative Assembly
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A Legislative Assembly in some parts of the Commonwealth refers to a legislature, or a chamber of the legislature.
Politicians elected to a Legislative Assembly are usually referred to as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). However, in Canada, members of the province of Ontario's Legislative Assembly are known as Members of the Provincial Parliament (MPP, Ontario). In Northern Ireland, members of the Northern Ireland Assembly are also known as MLAs, even though the Assembly itself is not called the Legislative Assembly.
In Quebec, the Legislative Assembly was renamed the National Assembly after the Legislative Council was abolished in 1968.
In Mauritius, the country's unicameral parliament was known as the Legislative Assembly until 1992, when, following the establishment of a republic, it was renamed the National Assembly.
In India, Legislative Assembly or Vidhan Sabha refers to the lower house of the legislatures of all the constituent states and two union territories Delhi and Puducherry. The upper house (which exists only in six state legislatures) is called the Legislative Council or Vidhan Parishad. Members of the former are called MLAs, and those of the latter MLCs.
[edit] Part of a bicameral legislature
- Australia: South Australia and Tasmania call the lower house the House of Assembly. In Victoria the lower house is called the Victorian Legislative Assembly. In the state of Queensland the parliament is unicameral, with the lower house called the Legislative Assembly.
- The Colony of British Columbia (1858-1871) and the Crown Colony of Vancouver Island (1843-1866) had separate Legislative Assemblies (British Columbia's was not convened until 1863). In those colonies, and in the United Colonies of 1866-1871, the Legislative Assemblies had limited powers relative to that of the Governor of British Columbia and the largely appointed Executive Council, which included local military and judicial officials.
