Precedence and Sequence / Miscellaneous

Time allocation order; private Members' hour

Journals pp. 1744-5

Debates pp. 15224-5

Background

On April 20, the House voted a special order to allocate time for debate in Committee of the Whole and the remaining stages of consideration of Bill C-243, an Act to amend the National Defence Act. . . On April 21, during debate on the bill in Committee of the Whole, Mr. Aiken (Parry Sound-Muskoka) indicated to the Chairman that, as it was 5:00 p.m., they should proceed to the private Members' hour. According to Mr. Aiken, nothing in the Standing Orders provided for suspension of the hour, except on the day allocated for third reading. The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole (Mr. Batten) said his interpretation of the Standing Orders was that the hour would be suspended if a special order had been adopted for time allocation at the Committee of the Whole stage. Mr. Churchill (Winnipeg South Centre) then appealed the Chairman's ruling and the Speaker returned to the Chair to hear the views of the Members before reaching a decision.

Issue

Under the Standing Orders, is the private Members' hour suspended if the House adopts a special order for time allocation at the Committee of the Whole stage?

Decision

Since there is some difficulty in interpreting Standing Orders 15A and 16, the Speaker should not overrule the decision of the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole. The private Members' hour is therefore suspended. [The Speaker suggested that the Special Committee on Procedure review, at the first opportunity, the provisions of the two relevant Standing Orders.]

Reasons given by the Speaker

The interpretation of provisional Standing Order 15A is confused, ambiguous and uncertain; the main difficulty stems from the obvious conflict between it and Standing Order 16 concerning suspension of the private Members' hour. The views of the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole and the Member are both logical; however, the decision of the Chairman should not be overruled.

Sources cited

Standing Orders 15A and 16.

References

Journals, April 20, 1967, pp. 1741-2; April 21, 1967, p. 1743.

Debates, April 21, 1967, pp. 15219-24.