House of Commons Procedure and Practice
Edited by Robert Marleau and Camille Montpetit
2000 EditionMore information …

19. Committees of the Whole House

There is as little sense of reality in appointing a committee of sixty members as there is in having a Committee of the Whole of 265: it is hopeless to expect a committee of such size to accomplish any useful work.

W.F. Dawson
(Procedure in the Canadian House of Commons, p. 209)

A

Committee of the Whole is the entire membership of the House of Commons sitting as a committee. [1]  Each time the House resolves itself into a Committee of the Whole to deliberate on a specific matter, a new committee is created. Once that committee has completed its business, it ceases to exist. Over the span of a session, many Committees of the Whole can be created on an ad hoc basis.

A meeting of a Committee of the Whole is held in the Chamber itself and presided over by the Deputy Speaker, as Chairman of Committees of the Whole, or by the Deputy Chairman [2]  or Assistant Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole. Whoever is presiding sits at the Table, in the Clerk’s chair, while the Speaker’s chair remains vacant; the Mace is removed from the top of the Table to signal that the House itself is no longer in session. The Mace rests on the lower brackets at the end of the Table during the entire time that the House sits as a Committee of the Whole.

“The function of a Committee of the Whole is deliberation, not enquiry”. [3]  Unlike standing committees which have the authority to initiate studies of continuing concern to the House, a Committee of the Whole may only consider questions and bills which the House decides should be dealt with in that forum. At one time, the House sat frequently as a Committee of the Whole to examine the Estimates, [4] appropriation bills [5] and all taxation bills [6] at the committee stage. In addition, most bills that had received a second reading were referred to a Committee of the Whole for consideration and review. Today, although the Standing Orders still provide for a Committee of the Whole to examine appropriation bills [7]  and, from time to time, by special order or unanimous consent, other bills which are referred to a Committee of the Whole for consideration, the House spends little time sitting as a Committee of the Whole. [8]  Indeed, the expeditious passage of legislation is now the predominant reason for the House resolving into a Committee of the Whole. [9] 

Since the membership of a Committee of the Whole is identical to that of the House, one might expect the rules in both forums to be the same. While there are similarities, the rules in a Committee of the Whole are less formal than those which apply when the House is in session and the Speaker is in the Chair. For example, Members may speak more than once on any item. [10]  This chapter will examine the role of Committees of the Whole and discuss the rules and practices pertaining to proceedings in a Committee of the Whole.

Historical Perspective

Great Britain

In the British Parliament, two sorts of committees began to evolve in the sixteenth century: small committees composed of no more than 15 members known as “select committees”, and large committees whose membership numbered between 30 and 40 called “standing committees”. Bills were often considered in detail in select committees and only members appointed to these committees were allowed to participate. In contrast, it became common in standing committees to allow whoever attended to speak. These standing committees eventually evolved into “general” or “grand” committees comprising as many members as the House itself. During the reigns of James I (1603-25) and Charles I (1625-49), they became known as Committees of the Whole. [11]  These committees were established as forums for discussing bills of great interest (such as bills to impose a tax or constitutional questions prevalent during the Parliaments of the Stuarts) and provided members the opportunity to speak to a question as often as they wanted. [12]  A further reason for considering bills in this forum was the greater freedom of debate secured by the removal of the “constraining presence of the Speaker, who was at this period expected to look after the interests of the King”. [13]  By the beginning of the eighteenth century, it had become common to refer all bills to grand committees for detailed discussion following second reading. [14]  This development proved to be an efficient method of discussing matters of detail and, in the latter half of the century, for the House to establish its control over financial matters. [15] 

Canada

In Canada, the colonial legislatures generally modelled their procedures on those of the British House. The Assemblies of Upper Canada and Lower Canada adopted, in 1792, the British practice of resolving into a Committee of the Whole to consider legislation, or procedural and constitutional matters. Nonetheless, the Upper Canada Assembly made wider use of its select committee system than Great Britain at the time and many bills were referred to select committees after second reading. [16]  Beginning in 1817 in Lower Canada, four committees whose membership was composed of all Members were appointed at the commencement of each session and were directed by the Assembly to sit on certain days in each week. They were called the Grand Committees for grievances, courts of justice, agriculture and commerce. In 1840, after the union of Upper and Lower Canada, most of the parliamentary rules that had been in place in Lower Canada were adopted, [17]  and the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada continued to do a significant part of its business in Committees of the Whole. [18] 

At Confederation in 1867, the House of Commons adopted the rules of the former Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, including the procedures and practices pertaining to Committees of the Whole. [19]  Thus, all matters affecting trade, taxation or the public revenue had to be first considered in a Committee of the Whole House before any resolution or bill could be passed by the House of Commons. [20]  Addresses to the Crown were also frequently founded on resolutions first considered in a Committee of the Whole. [21] 

From 1867 to 1968, there were three types of committees composed of the membership of the whole House: the Committee of Supply, the Committee of Ways and Means and Committees of the Whole House. The Committee of Supply would debate each request for Supply (Interim Supply, Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates), item by item. [22]  When that Committee recommended to the House that the Supply requested be granted, and the House had concurred, the Members went into the Committee of Ways and Means. [23]  The Committee of Ways and Means would subsequently consider resolutions to authorize the expenditures from the Consolidated Revenue Fund; [24]  once the resolutions were reported from the Committee of Ways and Means, and concurred in by the House, an appropriation bill based on the resolutions would then be introduced in the House. [25]  The Committee of Ways and Means would also give preliminary authorization to taxation proposals outlined in the Minister of Finance’s budget. [26]  A Committee of the Whole would routinely debate resolutions preceding bills involving the expenditure of public monies. [27] It would only debate the advisability of the measure proposed since the details of the bill would not yet be known. Debate could be very lengthy. After the resolution was approved, the House would proceed with the introduction and first reading of the bill. [28]  A Committee of the Whole would also consider in detail most bills after second reading, [29]  and other matters such as reports from committees appointed to review House rules and procedures, [30]  and resolutions concerning international treaties and conventions. [31]  Few government bills (typically non-contentious ones) were sent to standing or special committees for consideration. At that time, the work of standing and special committees was investigative, not legislative. Standing committees were not given the power to adopt clauses of the bill. After a standing or special committee had made its report, the proposed text of the bill had to be reconsidered again, clause by clause, in a Committee of the Whole. It was the Committee of the Whole’s report that the House concurred in at report stage. [32] 

Only minor changes to Committee of the Whole proceedings were made during the first hundred years of Confederation. In 1910, the House adopted rules codifying the requirement for relevance during debate in a Committee of the Whole and empowered the Chairman of Committees of the Whole House to direct a Member who persisted in irrelevance or repetition to discontinue his or her speech, the rule being copied verbatim from the British House of Commons’ rules. [33]  In 1955, the House adopted a committee report recommending restrictions on the length of debate in a Committee of the Whole and on the motion for the House to resolve into Committee of Supply. [34]  In October 1964, rules were adopted pertaining to the limitation of debate on a resolution preceding bills involving the expenditure of public monies, and to the rearrangement of the order of consideration of a bill in a Committee of the Whole. [35] 

In 1968, a special committee appointed to revise the rules of the House [36]  criticized, among other things, the study of legislation in a Committee of the Whole. It argued such studies were too cumbersome and inefficient to handle the increased volume and complexity of legislation and public spending. The special committee recommended the elimination of the preliminary resolution stage in a Committee of the Whole for taxation bills, and the reference of all bills, except those based on Supply and Ways and Means motions, to standing committees, where the clauses could be meticulously examined. It also recommended that bills referred to standing committees not be reconsidered in a Committee of the Whole, that bills considered in a Committee of the Whole not be debatable at report stage, and that all speeches in that forum be limited to 20 minutes. [37]  The House subsequently adopted new Standing Orders which implemented these recommendations. [38] 

In 1975, provisional amendments were made to the Standing Orders concerning Supply proceedings whereby selected items in the Estimates could be withdrawn from standing committees and examined in a Committee of the Whole. [39]  This provisional Standing Order was continued for the following session through agreement, [40] but was not renewed thereafter. Changes to Committee of the Whole procedures occurred again in 1985 when the House amended its Standing Orders provisionally to reflect a recommendation made by the Special Committee on the Reform of the House of Commons. The Committee recommended that bills based on Ways and Means motions be referred to legislative committees, established specifically to examine bills in detail, rather than a Committee of the Whole. Only bills based on a Supply motion to concur in Estimates or Interim Supply would be referred to a Committee of the Whole. [41]  This change was adopted permanently in 1987. [42]  Today, any public bill, except one based on such a Supply motion, stands referred to either a standing, special or legislative committee. [43]

Presiding Officers

A Committee of the Whole is not chaired by the Speaker. Instead, it is chaired by the Chairman of Committees of the Whole. In his or her absence, the Chair is taken by the Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole, or the Assistant Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole; alternatively, the Speaker may call upon any Member to chair the proceedings in a Committee of the Whole. [44] 

Selection

At the beginning of each Parliament, the House selects from among its Members a Chairman of Committees of the Whole who also acts as Deputy Speaker in the absence of the Speaker. [45]  The selection of the Chairman of Committees of the Whole proceeds as follows: a Member, usually the Prime Minister, moves that a particular Member of the House be selected Chairman of Committees of the Whole, the Member proposed usually coming from the government side of the House. [46]  The motion is moved following the Speaker’s report to the House on the Speech from the Throne and is often agreed to without discussion or dissent. [47] The Member selected acts in that capacity until the end of the Parliament, unless a vacancy arises during the course of the Parliament, at which time a successor is chosen. [48]  A Deputy Chairman and an Assistant Deputy Chairman may also be selected in the same manner as the Chairman, except that their terms of office are effective only for the session in which they are chosen. [49] 

Authority

The Standing Orders empower the Chairman of Committees of the Whole to maintain order and decorum in the Committee just as the Speaker does in the House and to decide questions of order. [50]  However, the Chairman does not possess the authority to name a Member and order him or her to withdraw from the Chamber for the remainder of the day. That power can only be exercised by the Speaker in the House upon receiving a report from the Chairman of Committees of the Whole. [51]  Both the Deputy Chairman and the Assistant Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole have the same powers as the Chairman. [52] 

Appeals to the Chairman’s Rulings

Members may appeal a ruling of the Chairman of Committees of the Whole to the Speaker. [53]  (Rulings of the Speaker ceased to be subject to an appeal to the House in 1965. [54] ) After the Chairman has made a ruling, a Member may rise on a point of order and appeal the ruling to the Speaker. [55]  Such an appeal is not subject to debate. The Chairman immediately leaves the Chair at the Table, the Mace is placed back on the Table, and the Speaker resumes the Chair. (In the absence of the Speaker, the Chairman may take the Chair and decide the appeal to his or her own ruling. [56] ) The Chairman stands in front of the Speaker’s Chair and reports the incident and the ruling which has been appealed to the Speaker. [57]  The Speaker may hear from other Members on the matter before ruling. [58] 

As with all Speaker’s rulings, after it has been delivered by the Speaker, there is no appeal and no discussion is allowed. [59]  Only on rare occasions has a Chairman’s ruling been overturned. [60]  Since the Committee has not risen and reported progress, as soon as the appeal proceedings have been completed, the Speaker leaves the Chair, the Mace is removed from the Table and the Committee of the Whole resumes its deliberations. [61] 

Resolving into a Committee of the Whole

When the Order of the Day is read for the House to go into a Committee of the Whole to consider a resolution or motion [62]  or when it is ordered that a bill be considered in a Committee of the Whole, [63]  no question is put. [64]  The Speaker leaves the Chair and exits the Chamber. [65]  The Chair of the Committee is taken by the Chairman, Deputy Chairman or Assistant Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole. The Chairman of the Committee sits in the Clerk’s chair at the head of the Table, and the Table Officers sit to the right and left of the Chairman. One of the Table Officers acts as the clerk of the Committee. [66] 

If legislation is being discussed in a Committee of the Whole, the Minister or Parliamentary Secretary responsible for the legislation sits at one of the front row desks on the government side of the Chamber. The Minister acts both as a witness, by answering any questions Members may have, and as a member of the Committee, participating in debate, voting and moving amendments to the bill, should he or she wish to do so. The Minister may be assisted by one or two departmental officials who are seated at a small table on the floor of the House in front of the Minister. Before proceedings begin, the officials are escorted by a senior page to their place; they are escorted out of the Chamber immediately after the Committee rises and before the Speaker takes the Chair. This is the only occasion when persons other than Members and House staff are permitted on the floor of the Chamber when the House is sitting.

Conduct of Debate in a Committee of the Whole

Proceedings in a Committee of the Whole are governed by the Standing Orders as far as may be applicable and by long-established practice. [67]  While Members must be recognized by the Chairman before speaking or moving a motion, discussions are less formal; Members may occupy, speak and vote from places other than those regularly assigned to them, [68]  and they may be recognized to speak more than once to a question, [69]  although they may not share their speaking time. [70]  The Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition have unlimited time. [71]  Members have 20 minutes at a time to make speeches, to ask questions and to receive replies. [72]  The Chairman must apply the 20-minute limit to ensure the Minister or sponsor has an opportunity to answer a final question within the 20 minutes. As in the House, where all remarks are addressed to the Speaker, all remarks must be addressed to the Chairman. [73]  However, in practice, Members often address one another, ask questions and receive answers directly. [74]  In these exchanges, Members should nevertheless always refer to one another by the names of their ridings as is done in the House. [75] 

The same rules and practices that apply to motions in the House generally apply in a Committee of the Whole, except that motions do not require a seconder. [76]  The motions “that the Chair rise and report progress” [77]  and “that the Chairman leave the Chair” [78]  are unique to a Committee of the Whole and are decided without debate or amendment. Once proposed, motions may be withdrawn only by the mover and only with the unanimous consent of the Committee. [79]  When an amendment is moved, debate must proceed on the amendment until it is disposed of.

Quorum

Under the Constitution Act, 1867, and the Standing Orders of the House, a quorum of 20 Members, including the Speaker, is required to “constitute a meeting of the House for the exercise of its powers”. [80]  Twenty Members is also the quorum for a Committee of the Whole. [81]  If a Member draws to the attention of the Chairman a lack of quorum in a Committee of the Whole, the Chairman counts the Members. [82]  If 20 Members are not present, the Chairman rises without seeking leave to report progress and sit again. The Speaker takes the Chair, [83]  the House is resumed, the Chairman reports the lack of a quorum and the Speaker counts the number of Members in the Chamber. If the Speaker finds a quorum, the Committee resumes its deliberations. [84]  If there is no quorum, the bells are rung until there is a quorum, at which time the Committee resumes its deliberations. If after 15 minutes the bells are still ringing, the Speaker adjourns the House until the next sitting day. [85]  Any proceedings which are brought to a close by a lack of quorum in the House are allowed to stand and retain their precedence on the Order Paperfor the next sitting when the Order is called for the House to resolve into a Committee of the Whole. [86]  At that time, the Committee resumes its work from the point of interruption.

Relevance and Disorder in a Committee of the Whole

Speeches in a Committee of the Whole must be strictly relevant to the item or clause under consideration. [87]  If a Member’s speech is not relevant to the debate, the Chairman is empowered to call the Member to order and if, necessary, warn that he or she risks being reported to the House. [88]  An exception which has developed to the rule of relevance is the wide-ranging debate permitted on Clause 1 (or Clause 2 if Clause 1 only contains the short title of a bill). [89]  Certain limits have nonetheless been established for consideration of Clause 1, including proscriptions against repetition of second reading debate and against anticipation of clause-by-clause debate. [90]  Moreover, debate must be confined to the contents of the bill. [91]  A further limitation arises when an amendment has been proposed to Clause 1: remarks must be restricted to the amendment until it has been disposed of. [92] 

The Chairman is empowered to maintain order in a Committee of the Whole and to decide all questions of order. [93]  However, if a Member persists in irrelevance or repetition, refuses to withdraw unparliamentary remarks or to resume his or her seat when so requested, or if the proceedings become disorderly and the Chairman is unable to restore decorum in the Committee, the Chairman may rise and report the incident to the Speaker without seeking leave of the Committee. [94]  The Speaker takes the Chair, receives the report of the Chairman, and deals with the matter as if the incident had happened in the House and may subsequently name the Member. [95]  In the case of unparliamentary language, the Speaker may request the Member to withdraw the remarks. After the matter has been dealt with, the Committee resumes its deliberations without a motion to this effect. In extreme cases of disorder in a Committee of the Whole, the Speaker has taken the Chair without waiting for the Chairman to report. [96] 

Questions of Privilege

Given that the House rarely sits as a Committee of the Whole and that when it does, the proceedings are typically completed in a matter of minutes, questions of privilege are not often raised today in a Committee of the Whole. The practice regarding the raising of questions of privilege in a Committee of the Whole is, nonetheless, identical to that for any standing, legislative or special committee. The Chairman has no authority to rule that a breach of privilege has occurred. [97]  The Chairman hears the question of privilege and may entertain a motion that certain events which occurred in the Committee should be reported to the House. [98]  If the Committee decides that the matter should be reported, then the Chairman rises, the Speaker resumes the Chair, and the Chairman reports the question of privilege. [99]  The Speaker then deals with the matter. If a prima faciecase of privilege is found by the Speaker, a Member may move a motion dealing with the matter. [100]

The Speaker will entertain a question of privilege in regard to a matter that occurred in a Committee of the Whole, only if the matter has been dealt with first in the Committee of the Whole and reported accordingly to the House. [101] 

When the House is in a Committee of the Whole, a Member may not rise on a question of privilege affecting the privileges of the House in general; however, a Member may move a motion for the Committee to rise and report progress in order that the Speaker may hear the question of privilege. [102] 

Interruptions

When proceedings in a Committee of the Whole are interrupted in order for the House to proceed with scheduled items of daily business (for example, at 2:00 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, and 11:00 a.m. on Friday, for Statements by Members and Question Period; or an interruption for a scheduled recorded division in the House) or if the Committee is unable to complete its business at the conclusion of the time allotted for Government Orders, [103]  the Chairman interrupts the proceedings and rises. The Speaker takes the Chair and the Committee reports progress to the House and requests leave to consider its business again later that day or at the next sitting of the House. The report is then received by the House and the Committee is granted leave to sit again later that day or at the next sitting of the House. [104]  After the interruption, the Committee may resume sitting if the Order is called. [105] 

If business arises which requires the attention of the House (for example, a Royal Assent ceremony), the Speaker takes the Chair immediately without waiting for the Committee to rise and report progress. [106]  When the matter which led to the interruption has been dealt with, the Committee resumes sitting. Messages received from the Senate will not interrupt the proceedings of the Committee; these messages are only reported to the House by the Speaker after the Committee has risen and reported and before another Order of the Day is taken up by the House. [107] 

Extension of Debate

Only when the Speaker is in the Chair, may a Member move a motion, without notice, to extend the sitting beyond the ordinary hour of daily adjournment to continue consideration of a particular item of business. [108]  When the House is in a Committee of the Whole, a Member must indicate his intention to move such a motion; the Chairman interrupts the proceedings and, without reporting progress, rises so that the motion can be properly moved and disposed of with the Speaker in the Chair. [109]  The motion cannot be debated or amended. [110]  It carries automatically unless at least 15 Members who object to it rise in their places when the Speaker puts the question, in which case the motion is deemed withdrawn. [111]  On occasion, the House has adopted special orders extending a sitting in order to complete consideration of a bill in a Committee of the Whole. [112] 

Closure

The Standing Orders provide the government with a procedural device to force a decision by the House on any motion or bill under debate. This device is known as closure. [113]  Although the limited use of Committees of the Whole in modern practice has substantially reduced the use of closure there, it may still be invoked. Once debate has begun in a Committee of the Whole, closure may be applied to a motion; to the whole committee stage of a bill; to its title, preamble or its clauses, individually or in groups; or to amendments or sub-amendments. Furthermore, closure may be moved on clauses of a bill which have not yet been called. [114] 

Before invoking closure of a matter being considered in a Committee of the Whole, a notice must be given orally at a previous sitting by a Minister. This notice is normally, but not necessarily, given while a Committee of the Whole is considering the matter to be closured. [115]  If notice is to be given at some other time, the consistent practice is then to wait for debate on that matter to have been initiated, either on a previous day or earlier on the same day. When oral notice has been properly given, a Minister may then move “that the further consideration of any resolution or resolutions, clause or clauses, section or sections, preamble or preambles, or title or titles, shall be the first business of the Committee, and shall not further be postponed”. [116]  Such a closure motion is moved before the Committee resumes consideration of the Order to which closure would apply.

Once moved, a closure motion is decided without debate or amendment. [117]  The question is put on the motion and a division may take place. If the motion is adopted, Members’ participation in the debate is restricted: they may speak only once on the question to which closure has been applied, and for no longer than 20 minutes. [118]  The sitting may be extended but debate concludes no later than 11:00 p.m. that same day, at which time the Chairman puts all the necessary questions to dispose of the matter. [119] 

After the consideration of a closured bill is completed, the Chairman reports the bill back to the House with or without amendment. A motion for concurrence in the bill at report stage is moved and put without debate. [120]  If the bill is concurred in at report stage and the sitting has not gone beyond the time normally provided for Government Orders, the House can then proceed immediately to the third reading stage of the bill. [121]  If the bill is concurred in at report stage and the sitting has been extended beyond the ordinary hour of daily adjournment, the bill is then ordered for third reading at the next sitting and the House adjourns. [122] 

Time Allocation

The Standing Orders provide a mechanism, referred to as time allocation, for restricting the length of debate on bills. [123]  Although there are certain elements of closure in time allocation, it allows the government to negotiate with the opposition parties to establish, in advance, a timetable for the consideration of a public bill at one or more legislative stages, including debate at the Committee of the Whole stage. Time allocation has been imposed rarely in a Committee of the Whole; this stems from the fact that bills which are referred to a Committee of the Whole are generally of a non-controversial nature and tend to generate little discussion, or deal with matters of political importance on which arrangements have been made on the use of House time. [124] 

Prohibition Against the “Previous Question”

The motion “That this question be now put” is referred to as the “previous question”. Its purpose, when moved and debated in the House, is to achieve one of two possible objectives: either to prevent any amendment to the main motion and force a direct vote on it, or to delay a vote on the main motion by prolonging debate. [125] 

The moving of the previous question is prohibited in a Committee of the Whole as it is in any committee. [126]  Given that a bill is referred to a Committee of the Whole for clause-by-clause consideration, the moving of the previous question would prevent Members from proposing amendments and considering the legislation to the fullest extent possible.

Adjournment of Debate

A Committee of the Whole has no power to adjourn its own sitting or to adjourn consideration of any matter to a future sitting. [127]  If its consideration of a matter is not concluded by the ordinary hour of daily adjournment, or if the House is scheduled to proceed with Private Members’ Business or the Adjournment Proceedings, the Chairman interrupts the proceedings and rises. The Speaker takes the Chair and the Committee reports progress to the House and requests leave to consider its business again at the next sitting. [128]  The Speaker asks, as a matter of form, “When shall the report be received? Now. When shall the Committee have leave to sit again? At the next sitting of the House. So ordered.”

During consideration of a bill or motion in a Committee of the Whole, a Member may move “That the Chairman rise and report progress”. [129]  A motion that “the Chairman report progress” has the same effect as a motion for the House to adjourn debate. [130]  In other words, if this motion is adopted, no further debate can occur on the matter under consideration that day. If this motion is rejected, the Committee continues sitting and the question cannot be put again until some intermediate proceeding has taken place. [131] 

After a Committee of the Whole has risen, reported progress and received leave to sit again at the next sitting of the House, when the Order is next called, the House goes into a Committee of the Whole and the Committee resumes its business. [132] 

Termination of Debate

The proceedings in a Committee of the Whole may be brought abruptly to a close if a Member moves a motion “That the Chairman leave the Chair” and the motion is adopted. Such a motion is always in order, is not debatable and, if adopted, supersedes the question then before the Committee. [133]  If the motion is put and agreed to, the Committee rises without a report to the House, and the matter before the Committee disappears from the Order Paper[134]  If the Committee rejects the motion for the Chairman to leave the Chair, the question cannot be put again without some intermediate proceeding having taken place. [135] 

Divisions

When the Chairman puts the question on a bill, clause or motion, if one or more Members object, they may request that a division, or standing vote, take place; [136]  if no such request is made, the Chairman declares the bill, clause or motion carried/adopted or negatived, on division (that is, signalling opposition without calling for a standing vote). [137]  It is not necessary to have five Members rise to force a standing vote as is required in the House. [138]  In a Committee of the Whole, the names of Members voting for or against an item are not recorded and no bells are rung to call Members in to vote. [139]  Those Members present in the Chamber simply rise in rows and are counted by a Table Officer. Members do not have to be in their allocated places. As is the case with a vote in the House, no Member may enter the Chamber while a division is in progress in a Committee of the Whole, [140]  nor will the Chairman hear a point of order during a vote. [141]  Those in favour of the motion to the right of the Chair rise first and after each row has been counted, the Chair asks the Members in that row to sit. The same procedure is followed for those in favour to the left of the Chair. The procedure is repeated for those opposed to the motion. After the count, the Table Officer stands at the end of the Table and reports the number of “yeas” and “nays” to the Chairman. The Chairman declares the motion carried or negatived. [142]  Pairs are not declared when there is a vote in a Committee of the Whole because no record is kept of the names of Members who voted one way or the other. [143] 

The Chairman does not vote in a Committee of the Whole, but in the event of a tie, he or she has a casting vote and is governed by the same rules as the Speaker under similar conditions. [144]  The general principle guiding a Chairman of a Committee of the Whole is to vote in such a manner as to preserve the matter for further consideration (that is, in such a way as to maintain the status quo). [145] 

Consideration of Bills in a Committee of the Whole

After a bill has been read a second time, the House may order it referred to a Committee of the Whole for consideration either pursuant to the Standing Orders [146]  or by unanimous consent [147]  or pursuant to a special order of the House. [148] 

Following concurrence in the Main and Supplementary Estimates and Interim Supply, all appropriation or Supply bills (bills authorizing the actual withdrawal of funds from the Consolidated Revenue Fund for government expenditures) are automatically referred to a Committee of the Whole for consideration. [149]  These bills are usually considered at the end of the sitting on the last allotted day in a Supply period when little or no more debating time remains. The Standing Orders provide for the Speaker to interrupt the proceedings at that time and put all questions necessary to dispose of all stages of any Supply bills without further debate. Thus, the committee stage is generally very brief and the bills are reported back to the House without amendment within a matter of minutes. [150] 

Often a Committee of the Whole examines non-controversial bills or bills dealing with matters of political importance on which arrangements on the use of House time have been made. Also, by unanimous consent or special order, the House has examined urgent legislation, such as legislation terminating strikes, in a Committee of the Whole. [151]  Many of these bills are considered by consent of the House at two or more stages in one sitting.

A bill is dealt with in a Committee of the Whole in much the same way it would be if it were referred to a standing, special or legislative committee. [152] Consideration of the preamble and title (as well as Clause 1 if it only contains the short title of the bill) are postponed. [153]  Each clause is a distinct question and is discussed separately in numerical order. Traditionally, when Clause 1 (or Clause 2 if Clause 1 contains only the short title of the bill [154] ) is called, the Committee holds a general debate, similar to that at second reading, covering the principles and details of the bill. After Clause 1 (or Clause 2) is disposed of, debate must be strictly relevant to the clause under consideration. [155]  This tends to make debate on subsequent clauses shorter. Amendments and sub-amendments to a clause may be proposed if found procedurally acceptable by the Chair, and after debate they must be disposed of before the next clause may be called. [156]  After a clause has been considered, the Chair asks if it shall carry. [157]  Once a clause has been disposed of, it may not be discussed again during consideration of another clause. New clauses, schedules, new schedules, Clause 1 (if it contains only the short title of the bill), the preamble and the title are the last items considered. [158]  Similar to proceedings in standing, special or legislative committees, consideration of particular clauses may be postponed or stood by decision of the Committee. [159] 

Since the House is not supposed to be informed of the proceedings of a committee on a bill until the bill has been reported, Members cannot refer to the bill or proceedings on it during consideration of other matters if the bill is still before a Committee of the Whole. [160]  When consideration of a bill in a Committee of the Whole is completed, the Chairman requests leave to report the bill. Often leave is granted automatically, but it is not unusual for a division to take place on the motion. [161]  Once leave is granted, the Mace is put back in place on the Table, the Speaker resumes the Chair and the Chairman reports the bill, with or without amendment, to the House. [162] The report is then received by the House and the Speaker immediately puts the question on the motion for the bill to be concurred in at the report stage. [163]  No amendments or debate are allowed at this stage. [164] 

Should the bill be concurred in at the report stage, the third reading motion may be proposed at the same sitting. [165]  However, if the bill had been read a second time that same sitting, the third reading motion may only be moved with the unanimous consent of the House because the Standing Orders dictate that the three readings of a bill should occur on different days. [166]  With the consent of the House, the third reading motion may be proposed immediately, which is the usual practice, [167]  or later the same sitting. Third reading may also take place at the next sitting of the House. [168] 

During consideration of the motion for third reading, an amendment may be proposed that the bill be recommitted to a Committee of the Whole. [169]  Such a recommital amendment usually limits consideration in the Committee to certain clauses, or new proposed amendments. [170]  In some cases, no limitation is included. [171]  If adopted, this motion becomes an instruction to the Committee. [172]

Motions of Instruction

Motions of instruction are derived from British practice which was developed in the second half of the nineteenth century and incorporated into Canadian practice, although they have seldom been used. Instructions to a Committee of the Whole dealing with legislation are not mandatory but permissive, that is the Committee has the discretion to decide if it will exercise the power given to it by the House to do something which it otherwise would have no authority to do. [173]  However, if the Committee itself wishes to extend its powers, it must request that the House give it an instruction to this effect. [174]  Today, given that the House usually refers a bill to a Committee of the Whole to expedite its passage, the House agrees to define the committee’s work typically by special order. [175] 

In the event the House wishes to instruct a Committee of the Whole to do something, a motion of instruction may be moved without notice immediately after a bill has been read a second time and referred to a Committee of the Whole but before the House has resolved itself into the Committee. [176]  An instruction to a Committee of the Whole has also been moved as a substantive motion under the rubric “Motions” during Routine Proceedings when a bill was already before the Committee. [177]  A motion of instruction is debatable and amendable. [178]  Members have moved motions instructing a Committee of the Whole to divide a bill into several bills, [179]  to consolidate several bills into one bill, [180]  and to insert new clauses into a bill. [181]  A motion of instruction is inadmissible if it seeks to confer upon the Committee powers it already has, such as the authority to amend a bill. [182]  Any number of motions of instruction may be moved successively to a bill referred to a Committee of the Whole; however, each motion is a separate and independent motion. [183]  Once a motion of instruction is adopted, it becomes an Order of Reference to the Committee.

Consideration of Motions in a Committee of the Whole

Although the House now resolves itself into a Committee of the Whole primarily for the consideration of legislation, other matters such as motions, resolutions and addresses have been considered in a Committee of the Whole. [184] Indeed, the potential mandate of a Committee of the Whole is virtually unlimited as it may consider any substantive motion which the House chooses to refer to it. [185]  In the past, the consideration of matters other than legislation was largely limited to resolutions preceding bills involving the expenditure of public funds, resolutions relating to trade, and resolutions providing for the grant of public money [186]  or for the imposition of a public tax; from time to time, other matters have also been debated in a Committee of the Whole. [187] 

When a motion or resolution is referred to a Committee of the Whole for consideration, the Chairman proposes the motion or resolution and asks the Committee if it wishes to adopt it. [188]  The sponsor of the resolution or motion opens the debate and other Members then rise to participate in the debate and to ask questions. The normal rules for debate in a Committee of the Whole apply. Amendments and subamendments may be proposed. At the conclusion of debate, the Chairman will put the question on the resolution or motion. If agreed to, the Chairman requests leave to report the resolution or motion to the House. If leave is granted, the Chairman rises, the Mace is put back in place on the Table, the Speaker resumes the Chair, and the Chairman reports the resolution or motion. [189] 

Should a Committee of the Whole report a resolution, the Speaker immediately puts the motion to concur in the resolution, without debate or amendment. [190]  Given that the House declares its own opinions and purposes by resolution, [191]  if the House agrees with the concurrence motion, it expresses its support for the content of the resolution; if not, the House withholds its support.

Reporting of Proceedings

Journals

Proceedings and decisions taken in a Committee of the Whole are not recorded in the Journals[192]  Because the House is not officially informed of the proceedings in a Committee of the Whole until the Committee has reported, note is only made in the Journals when the House goes into a Committee of the Whole, when the Committee reports progress and when the Committee reports back a bill with or without amendment. If amendments are adopted to a bill in a Committee of the Whole, they are printed in the Journals when the Committee reports the bill back to the House. [193] 

Debates and Broadcasting

Proceedings in a Committee of the Whole are recorded verbatim in the Debates of the House. In addition, an audio-visual record (an electronic Hansard) of proceedings in a Committee of the Whole is available with the recorded proceedings of the House of Commons.

[1] 
See Wilding and Laundy, pp. 149-52.
[2] 
When Shirley Maheu (Saint-Laurent–Cartierville) was appointed Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole for the First Session of the Thirty-Fifth Parliament (1994-96), she asked to be referred to as Deputy Chairperson of Committees of the Whole.
[3] 
Beauchesne, 6th ed., p. 249.
[4]
The Estimates are the expenditure plans of all government departments, consisting of Main Estimates, tabled annually, and Supplementary Estimates, tabled as required. Consideration of the Estimates is a major component of the Business of Supply. See Chapter 18, “Financial Procedures”, for additional information.
[5]
An appropriation bill is a bill authorizing government expenditures, introduced in the House by a Minister following concurrence in the Main or Supplementary Estimates or Interim Supply.
[6]
A taxation bill is a public bill introduced in the House by a Minister and authorizing the government to raise revenues.
[7] 
Standing Order 73(4). See, for example, Journals, March 12, 1997, pp. 1262-3.
[8] 
See, for example, Journals, April 20, 1994, pp. 375-6; June 22, 1994, p. 660; April 17, 1997, p. 1485.
[9] 
Since 1980, while a significant number of bills have been referred to Committees of the Whole for examination after second reading, very little time has been spent in this forum debating those bills, with the exception of the Committee of the Whole consideration of Bill C-2, An Act to implement the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the United States of America, in December 1988 (see Debates, December 20, 1988, pp. 408-19, 433-517; December 21, 1988, pp. 532-87).
[10] 
See Standing Order 101(1).
[11] 
See Bourinot, 4th ed., pp. 391-2. The earliest references to general committees and grand committees comprising the total membership of the House can be found during the reign of Elizabeth I (Wilding and Laundy, p. 152).
[12] 
Redlich, Vol. II, p. 208.
[13] 
Lord Campion, An Introduction to the Procedure of the House of Commons, 3rd ed., London: MacMillan & Co. Ltd., 1958, p. 27. See also Griffith and Ryle, p. 269.
[14] 
Redlich, Vol. II, p. 210.
[15] 
Campion, pp. 28-9.
[16] 
O’Brien, p. 103.
[17] 
O’Brien, p. 256. O’Brien notes that parliamentary procedure in Lower Canada was more comprehensive and better suited to a larger assembly than that in Upper Canada.
[18] 
Bourinot, 1st ed., p. 414.
[19] 
Bourinot, 1st ed., p. 212.
[20] 
Bourinot, 1st ed., p. 416.
[21] 
Bourinot, 1st ed., p. 416.
[22] 
See, for example, Journals, October 27, 1967, pp. 418-20.
[23] 
See, for example, Journals, March 26, 1964, pp. 133-4.
[24] 
See, for example, Journals, March 26, 1964, p. 134; June 18, 1965, p. 278.
[25] 
See, for example, Journals, March 26, 1964, p. 134. For additional information on the Committee of Supply and the Committee of Ways and Means, see Chapter 18, “Financial Procedures”.
[26] 
See, for example, Journals, April 29, 1964, pp. 266-71; December 14, 1967, pp. 595-600.
[27]
Resolutions relating to the expediency of introducing a bill involving the expenditure of public monies and couched in general rather than specific terms would be proposed to the House and referred to a Committee of the Whole for consideration.
[28] 
See, for example, Journals, July 3, 1961, pp. 795-6; July 13, 1964, pp. 526-7.
[29] 
See, for example, Journals, November 13, 1964, p. 872; November 27, 1967, pp. 537-8.
[30] 
See, for example, Journals, April 29, 1910, pp. 535-7; July 12, 1955, p. 881.
[31] 
See, for example, Journals, May 1, 1925, pp. 234-6; June 8, 1942, p. 367.
[32] 
See Stewart, p. 85. See also, for example, Journals, October 6, 1966, pp. 833-4; March 1, 1967, pp. 1459-60; March 15, 1967, p. 1538; March 16, 1967, pp. 1540, 1542; March 17, 1967, p. 1546; March 20, 1967, p. 1556; March 21, 1967, p. 1584.
[33] 
Journals, April 29, 1910, pp. 535-7, in particular p. 537. See also British House of Commons Standing Order 42.
[34] 
Journals, July 12, 1955, pp. 881, 920, 922-3, 928-9. Speeches were limited to 30 minutes at a time (except for the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition who had unlimited time) and the motion for the Speaker to leave the Chair was to be decided without debate or amendment.
[35] 
Journals, October 9, 1964, pp. 779-80. Debate on such resolutions was limited to one day. In addition, the length of speeches was reduced to no more than 20 minutes solely during consideration of such resolutions in a Committee of the Whole. Consideration of Clause 1 of a bill was postponed until all other clauses had been considered if Clause 1 contained only the short title of the bill.
[36] 
Journals, September 24, 1968, p. 68.
[37] 
Journals, December 6, 1968, pp. 429-64, and in particular pp. 432-3, 436. The Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition continued to have unlimited time.
[38] 
Journals, December 20, 1968, pp. 554-79, and in particular pp. 560, 562, 572-3.
[39] 
Journals, March 14, 1975, pp. 372-6; March 24, 1975, p. 399. In its Second Report, the Standing Committee on Procedure and Organization had expressed the view that the examination of selected items in the Estimates in a Committee of the Whole would permit the House to perform more effectively.
[40] 
Journals, October 12, 1976, p. 12.
[41] 
See Special Committee on the Reform of the House of Commons (the McGrath Committee), Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, December 19, 1984, Issue No. 2, pp. 3-23, and in particular p. 21. See also Journals,December 20, 1984, p. 211; June 27, 1985, pp. 918-9.
[42] 
Journals, June 3, 1987, pp. 1002-3, 1016.
[43]
For information on the referral of bills, see Chapter 16, “The Legislative Process”.
[44] 
Standing Order 7(4). In practice, the person presiding over the House proceedings (other than the Speaker) will also chair the Committee when the House goes into a Committee of the Whole (see, for example, Debates, March 15, 1995, p. 10559; April 21, 1997, p. 10000).
[45] 
Standing Order 7(1). For additional information on the selection of presiding officers, see Chapter 7, “The Speaker and Other Presiding Officers of the House”.
[46] 
The Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees of the Whole is required to be fluent in the official language which is not that of the Speaker. See Standing Order 7(2).
[47] 
See, for example, Journals, January 18, 1994, p. 18; September 23, 1997, p. 13.
[48] 
Standing Order 7(3). See, for example, Journals, May 15, 1990, pp. 1704-5.
[49] 
Standing Order 8. There have been instances when debate has occurred and recorded divisions have been taken on these appointment motions (see, for example, Journals, October 2, 1990, p. 2050; February 27, 1996, pp. 3-4; February 28, 1996, pp. 9-10; October 28, 1996, pp. 778-9; October 29, 1996, pp. 784-9).
[50] 
Standing Order 12.
[51] 
Standing Order 11. See Chapter 7, “The Speaker and Other Presiding Officers of the House”, and Chapter 13, “Rules of Order and Decorum”. The topic of disorderly conduct in a Committee of the Whole is also discussed later in this chapter under “Conduct of Debate in a Committee of the Whole”.
[52] 
Standing Order 8.
[53] 
Standing Order 12.
[54] 
See Journals, June 11, 1965, p. 224. For an example of appeals to the House prior to 1965, see Debates, May 31, 1956, pp. 4498-4534; June 1, 1956, pp. 4537-9, 4551-70, 4576-82.
[55] 
See, for example, Debates, December 21, 1988, p. 541.
[56] 
The Deputy or Acting Speaker hears the report from another Member whom he or she has designated. See, for example, Journals, June 25, 1965, pp. 303-4. In this instance, the Deputy Speaker confirmed his own ruling. In February 1971, when a Chairman’s ruling was appealed to the Speaker, the Chairman advised the Committee that the Speaker was not in the building and that he did not wish to hear the appeal to his own ruling. By unanimous consent, the Committee agreed to continue its consideration of the legislation before it until the Speaker was available to hear the appeal. The Speaker subsequently sustained the ruling of the Chairman. See Debates, February 17, 1971, pp. 3495-6, 3498-501.
[57] 
For practical reasons, the report is presented orally to the Speaker. For examples of recent appeals of Chairman’s rulings, see Journals, April 6, 1971, pp. 475-6; December 21, 1988, pp. 67-8.
[58] 
In 1971, the Speaker permitted Members to present their arguments to him before he ruled on the matter (Debates, April 6, 1971, pp. 4969-71).
[59] 
Standing Orders 10 and 12.
[60] 
When the Standing Orders allowed appeals to be decided by the House, rulings by Chairmen were overturned on at least three occasions (Journals, March 6, 1913, p. 323; March 22, 1948, pp. 275-6; December 13, 1957, p. 270).
[61] 
See, for example, Debates, April 6, 1971, p. 4971; December 21, 1988, p. 541.
[62] 
See, for example, Debates, May 9, 1975, p. 5646; January 28, 1988, p. 12362.
[63] 
See, for example, Debates, November 24, 1997, p. 2105.
[64] 
Standing Order 100. In addition, pursuant to Standing Order 56(2), any government motion seeking to have the House resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole on the next sitting day is put without debate or amendment. Prior to 1955, as a general rule, whenever the House desired to resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole, the motion “That Mr. Speaker do now leave the Chair” was moved. In some instances, if the motion was for the House to resolve itself into the Committee of Supply or into the Committee of Ways and Means, it was debatable; in other instances, the House would resolve itself into Committee without putting the question. (In 1913, the House had adopted an amendment to the rules which provided that if an Order of the Day were called to go into the Committee of Supply or of Ways and Means on a Thursday or Friday, the Speaker left the Chair without putting any question (Journals, April 23, 1913, pp. 507-9)). In 1955, the special committee appointed to consider the procedures of the House recommended a new Standing Order to clarify what had become the “general practice” by that time. The House adopted the rule which specified that except for the particular circumstances of motions to resolve into the Committee of Supply or the Committee of Ways and Means, all motions for the House to resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole on any matter would be decided without debate or amendment (Journals, July 12, 1955, pp. 920-1). The wording of the rule remained unchanged until December 1968. Since the Committees of Supply and of Ways and Means were abolished at that time, the Standing Order was rephrased to stipulate that when an Order of the Day was read for the House to go into a Committee of the Whole or when it was ordered that a bill be considered in a Committee of the Whole, no question would be put. The Speaker would simply leave the Chair upon the order being read (Journals, December 20, 1968, p. 572).
[65] 
Although the Speaker has participated in debate in a Committee of the Whole (see, for example, Debates, April 7, 1927, pp. 2034-8), this is not the modern practice.
[66] 
According to Beauchesne, 4th ed. (p. 195), the Clerk also leaves the Chamber when the Speaker exits and returns when the Committee rises. In practice, the Clerk will leave the Chamber along with the Speaker but may reappear to take the place of one of the Table Officers.
[67] 
Rules in a Committee of the Whole are similar to those in standing, special and legislative committees. The Standing Orders apply, except those relating to the seconding of motions, limiting the number of times of speaking, and the length of speeches. See Standing Orders 101 and 116. See also Chapter 20, “Committees”.
[68] 
Debates, October 15, 1987, p. 10064; October 16, 1987, pp. 10089-90.
[69] 
Standing Order 101(1).
[70] 
Standing Order 43(2) stipulates that only when the Speaker is in the Chair may Members split their speaking time. When the House has resolved into a Committee of the Whole, the Speaker is not in the Chair.
[71] 
Standing Order 101(3).
[72] 
Standing Order 101(3). See also Debates, May 26, 1982, p. 17802; March 8, 1983, p. 23550; September 30, 1991, p. 2946; March 21, 1996, p. 1068. This is in contrast to when the Speaker is in the Chair. Pursuant to Standing Order 43(1), when the Speaker is in the Chair, no Member may speak longer than 20 minutes; following each 20-minute speech, there is a 10-minute period for Members to ask questions and comment on the speech.
[73] 
See Standing Order 17. See also Debates, February 8, 1994, p. 1084.
[74] 
See Debates, April 21, 1997, p. 10001.
[75] 
See, for example, Debates, December 2, 1997, p. 2613.
[76] 
Standing Order 101(1).
[77] 
See, for example, Debates, November 8, 1919, pp. 1992-3; March 17, 1966, p. 2825; November 30, 1978, p. 1679.
[78] 
See Standing Order 102(1).
[79] 
See, for example, Debates, December 2, 1997, p. 2615.
[80] 
Constitution Act, 1867, R.S.C. 1985, Appendix II, No. 5, s. 48; Standing Order 29(1).
[81] 
Bourinot, 4th ed., p. 218; Beauchesne, 6th ed., p. 250.
[82] 
See, for example, Debates, May 19, 1966, p. 5323; March 14, 1967, pp. 13993-4.
[83] 
The Chairmanmay also take the Chair as Deputy Speaker (see, for example, Debates, June 6, 1899, col. 4461).
[84] 
See, for example, Debates, June 6, 1899, col. 4461; March 30, 1915, pp. 1780-1; May 13, 1919, p. 2361; February 29, 1968, pp. 7131-2; October 29, 1968, p. 2180.
[85] 
Standing Order 29(3). See Chapter 9, “Sittings of the House”, for additional information on quorum.
[86] 
Standing Order 41(2). Since this Standing Order was first adopted in 1991, proceedings in a Committee of the Whole have not been interrupted because of a lack of quorum. On June 9, 1938, the House was adjourned because of a lack of quorum in the Committee of Supply (see Journals, June 9, 1938, p. 434; Debates, p. 3704). The following day the Prime Minister moved a motion that the House resolve itself into the Committee of Supply. The motion was adopted and the House went into Committee of Supply. See Journals, June 10, 1938, p. 436; Debates, pp. 3705-6.
[87] 
Standing Order 101(2).
[88] 
Standing Order 11(2). See, for example, Debates, September 30, 1991, pp. 2937, 2979; March 15, 1995, p. 10566.
[89] 
There is no provision for this practice in the Standing Orders; nonetheless, it has become an accepted practice over the years. See Debates, November 30, 1978, pp. 1657, 1665. See Chapter 13, “Rules of Order and Decorum”, for additional information on relevance.
[90] 
See Chairman’s ruling, Debates, May 11, 1960, pp. 3783-4, 3788-9.
[91] 
See Chairman’s ruling, Debates, March 23, 1965, p. 12693.
[92] 
See Chairman’s rulings, Debates, August 2, 1960, p. 7418; December 11, 1979, p. 2239.
[93] 
Standing Order 12.
[94] 
Standing Order 11(2). See, for example, Debates, July 31, 1944, pp. 5681-2; May 25, 1956, pp. 4340-1; March 16, 1962, p. 1889. Standing Order 12 stipulates that disorder in a Committee of the Whole can only be censured by the House after the Speaker has received a report from the Chairman. In practice, since 1986 the Speaker has had the authority, under Standing Order 11, to “name” a Member without putting a motion to the House; the Chairman is not vested with the authority to “name” a Member in a Committee of the Whole. See Journals, February 6, 1986, pp. 1644-66 and in particular pp. 1645-6; February 13, 1986, p. 1710; June 3, 1987, p. 1016. See also Chapter 13, “Rules of Order and Decorum”, for additional information on “naming”. Also see Bourinot, 4th ed., p. 397.
[95] 
Standing Order 11(2). A Member has never been named for persisting in irrelevance or repetition in a Committee of the Whole. In 1944, the Chairman reported to the Speaker that a Member refused to withdraw the word “bribe”. After refusing the Speaker’s request that he withdraw his remarks, under the rules in place at the time, the Member was named and ordered to withdraw from the Chamber (see Debates, July 31, 1944, pp. 5680-4). In 1956, when the Chairman was addressing the Committee, a Member rose on a question of privilege. When the Chairman asked the Member to resume his seat, the Member refused. The Chairman reported the incident to the Speaker. Under the procedures in place at that time, after debate on the matter, the House voted to suspend the Member from the service of the House for the remainder of the sitting (see Debates, May 25, 1956, pp. 4340-52). In 1962, when the House was in Committee of Supply, a Member implied in his remarks that the Chairman was not being impartial when recognizing Members on debate. The Chairman asked the Member to withdraw his comments. When the Member refused, the Chairman reported the incident to the Speaker. Again, under the procedures in place at that time, the House subsequently ordered the Member to withdraw from the Chamber for the remainder of the sitting (see Debates, March 16, 1962, pp. 1888-90). On one occasion, disorder ensued when a Member refused to resume his seat when the Chairman would not hear him on a point of order because of the hour of sitting (pursuant to the rules at the time, the Chairman was not permitted to recognize any Member after 1:00 a.m.). The Chairman reported the incident to the Speaker who advised the House to resolve the matter itself. After debate, the House resolved back into the Committee of the Whole and heard the Member’s point of order (see Debates, May 15, 1956, pp. 3967-9).
[96] 
In 1913, grave disorder in Committee prompted the Speaker to take the Chair twice without hearing a report from the Chairman (Debates, March 15, 1913, cols. 6016-22). This incident was procedurally unique in that the Speaker took the Chair on his own initiative before the Committee had reported. Without direction from the House, the Speaker named a Member for disregarding the authority of the Chair. The offending Member subsequently withdrew his remarks and apologized to the Chair and the House. This incident marked the first occasion of “naming” in the House of Commons.
[97] 
See Chapter 3, “Privileges and Immunities”. See also Maingot, 2nd ed., p. 221.
[98] 
Often, when a Member rises on a question of privilege in a Committee of the Whole, the Chairman rules that the matter raised is more appropriately a point of order or a matter of debate. See, for example, Debates, November 23, 1970, p. 1373; November 8, 1971, p. 9435; October 23, 1974, p. 665; May 22, 1975, pp. 6012-3; December 20, 1983, pp. 379-90.
[99] 
Beauchesne, 4th ed., p. 95. See also Chapter 3, “Privileges and Immunities”. A question of privilege was raised in a Committee of the Whole in 1987 when John Nunziata (York South–Weston) rose to complain that a Member had assaulted him because he was not in his own seat. He requested an apology, but the Member refused. Although the Chairman advised that he would report on the matter to the full House, only the bill as amended was reported later that day (Journals, October 15, 1987, pp. 1688-9). The following day, Mr. Nunziata raised his question of privilege in the House. The Member apologized and the Speaker declared the matter closed (Debates, October 15, 1987, p. 10064; October 16, 1987, pp. 10089-90).
[100]
For further information, see Chapter 3, “Privileges and Immunities”.
[101] 
See Debates, June 12, 1980, pp. 2030-1; December 20, 1983, pp. 364-9. In the 1983 instance, a Member argued that because the Committee had risen and reported progress, the House was apprised of the circumstances surrounding the question of privilege. The Speaker ruled that the Committee had only risen, reported progress and asked for leave to sit again. The Committee had not reported the bill nor any concerns to the House.
[102] 
See Debates, April 30, 1964, p. 2782; October 29, 1964, pp. 9561-2; June 2, 1966, pp. 5908-9.
[103] 
See, for example, Debates, December 20, 1988, pp. 419, 517.
[104] 
See, for example, Journals, September 30, 1991, pp. 412, 414; April 21, 1997, p. 1494; Debates, December 20, 1988, pp. 419, 517; September 30, 1991, pp. 2904, 2950; April 21, 1997, p. 9984.
[105] 
See, for example, Debates, September 30, 1991, pp. 2924, 2954; April 21, 1997, p. 10000.
[106] 
Bourinot, 4th ed., p. 397. See, for example, Journals, May 9, 1933, pp. 537-8; June 20, 1951, pp. 581-2.
[107] 
Bourinot, 4th ed., pp. 401-2.
[108] 
Standing Order 26(1). The motion must be proposed during the hour prior to consideration of the item of business being interrupted by the beginning of Private Members’ Business, by the dinner break, or by the ordinary hour of adjournment, as the case may be.
[109] 
Standing Order 26(1)(a). See, for example, Debates, March 13, 1969, pp. 6606-7; March 20, 1969, p. 6933; November 9, 1970, pp. 1030-1; November 16, 1970, pp. 1222-3; November 17, 1970, p. 1270. In 1992, such a motion was moved and carried, but only after the Chairman had risen, reported progress and requested leave to consider a bill at the next sitting of the House. After the hour for Private Members’ Business had been completed, the House resumed sitting in a Committee of the Whole to consider the bill (see Debates, December 11, 1992, p. 15145; Journals, pp. 2400-1).
[110] 
Standing Order 26(1)(c).
[111] 
Standing Order 26(2).
[112] 
See, for example, Journals, June 8, 1987, p. 1052; October 15, 1987, p.1687; September 17, 1991, pp. 354-5.
[113] 
Standing Order 57. Closure was first introduced in 1913 (Journals, April 23, 1913, pp. 507-9) and applied in a Committee of the Whole during consideration of the Naval Aid Bill (Debates, May 9, 1913, col. 9445). See Chapter 14, “The Curtailment of Debate”, for additional information on closure.
[114] 
On four occasions, in 1913, 1917 (twice) and 1919, all clauses had been called and postponed before closure was moved (Debates, May 9, 1913, col. 9445; August 28, 1917, p. 5016; September 12, 1917, p. 5707; April 28, 1919, p. 1797). In three other cases, in 1932, 1956 and 1988, closure was applied to clauses which had not been called (Debates, April 1, 1932, p. 1609; May 31, 1956, p. 4498; June 1, 1956, pp. 4554-6; December 21, 1988, p. 541). When closure was moved in 1988, during debate in the Committee of the Whole on Bill C-2, An Act to implement the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the United States of America, Peter Milliken (Kingston and the Islands) raised a point of order questioning the form of the motion, and arguing that the closure motion was not procedurally acceptable because it attempted to closure parts of the bill which had not been debated or postponed. The Chairman of Committees of the Whole ruled that on the basis of the 1932 and 1956 precedents, closure may be applied in a Committee of the Whole to parts of a bill not yet debated. The Chairman’s ruling was subsequently appealed to the Speaker who sustained the decision (Debates, December 21, 1988, pp. 532-41; Journals, pp. 67-8).
[115] 
Standing Order 57. The Standing Order is not specific when oral notice has to be given. For examples of notices in a Committee of the Whole, see Debates, May 8, 1913, col. 9444; August 27, 1917, p. 5015; September 11, 1917, p. 5702; April 25, 1919, p. 1789; March 31, 1932, p. 1605; May 30, 1956, pp. 4464-5; December 20, 1988, p. 500.
[116] 
Standing Order 57.
[117] 
Standing Order 57. See, for example, Debates, May 9, 1913, col. 9445; August 28, 1917, p. 5016; September 12, 1917, p. 5707; April 28, 1919, p. 1797; April 1, 1932, p. 1609; May 15, 1956, p. 3895. On two occasions, points of order were raised immediately after the closure motion was proposed; the question on the motion was put in both instances only after the Chairman’s ruling had been appealed to the Speaker and sustained. See Debates, May 31, 1956, pp. 4498-528; June 1, 1956, pp. 4554-6; December 21, 1988, pp. 532, 541.
[118] 
Standing Order 57. See, for example, Debates, December 21, 1988, pp. 573, 575.
[119] 
See, for example, Debates, December 21, 1988, p. 585. In 1988, the wording of Standing Order 57 stipulated that debate was to conclude at 1:00 a.m. This was changed to 11:00 p.m. in 1991.
[120] 
Standing Order 76.1(12). See, for example, Debates, December 21, 1988, pp. 587-9.
[121] 
Standing Order 76.1(11). In 1932, a bill that had been closured in a Committee of the Whole was read a third time at the same sitting because the Committee reported back to the House before the normal hour of adjournment (Debates, April 1, 1932, pp. 1609-37).
[122] 
See, for example, Journals, June 1, 1956, p. 689; December 21, 1988, pp. 68-9.
[123] 
See Standing Order 78. See Chapter 14, “The Curtailment of Debate”, for detailed information on time allocation.
[124] 
Between 1971 and 1997, time allocation was applied to the Committee of the Whole stage on eight occasions. In six of the cases, debate had already begun in a Committee of the Whole when a Minister advised the House that an agreement could not be reached with respect to a timetable and gave notice that a time allocation motion would be proposed at the next sitting of the House. See Debates, December 1, 1971, pp. 10046-7; January 28, 1977, pp. 2495-6; December 2, 1977, p. 1498; June 12, 1978, p. 6298; December 5, 1979, p. 2040; March 14, 1983, p. 23750. The following sitting day, the Minister moved the time allocation motion during Routine Proceedings. See Debates, December 2, 1971, pp. 10076-7; January 31, 1977, p. 2534; December 5, 1977, p. 1545; June 13, 1978, p. 6355; December 7, 1979, p. 2148; March 15, 1983, p. 23798. In the other two instances, a time allocation motion was moved to provide for the completion of debate at all stages of a bill, including the Committee of the Whole stage, in the same sitting. See Journals, June 27, 1980, pp. 310, 312; March 15, 1995, pp. 1219-23. By unanimous consent, the House has adopted motions limiting debate in Committees of the Whole to a specific number of hours or sitting days. See, for example, Journals, May 7, 1982, pp. 4806-7; September 17, 1991, pp. 354-5. See also Debates, September 30, 1991, pp. 2902-3; June 10, 1998, p. 7941.
[125] 
See Standing Order 61. See also Chapter 12, “The Process of Debate”, and Chapter 14, “The Curtailment of Debate”, for more information on the “previous question”.
[126] 
See Bourinot, 1st ed., p. 421. This rule appeared as far back as the first edition of May (p. 225). See also May, 22nd ed., p. 691; Bourinot, 4th ed., p. 328. See also Journals, May 7, 1913, pp. 560-1; Debates, May 7, 1913, cols. 9330-40.
[127] 
Bourinot, 4th ed., p. 399.
[128] 
See, for example, Debates, December 20, 1988, p. 517; December 11, 1992, p. 15145.
[129] 
See, for example, Debates, November 8, 1919, pp. 1992-3; March 17, 1966, p. 2825; November 30, 1978, p. 1679.
[130] 
Bourinot, 4th ed., p. 399.
[131] 
Bourinot, 4th ed., p. 400. According to Beauchesne, 3rd ed., “the term ‘intermediate proceeding’… means a proceeding that can properly be entered on the journals. The true test is that if any parliamentary proceeding takes place, the second motion is regular, and the clerk ought to enter the proceedings to show that the motion in question is regular” (p. 74). In a Committee of the Whole, an intermediate proceeding could be the moving of an amendment, the disposal of a clause or the motion that “the Chairman leave the Chair”.
[132] 
Bourinot, 4th ed., p. 397.
[133] 
Standing Order 102(1). For the first 45 years of Confederation, it was more common for Members to move simply “That the Committee do now rise.” The motion was debatable and had the effect of superseding whatever matter was then before the Committee (see, for example, Debates, May 19, 1869, pp. 393-4; March 5, 1884, p. 671; May 9, 1892, cols. 2294-305). In 1913, the House adopted a Standing Order which attempted to list all debatable motions (see current Standing Order 67). Omissions in this list provoked discussions about what motions were in fact debatable; one such discussion in 1916 concerned the motion “That the Chairman leave the Chair”. In ruling that this motion was correctly omitted from the list, and that as a result debate could not take place on it, the Chairman also established that the correct motion to move was “That the Chairman leave the Chair” and not “That the Committee do now rise.” See Debates, April 3, 1916, pp. 2449, 2453-4. In 1927, the Standing Order was formally amended to prohibit debate (see Standing Orders of the House of Commons, 1927, Standing Order 59).
[134] 
Bourinot, 4th ed., pp. 400, 527. On a number of occasions during the early years of Confederation, Committees of the Whole either rose without reporting progress on a bill or adopted motions to the effect that the Chairman now leave the Chair (see, for example, Journals, May 19, 1869, p. 106; May 23, 1874, p. 326; March 29, 1883, p. 157; April 7, 1886, p. 126). The matter under consideration would disappear from the Order Paper. In 1883, the Speaker ruled that a committee could not extinguish a bill and that a bill which had disappeared from the Order Paper in this manner could be revived by a motion, moved without notice, that the bill be considered in a committee on a future day (Journals, March 30, 1883, pp. 159-60; Debates, pp. 331-2).
[135] 
Standing Order 102(2).
[136] 
See, for example, Debates, December 20, 1983, p. 352.
[137] 
See, for example, Debates, December 21, 1988, p. 586.
[138] 
See Standing Order 45(1).
[139] 
See Debates, September 30, 1991, p. 2952.
[140] 
Debates, April 17, 1962, p. 3080. This rule has been difficult to enforce because the procedures for a division are less formal when the House sits as a Committee of the Whole: there are no division bells calling Members to vote; the Whips do not signal to the Chair that Members are ready; and Members do not have to be standing at their desk. See, for example, Debates, December 1, 1971, pp. 10072-4; December 2, 1971, pp. 10075-6; December 20, 1983, pp. 352-4, 382-3, 388, 390.
[141] 
Debates, December 20, 1983, p. 352.
[142] 
Standing votes have taken place in Committees of the Whole on a number of occasions. Examples can be found in Debates, December 21, 1988, pp. 585-7; September 30, 1991, p. 2997. See Debates, December 21, 1988, p. 587, and December 2, 1997, p. 2617, for examples of applied votes in a Committee of the Whole.
[143] 
Debates, March 8, 1935, pp. 1541-2. Pairing is an arrangement whereby two Members on opposite sides of the House agree not to vote for a specific period of time. The arrangement which permits Members to be absent on other business is worked out either by the respective Whips or by the Members themselves. For additional information on pairing, see Chapter 12, “The Process of Debate”.
[144] 
Standing Order 9. See Bourinot, 4th ed., p. 398. See also Debates, June 20, 1904, col. 5164; April 15, 1920, p. 1265; June 23, 1922, p. 3473; March 26, 1928, p. 1681. As noted in Dawson at page 183, there has been a lack of consistency in this practice. In 1904, a Chairman voted against a motion to report progress and ask leave to sit again. In 1920 and 1928, the Chairman voted against amendments to a clause of a bill in order to leave the matter open. In 1922, the Chairman voted for an amendment without giving reasons. The casting vote of the Chair is also discussed in Chapter 7, “The Speaker and Other Presiding Officers of the House”, and Chapter 12, “The Process of Debate”.
[145] 
Bourinot, 4th ed., p. 384.
[146] 
Standing Order 73(4). See also Chapter 16, “The Legislative Process”.
[147] 
See, for example, Journals, June 20, 1994, pp. 617-8; April 17, 1997, pp. 1485-6. On a number of occasions, two or more public bills or resolutions have been referred and considered jointly in a Committee of the Whole in the same sitting by unanimous consent (see, for example, Journals, June 29, 1934, p. 565; March 23, 1942, pp. 182-3; May 26, 1954, p. 658; March 9, 1978, p. 468).
[148] 
For example, in 1988, the House adopted a motion to suspend, for the duration of the First Session of the Thirty-Fourth Parliament, certain Standing Orders including the provisions respecting the committee stage of bills. This order also stipulated that one bill in particular, Bill C-2 (Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act), was to be referred to a Committee of the Whole after second reading (Journals, December 16, 1988, pp. 46-9). See also Journals, December 1, 1997, pp. 290-1; December 2, 1997, p. 314.
[149] 
Standing Order 73(4). The adoption of any motion to concur in the Estimates or Interim Supply is an Order for the House to bring in a bill or bills based thereon. See Standing Order 81(21). See also Chapter 18, “Financial Procedures”.
[150] 
Standing Order 81(17)-(18). See, for example, Debates, November 25, 1997, p. 2217.
[151] 
See, for example, the passage of the Bill C-74, An Act respecting the supervision of longshoring and related operations at west coast ports (Journals, March 15, 1995, pp. 1219-22). See also Journals, September 17, 1991, pp. 354-5; September 30, 1991, pp. 414, 417-9.
[152]
See Chapter 16, “The Legislative Process”, and Chapter 20, “Committees”.
[153] 
This practice extends back to Confederation when consideration of the preamble was postponed while each clause was considered in its proper order; the preamble and title were considered last (see Rules, Orders and Forms of Proceeding of the House of Commons of Canada, 1868, Rule No. 46).
[154] 
The Thirteenth Report of the Special Committee on Procedure and Organization recommended that consideration of Clause 1 should be postponed when it contained only a short title. See Journals, October 7, 1964, pp. 771-3. The recommendation was adopted on a provisional basis on October 9, 1964 (Journals, pp. 777-80), and the provisional changes were extended for the Twenty-Seventh Parliament (1966-68) (Journals, January 21, 1966, p. 34; April 26, 1967, pp. 1769-74). Permanent changes to the Standing Orders were adopted in December 1968 (Journals, December 20, 1968, pp. 554-62, in particular p. 560).
[155] 
See, for example, Debates, September 30, 1991, pp. 2968-9.
[156] 
See, for example, Debates, April 16, 1997, pp. 9843-4; November 24, 1997, pp. 2105-13. On one occasion, there was agreement in a Committee of the Whole for amendments to any of the clauses in the bill under consideration to be proposed on Clause 2. A general debate was held on all the amendments, but the question was not put on individual amendments until the clauses to which they applied were called. See Debates, March 15, 1995, pp. 10559, 10561.
[157] 
Unanimous consent has been granted for the Chair to call a number of clauses as one group in order to expedite proceedings in a Committee of the Whole. See, for example, Debates, April 20, 1994, pp. 3291, 3294; May 25, 1994, p. 4416.
[158] 
See, for example, Debates, October 6, 1998, pp. 8854-5.
[159] 
See, for example, Debates, November 24, 1997, pp. 2107, 2112.
[160] 
Beauchesne, 6th ed., pp. 210, 250.
[161] 
See, for example, Debates, September 30, 1991, pp. 2996-7.
[162]
In practice, if the presiding officer who has chaired the Committee of the Whole takes the Chair of the House as Speaker, he or she may simply invoke pro forma the name of another Member as presenting the report from the Committee of the Whole.
[163] 
Standing Order 76.1(12). See, for example, Debates, April 20, 1994, p. 3291; December 2, 1997, p. 2618.
[164] 
See, for example, Journals, April 20, 1994, pp. 375-6; June 20, 1994, pp. 617-8; March 12, 1997, p. 1262. This practice differs significantly for public bills reported back from standing, special or legislative committees. The Standing Orders require that every bill examined and reported by a committee be considered by the House at report stage. In the case of public bills reported back from a standing, special or legislative committee, report stage cannot begin sooner than the second day after the bill has been reported (see Standing Order 76.1(1)). At Confederation, amendments made in a Committee of the Whole were reported by the Chairman to the House which received the report forthwith (see Rules, Orders and Forms of Proceeding of the House of Commons of Canada, 1868, Rule No. 47). The rules then provided for debate and amendments to be moved to the bill before it was ordered for third reading. If the bill had not been amended in the Committee, it would be ordered for third reading at a time decided by the House. It was not until 1955 that the Standing Orders were amended to require a report from the Chairman of a Committee of the Whole to be received and the motion for concurrence in amendments to be disposed of forthwith (Journals, July 12, 1955, pp. 932-3).
[165] 
Standing Order 76.1(11).
[166] 
See Standing Order 71. See also Journals, February 24, 1969, pp. 738-9.
[167] 
See, for example, Debates, April 20, 1994, p. 3291; June 18, 1996, p. 4039.
[168] 
See, for example, Debates, December 21, 1988, p. 589; September 30, 1991, p. 2998.
[169] 
An amendment to recommit to a Committee of the Whole a bill that had been considered previously by a standing committee was ruled out of order (see Debates, March 9, 1999, pp. 12645-6). For an example of a bill which was examined by a standing committee and recommitted to a Committee of the Whole by unanimous consent, see Journals, February 11, 1977, p. 464; July 25, 1977, p. 1441. Also refer to Chapter 16, “The Legislative Process”.
[170] 
See, for example, Journals, April 3, 1882, pp. 248-9; March 27, 1933, pp. 343-4; April 25, 1952, pp. 231-2; June 27, 1952, pp. 604-5; March 1, 1962, pp. 182-3; July 25, 1977, p. 1441.
[171] 
See, for example, Journals, February 17, 1928, p. 83; April 10, 1957, p. 445.
[172]
An instruction is a direction by the House to a committee, which has already received an order of reference, further defining its course of action or empowering it to do something. See Chapter 16, “The Legislative Process”, for more information.
[173] 
Bourinot, 4th ed., pp. 395, 517. The object of a mandatory instruction is to define the course of action a committee must take. See also Chapter 16, “The Legislative Process”.
[174] 
Bourinot, 4th ed., p. 398.
[175] 
See, for example, Journals, May 20, 1971, p. 569; March 30, 1984, p. 324; December 2, 1997, pp. 313-4.
[176] 
See, for example, Journals, March 19, 1948, pp. 268-9; July 30, 1956, pp. 942-3.
[177] 
See, for example, Journals, April 15, 1920, p. 146.
[178] 
Debate on the motion of instruction must be relevant to the object of the instruction and not the content of the bill. Amendments must be worded in such a way that if an amendment were adopted, the question would retain the form and effect of an instruction (May, 22nd ed., pp. 518-9).
[179] 
See Journals, March 19, 1948, p. 269 (motion negatived); July 30, 1956, pp. 942-3 (motion negatived).
[180] 
See Journals, April 15, 1920, p. 146.
[181] 
See Journals, March 15, 1948, p. 255 (motion negatived).
[182] 
Bourinot, 4th ed., p. 513. See, for example, Journals, May 2, 1872, p. 79; May 23, 1956, pp. 598-603.
[183] 
Beauchesne, 6th ed., p. 204.
[184]
A resolution is a motion adopted by the House in order to make a declaration of opinion or purpose. An address is a formal message to the Crown which may either express a wish or an opinion of the House or make a request. Addresses are used to express congratulations, etc., to the Royal Family and also to request the production of documents in the Crown’s possession.
[185] 
In 1991, a Member sought to have the House sit as a Committee of the Whole during the debate on the crisis in the Persian Gulf to maximize the exchanges between Members. Consent was denied. See Debates, January 15, 1991, p. 16984.
[186] 
For a brief period between 1975 and 1977, through provisional amendments to the Standing Orders on Supply proceedings, the House reinstated the former practice of referring selected items in the Estimates to a Committee of the Whole, where a resolution was subsequently agreed to and reported to the House for concurrence (Journals, March 14, 1975, pp. 372-6; March 24, 1975, p. 399). Though this provisional Standing Order was continued for another session through agreement (Journals, October 12, 1976, p. 12), it was not renewed thereafter. As an example, see Journals, May 9, 1975, pp. 533-4. This occurred again, most recently, in 1988 (Journals, January 28, 1988, p. 2076).
[187] 
Motions which have been debated in a Committee of the Whole in the past have dealt with, among other matters, the naturalization of aliens (Journals, April 10, 1873, p. 147; April 5, 1875, p. 355), the establishment of provincial boundaries (Journals, April 29, 1889, pp. 383-5), the classification and organization of House of Commons Staff (Journals, June 5, 1913, pp. 785-8), and the ratification of agreements, conventions and treaties (Journals, March 20, 1925, pp. 148-9; June 8, 1942, p. 367).
[188] 
See, for example, Debates, May 9, 1975, p. 5646; January 28, 1988, p. 12362. See Bourinot, 4th ed., pp. 425-8, for a description of the consideration of resolutions in a Committee of Supply.
[189] 
See, for example, Debates, May 9, 1975, p. 5670; January 28, 1988, p. 12371.
[190] 
Standing Order 103. This Standing Order was adopted in 1955 to reflect a practice the House had previously followed for a number of years in connection with financial proceedings. For a recent example of the use of this Standing Order, see Journals, January 28, 1988, p. 2076. For a historical perspective on procedures relative to resolutions reported back from Committees of Supply and of Ways and Means, see Bourinot, 4th ed., pp. 433-9; for reports from a Committee of the Whole, see Bourinot, 4th ed., pp. 402-3. See also Beauchesne, 4th ed., pp. 207-8.
[191] 
Beauchesne, 5th ed., p. 150.
[192] 
Bourinot, 4th ed., p. 399. Amendments and divisions have been recorded in the Journals, but the practice was exceptional. For an example of proceedings in a Committee of the Whole on a bill in the early years of Confederation, see Journals, April 22, 1870, pp. 230-1. Prior to 1968 when resolutions were adopted before the first reading of a bill, proceedings in regard to these resolutions in a Committee of the Whole were also recorded in the Journals (see, for example, Journals, June 21, 1965, p. 284). Proceedings of Committees of Supply and of Ways and Means were recorded in the Journals as were any resolutions providing for the expenditure of public money or the imposition of taxes. See, for example, Journals, October 19, 1962, pp. 124-5; May 28, 1965, p. 161. See also Journals, January 28, 1988, p. 2076, when the House resolved into a Committee of the Whole to consider an item in the Supplementary Estimates.
[193] 
See, for example, Journals, August 27, 1987 pp. 1392-4; September 30, 1991, pp. 418-9; April 16, 1997, pp. 1478-9; December 2, 1997, p. 316; October 6, 1998, p. 2025. In 1971, proposed government amendments to a bill were tabled and printed as an Appendix to the Votes and Proceedings (Journals, October 13, 1971, p. 868; October 28, 1971, p. 895). The amendments were subsequently moved and printed in the Debates the following day (Debates, October 22, 1971, pp. 8934-61; October 29, 1971, pp. 9157-70). On another occasion, the Royal Recommendations covering amendments to be proposed in a Committee of the Whole were printed in the Journals (June 2, 1983, pp. 5954-7).

Please note —

As the rules and practices of the House of Commons are subject to change, users should remember that this edition of Procedure and Practice was published in January 2000. Standing Order changes adopted since then, as well as other changes in practice, are not reflected in the text. The Appendices to the book, however, have been updated and now include information up to the end of the 38th Parliament in November 2005.

To confirm current rules and practice, please consult the latest version of the Standing Orders on the Parliament of Canada Web site.

For further information about the procedures of the House of Commons, please contact the Table Research Branch at (613) 996-3611 or by e-mail at trbdrb@parl.gc.ca.