Motion to Suspend Certain Standing Orders
In relation to any business that the
government considers to be urgent, the House may suspend certain Standing Orders
in connection with that business, but only under well-defined
conditions. [126]
Specifically, a motion may be moved by a Minister, at any time when the Speaker
is in the Chair, to suspend the Standing Orders respecting notice requirements
and the times of sitting. In moving the motion, the Minister gives reasons for
the urgency of the situation. After the motion is seconded, the Speaker
immediately proposes the question. In doing so, the Speaker may allow up to one
hour of uninterrupted debate, in which case the business then before the House
is put aside temporarily and a “special” debate on the motion takes
place. If no Member rises, the Speaker will put the question
immediately. [127]
Initiating Debate
In moving the motion to suspend the
Standing Orders, the Minister must inform the House of the reasons for the
urgency of such a
motion. [128]
Once the
motion is duly moved and seconded, the Speaker proposes the motion to the
House. [129]
Such motions have seldom been proposed. In
1991, a motion was proposed to suspend the Standing Orders related to the hours
of sitting of the House in order for the House to sit three evenings until 10:00
p.m. to complete all stages of an item of back-to-work legislation. After
debate, the motion was withdrawn when more than 10 Members rose to
object. [130]
In 1992,
a motion to waive the 48 hours’ notice requirement for the report stage of
a bill to provide for referendums on the Constitution was
adopted. [131]
In
March 1995, a motion requesting a waiver of the 48 hours’ notice
requirement for introduction of a bill to end a work stoppage and setting the
hours of sitting to debate the bill was put to the House and adopted without
debate. [132]
Later
that same month, a similar motion was debated and deemed withdrawn when more
than 10 Members rose to
object. [133]
In June
1999, a motion proposing that the House continue sitting to consider a bill and
to suspend the notice requirements of a closure motion was debated and deemed
withdrawn when more than 10 Members rose to
object. [134]
Rules of Debate
Debate on such motions lasts not more than
one hour and may not be interrupted or adjourned by any other proceeding or
Order of the
House. [135]
Members may speak only once and for no longer
than 10 minutes. [136]
Amendments are not permitted unless proposed by a Minister other than the
mover. [137]
Termination of Debate
When the debate is completed or after one
hour, as the case may be, the Speaker puts the question on the motion and, in
doing so, must ask those Members opposed to the motion to
rise. [138]
If 10 or
more Members rise to object, the motion is deemed
withdrawn; [139]
otherwise, the motion is
adopted [140]
and
becomes an Order of the House governing only the proceedings specified in the
motion. [141]