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April 6, 1971
The Standing Orders are explicit on this issue: only Ministers of the Crown or Parliamentary Secretaries acting on their behalf are permitted to table documents. A Minister of the Crown is not...
The Speaker clarifies that only Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries, not regular Members, are permitted to table documents in the House.
February 22, 1971
Reviewing the practice of the House since 1952, the Chair has had "little difficulty in establishing that Committees of the Whole and standing committees have in fact sat concurrently throughout...
The Speaker confirms the long-standing practice, supported by the Standing Orders, that standing committees and Committees of the Whole are permitted to sit concurrently.
January 26, 1971
The Government has followed a practice that has been accepted rightly or wrongly, in the past. The bill will be allowed to proceed despite the possible difficulties presented by omnibus...
The Speaker denied a point of order against an omnibus bill, ruling it procedurally acceptable despite legitimate grievances.
January 12, 1971
Committee proceedings are the responsibility of the members of the committee and it is irregular to refer to such proceedings or to the evidence taken in a committee until a report is before the...
The Speaker affirmed that committees are autonomous in their proceedings, including witness selection, and that such internal matters must be resolved by the committee itself, not the House.
November 24, 1970
''A bill such as this one, which deals with individual rights and fundamental freedoms, should be discussed as freely as possible and should be given the benefit of the liberal interpretation of...
The Speaker permits a procedurally questionable third-reading amendment to recommit a bill, citing the bill's focus on rights and the will of the House.
May 25, 1970
The right of Members to an unhindered access to the Parliament buildings is a time-honoured privilege. "This principle should be recognized even if there is some question as to the extension of...
The Speaker ruled that a momentary delay for security did not breach a Member's privilege of unhindered access to Parliament as no one was ultimately denied entry.
May 14, 1970
Amendments to the Content of Bills / Report Stage May 14, 1970 Journals p. 807 Debates pp. 6985-6 Background During report stage consideration of Bill S-5, an Act to amend the Oil and Gas...
An amendment was ruled inadmissible for being beyond the scope of the bill and for setting a new condition.
February 25, 1970
Amendments to Motions on Progress of Bills / Third Reading February 25, 1970 Journals p. 492 Debates pp. 4100-1 Background During debate on the motion for third reading of Bill C-134, an Act to...
A motion to recommit a bill is out of order if its instructions propose amendments beyond the bill's original scope.
January 21, 1970
Despite the reservations as to whether or not this case involves a question of privilege, the Member's remarks were not followed by a motion, and thus no further action can be taken. The Standing...
The Speaker ruled that no action could be taken on a member's concern because it was not followed by a motion, clarifying the rules for tabling documents.
October 30, 1969
"Privilege has been defined as the sum of the fundamental rights enjoyed by each House of Parliament collectively and by Members of each House individually, without which they could not discharge...
The Speaker ruled that there is no breach of privilege when a Minister makes a statement to the public before making it in the House.