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June 4, 1970
It is a long-standing practice that an amendment on third reading has to be particularly relevant to the motion for third reading of the bill before the House and cannot deal with any matter not...
The Speaker ruled an amendment inadmissible at third reading because it infringed on the financial initiative of the Crown by allowing a committee to request new expenditures.
April 13, 1970
Parliamentary privilege extends to Members of Parliament, not to officers of Parliament or officials of the House of Commons. In addition, "if it is the conduct of a Minister or Ministers of the...
The Speaker ruled that parliamentary privilege does not cover officers of Parliament and that criticism of a Minister requires a substantive motion.
March 24, 1970
"No principle is more surely provided for by our constitution and our Standing Orders than that which provides that the Crown alone initiates financial proposals... It is not competent... for the...
A ruling affirming the constitutional principle that only the Crown can initiate financial proposals, thereby preventing committees from substituting financial provisions in estimates.
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.
February 17, 1970
The objection raised by the Member deals with the content of the report, which cannot be commented on when the report is presented. This can be done only on a motion in reference to the report....
A ruling clarifying that objections to a committee report's content are only permissible during the debate on a concurrence motion, not during the report's initial presentation.
December 4, 1969
It has been generally understood for many years that the power to call a meeting for the purpose of electing a chairman and a vice-chairman rest customarily with the Government Whip, not...
The Speaker ruled that the custom of the Government Whip calling a committee's organizational meeting does not constitute a prima facie question of privilege.
November 10, 1969
Although the Standing Orders provide for the introduction of bills during Routine Proceedings, they do not allow for a motion to empower a committee to draw up a bill, nor is there any precedent...
The Speaker ruled a private member's motion to have a committee draft a bill out of order as it was procedurally unprecedented and exceeded the member's notice limit.
July 24, 1969
It is acknowledged that "the report is not the report of the majority". At the same time, the parliamentary system does not recognize minority and majority reports, but only the report of a...
The Chair ruled that parliamentary procedure only recognizes a single committee report, not majority or minority reports, and the Speaker cannot substitute their judgment for the committee's.
July 16, 1969
"There has been a pattern of changing interest rates in recent months" which consequently makes this a "problem of continuing concern". In addition, this very matter was recently referred by the...
A request for an emergency debate was denied because the issue was a continuing problem already under study by a committee.
July 8, 1969
The point of order raised is not so much a point of order as a point of debate. "... it is not the responsibility of the Chair to rule on questions of law or on constitutional questions." If the...
The Speaker ruled that a point of order concerning a constitutional question was a matter for debate, not a procedural ruling for the Chair.