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May 20, 1970
The Member questions the adequacy of current legislation with respect to abortion. It would be a questionable practice to initiate the consideration of amendments to statutes by way of debate...
The Speaker denied a request for an emergency debate on abortion, ruling that the matter was not urgent and the procedure was inappropriate for initiating legislative amendments.
May 4, 1970
"... the only way in which the Standing Order can be operated so as to work and make sense is to have agreement between... representatives of the parties in the House." In this instance, there has...
The Speaker permitted a vaguely worded supply day motion to proceed as a non-confidence vote but warned that future motions must more clearly express non-confidence.
April 29, 1970
The powers of a committee as set down in the notice of the motion for its appointment cannot be expanded by an amendment. When an amendment is irregular in any particular, the whole of it is not...
A ruling from April 29, 1970, confirms that an amendment cannot expand a committee's powers beyond the scope of the original motion.
April 24, 1970
By considering this motion in amendment, the House would be considering an entirely new bill which should have been introduced like any other bill. The only thing left of the original bill is its...
The Speaker ruled an amendment out of order for being beyond the scope of the original bill, as it effectively created entirely new legislation.
April 6, 1970
The Standing Orders stipulate, and "it has been long established, that there can be only one emergency debate during the course of a session on one subject... [T]he circumstances would be very...
The Speaker rules that a second emergency debate on the same subject within one session is not permitted under the Standing Orders.
March 24, 1970
"When a motion for second reading is before the House, [the House] may debate in a general way the principle of the bill but not the clauses in detail." They and the schedules should be debated at...
A ruling clarifying that debate at second reading must address the principle of a bill, not its individual clauses.
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.
March 3, 1970
Reasoned amendments must be strictly relevant to the bill before the House. Although it is not completely clear that the amendment is relevant to the principle of the bill, it will be given the...
The Speaker allowed a reasoned amendment of questionable relevance to proceed, giving Members the benefit of the doubt.
February 25, 1970
The return presented is obviously not in the conventional or traditional form. If a return is to be of any value to a Member it should be presented in a form that will convey to the Member the...
The Speaker ruled that tabling documents on microfilm is improper as returns must be presented in a form that is immediately interpretable without a mechanical device.
February 18, 1970
Members had been previously advised to wait until negotiations in the postal dispute were completed before introducing a motion to adjourn to discuss the matter. As these talks have proven...
The Speaker permits a motion for an emergency debate on the postal dispute following the failure of negotiations.