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November 9, 1981
Petitions are not usually read, unless the House gives its consent. For a petition to be considered, it must relate to a present and personal grievance, and not a "result of the general law,...the...
The Speaker ruled that a petition cannot be read and debated as it addresses a general grievance requiring legislation, not a specific, personal grievance that the House can immediately remedy.
November 9, 1981
The microphones are activated upon instructions from the Chair and only when the Chair gives the floor to a Member by identifying him by the name of his constituency. This is the only way to be...
The Speaker rules that only formal recognition by the Chair, not an activated microphone, grants a Member the right to speak.
November 4, 1981
There can be no doubt, as numerous precedents indicate, that questions to chairmen of committees are in order when such questions relate to procedural matters, for example, the time and place of...
The Speaker denied a point of order, ruling that a minister may answer a question addressed to a committee chair if it touches on general House business.
October 23, 1981
As indicated in a precedent, "it is not envisaged that (Standing Order 26] ought to be used to bring what are considered crises from individual constituencies or industries before the House"; "the...
A request for an emergency debate on an economic issue was denied because it lacked urgency and other opportunities for debate were available.
July 16, 1981
According to one authority, there are three essential and clearly defined stages in obtaining a decision of the House: first, the moving of a motion; then, the proposing of a question by the...
This ruling affirms the practice of allowing a Member to interrupt the voting process on a motion to raise a point of order or ask a question, protecting their right to speak.
June 18, 1981
On the one hand, according to a well-recognized practice of the House, a Minister, following an order for the production of papers, may rise and declare that he opposes such production because he...
This ruling affirms the government's right to refuse an order for the production of papers by deeming them confidential and prejudicial to the public interest.
June 3, 1981
Despite the issue's importance, and a certain element of urgency, the problem is one of continuing concern, since increases occur periodically in the price of petroleum products and in the taxes...
The Speaker denied a request for an emergency debate on petroleum prices, citing the ongoing nature of the issue and the availability of other debate opportunities.
April 7, 1981
Amendments to the Content of Bills / Report Stage April 7, 1981 Journals p. 1671 Debates p. 9052 Background During report stage consideration of Bill C-42, An Act to establish the Canada Post...
This is not a ruling but a description of the constitutional principle that reserves the right to initiate financial legislation to the Crown (the government).
April 1, 1981
Not only is the personal situation of each Member not governed by the Standing Orders, but it would be violating the principle of equality of all Members in the House if a difference were to be...
The Speaker rules that the Chair cannot determine the legality of a measure and must treat all Members as equals, regardless of their professional background.
March 31, 1981
Only the House can decide whether to discontinue or not to initiate a debate. Whatever the practice followed, the sub judice convention does not apply when studying bills, that is while the House...
The Speaker ruled that the sub judice convention does not prevent the House from debating legislative matters, including constitutional resolutions, even if the subject is before the courts.