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June 26, 1973
Questions Related to Content of Bills / Discrepancy June 26, 1973 Journals pp. 436-7 Debates pp. 5094-5 Background On the last allotted day of the supply period ending on June 30, Mr. Nielsen...
Analysis of the procedural concept of a Royal Recommendation, which is required for any bill involving the expenditure of public funds.
May 29, 1973
It is "difficult to agree with the proposition that so-called unparliamentary language would be irregular when it refers to the conduct or statements of Members inside the House, but that the same...
The Speaker rules that the prohibition on unparliamentary language applies equally to a Member's conduct and statements made both inside and outside the House.
April 10, 1973
It is a fundamental principle of the parliamentary system that financial initiative belongs to the Crown. A long-established practice of this House is that committee recommendations requiring...
The Speaker rules that committee reports cannot directly mandate government spending and must use specific wording to respect the financial initiative of the Crown.
May 10, 1972
"The question of ministerial appearances before committees of the House is as old as Confederation... There is a long-established rule, and it is a tradition of the House, that matters before a...
The Speaker denies a question of privilege, ruling that committee disputes with ministers must be handled by the committee or via a substantive motion, not in the House.
March 1, 1972
The introduction of a motion under Standing Order 43 should be limited to a brief statement concerning the urgency of the motion, and should not be used to submit arguments. A motion may be...
The Speaker rules that motions under Standing Order 43 must be brief, address only the matter's urgency, and not include arguments.
February 16, 1972
The Chair has the power to order the withdrawal at this point of strangers from the Chamber; that is, all people in the galleries, including those behind the Chair. This would be done, of course,...
The Speaker rules that the tradition of admitting the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod for a summons from the Senate overrides the Chair's power to clear the galleries.
October 23, 1970
This case is somewhat different in that the events or circumstances in question did not take place in the House. Nonetheless, the language used by the Member is contrary to the customs, traditions...
The Speaker rules that unparliamentary language used by a Member outside the House is still contrary to the customs and traditions of the Commons.
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.
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.
October 21, 1968
The proposed amendment does not oppose the principle of the bill but merely postpones consideration of the bill until a certain condition is met. Further, there is a substantial difference between...
This ruling clarifies that an amendment is procedurally acceptable if it postpones a bill's consideration based on a condition, rather than opposing its core principle.