Point of Order
March 6, 2014
Time allocation: quality of consultation
Hon. Andrew Scheer
Speaker of the House
Ruling Text
The Deputy Speaker:
With regard to the point of order, I am not ruling against it, but I would like to quote from O'Brien and Bosc, page 667, under "Notice".
This is what is required when one of these notices is brought forward:
The notice in question is to state that agreement could not be reached under the other provisions of the rule and that the government therefore intends to propose a motion...
The hon.
Government House Leader, when he rose in the House yesterday, preceded his presentation of the motion with the following words:
Mr.
Speaker, I would like to advise that agreements could not be reached under the provisions of Standing Orders 78(1) or 78(2) [2]...
That is all that is required by the Standing Orders. The nature of the consultation, the quality of the consultation, and the quantity of the consultation is not something that the Chair will involve himself in. That has been the tradition of this House for many years. What the Chair would have to do, in effect, is conduct an extensive investigative inquiry into the nature of the consultation. That is not our role, nor do the rules require it. Therefore, I am rejecting the request for the point of order..
[1]
See Appendix A, "Cited Provisions:
Standing Orders of the House of Commons ", Standing Order 78.
[2]
See Appendix A, Standing Order 78(1) and 78(2).
Edit Metadata
Holding
"The Chair will not investigate the quality or quantity of inter-party consultations for a time allocation motion; the role is limited to ensuring the government has formally stated that an agreement could not be reached as required by the Standing Orders."
AI Summary
The Speaker ruled that the Chair does not assess the quality of consultation for time allocation, only that the government has formally declared that no agreement was reached.
AI Analysis
- Outcome
- Denied
- Tone
- Educational
- Procedural Stage
- Government Orders
- Significance
Low
High
AI Keywords
Cited Authorities
- O'Brien and Bosc (House of Commons Procedure and Practice, Second Edition, 2009)