Reference of subject-matter to committee

<div class="DecisionMain" role="main"> <p class="decision-chapter">Amendments to Motions on Progress of Bills / Second Reading</p> <p class="d-DecisionDate"> <time>January 25, 1973</time> </p> <p class="e-Debates">Journals <a href="https://parl.canadiana.ca/view/oop.HOC_2901_119_01/68?r=0&amp;s=1">pp. 69-70</a></p> <p class="e-Debates">Debates <a href="https://parl.canadiana.ca/view/oop.debates_HOC2901_01/669?r=0&amp;s=1">p. 667</a></p> <div> <h2 class="f-ContextResoEdNotePostscriptTitle">Background</h2> </div> <p class="g-contextResoEdNotePostscript">During the debate on the motion for second reading of Bill C-124, an Act to amend the Unemployment Insurance Act, 1971 (No. 1), Mr. Nielsen (Yukon) proposed an amendment. After listing a series of assertions critical of the Government's actions, the amendment proposed to decline second reading and refer the subject-matter of the bill to the Standing Committee on Miscellaneous Estimates. The Deputy Speaker called for comments on the acceptability of the amendment before ruling.</p> <h2 class="f-ContextResoEdNotePostscriptTitle">Issue</h2> <p class="g-contextResoEdNotePostscript">Can an amendment that seeks to refer the subject-matter of a bill to a committee be put in this form?</p> <h2 class="f-ContextResoEdNotePostscriptTitle">Decision</h2> <p class="g-contextResoEdNotePostscript">No. The amendment may not be put.</p> <h2 class="f-ContextResoEdNotePostscriptTitle">Reasons given by the Deputy Speaker</h2> <p class="g-contextResoEdNotePostscript">"There is a standard form of amendment to the effect that the subject-matter of a bill may be referred to a standing committee. This motion should be in a pure form and should not contain assertions which could only be considered points for debate. However, other matters are set forth in the motion and they make the motion unacceptable." The proposed amendment is objectionable from a procedural standpoint because "it goes into the details of the bill".</p> <h2 class="f-ContextResoEdNotePostscriptTitle">Sources cited</h2> <p class="g-contextResoEdNotePostscript">Debates, January 26, 1971, <a href="https://parl.canadiana.ca/view/oop.debates_HOC2803_03/540">pp. 2784-7</a>.</p> <h2 class="f-ContextResoEdNotePostscriptTitle">References</h2> <p class="g-contextResoEdNotePostscript">Debates, January 25, 1973, <a href="https://parl.canadiana.ca/view/oop.debates_HOC2901_01/649">pp. 647-54</a>.</p> </div>