Point of Order
January 26, 1971
Omnibus
Hon. Lucien Lamoureux
Speaker of the House
Ruling Text
The Government has followed a practice that has been accepted rightly or wrongly, in the past. The bill will be allowed to proceed despite the possible difficulties presented by omnibus legislation. Although a legitimate complaint or grievance can be raised with respect to omnibus bills, it is not clear that a legitimate procedural argument can be made. One solution might be that it "should be the responsibility of the Chair when such a bill is introduced and given first reading, to take the initiative and raise the matter for consideration of the House byway of a point of order... " The House should note, however, that there is a third reading stage and that at that stage any clause or part of the bill may be brought into question by way of an amendment proposing that the clause or part of the bill be referred back to the committee.
Edit Metadata
Holding
"The omnibus bill is procedurally acceptable and will be allowed to proceed, as remedies to challenge specific clauses exist at later legislative stages."
AI Summary
The Speaker denied a point of order against an omnibus bill, ruling it procedurally acceptable despite legitimate grievances.
AI Analysis
- Outcome
- Denied
- Tone
- Educational
- Procedural Stage
- Government Orders
- Significance
Low
High