moved:

That: (a) the House eliminate the lists of members submitted by the parties to the Speaker which are used during debate, oral questions, Standing Order 31 statements and other rubrics of the House of Commons and, acknowledging the right of recognition of the Speaker to establish a system to recognize members, that Standing Order 17 be replaced with the following:

“17(1) Every Member desiring to speak is to rise in his or her place, except during proceedings pursuant to Standing Orders 38(5), 52 and 53.1, and address the Speaker.

2) Speaking lists of members submitted by the parties shall not be permitted and the Speaker shall have the sole discretion to recognize Members to speak and to establish his or her own system of recognition, taking into consideration the following:

(a) the relative proportion of recognized parties and independent Members, including any agreement between the recognized parties as to speaking rotations;

(b) any provisions provided for in the Standing Orders relating to the first or subsequent rounds of speeches;

(c) the priority granted to the leaders of the recognized parties in opposition, or their designates, in the initial round of oral questions;

(d) the priority granted to Members of recognized parties in opposition and to independent Members during oral questions, without excluding Members of the governing party;

(e) Members who rise to catch the Speaker’s eye to be recognized;

(f) whether a Member has caused disorder, until the Speaker is satisfied that the behaviour has ceased; and

(g) any other consideration which the Speaker determines to be relevant.

(3) A Member shall give the Speaker twenty-four hours’ written notice of his or her intention to make a statement pursuant to Standing Order 31. Each sitting day, the Speaker shall cause a list of Members who will be recognized to speak to be published.”;

(b) in order to eliminate the Friday sittings of the House and restrict voting times:

(i) Standing Order 24(1) be replaced with the following: “The House shall meet on Mondays at 11 a.m., on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:00 a.m., and on Wednesdays at 2 p.m. unless otherwise provided by Standing or Special Order of this House.”,

(ii) Standing Order 24(2) be amended by deleting the words “except Friday and at 2:30 p.m. on Fridays”,

(iii) Standing Order 27(1) be amended by replacing the word “tenth” with the word “eighth” and the word “ten” with the word “eight”,

(iv) Standing Order 28(2)(a) be amended by replacing each occurrence of the word “Friday” with the word “Thursday”, and by adding, after the words “falls on”, the words “a Friday,”,

(v) Standing Order 30(5) be replaced with the following: “At 2:00 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, Members, other than Ministers of the Crown, may make statements pursuant to Standing Order 31. Not later than 2:15 p.m., oral questions shall be taken up. At 3:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and after Routine Proceedings has been disposed of on Mondays and Wednesdays, the Orders of the Day shall be considered in the order established pursuant to section (6) of this Standing Order.”,

(vi) Standing Order 30(6) be amended by deleting all words after the words “Wednesday AFTER THE DAILY ROUTINE OF BUSINESS Notices of Motions for the Production of Papers. Government Orders. Private Members’ Business — from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.: Public Bills, Private Bills, Notices of Motions and Notices of Motions (Papers).”,

(vii) Standing Orders 30(7) and 111(3) each be amended by replacing the word “ten” with the word “eight”,

(viii) Standing Orders 32(7) and 34(1) each be amended by replacing the word “twenty” with the word “sixteen”,

(ix) Standing Orders 36(8)(b), 39(5)(b), 92(2), 92(4)(a), 92.1(1), 113(1) and 114(2)(a) each be amended by replacing the word “five” with the word “four”,

(x) Standing Order 45(5)(a)(ii) be amended by deleting the words “that is not a Friday”,

(xi) Standing Order 45(6) be replaced with the following: “Notwithstanding section (5) of this Standing Order, the division on a votable opposition motion on the last allotted day of a supply period cannot be deferred, except as provided in Standing Order 81(18)(b).”,

(xii) new Standing Orders be added as follows:

“45(6.1)(a) A recorded division demanded on any debatable motion on a Monday before the period provided for oral questions is deferred until after the time provided for oral questions that day. A recorded division demanded on a Thursday after 4 p.m. is deferred to the next sitting until after the time provided for oral questions. The bells for all such deferred recorded divisions sound for not more than fifteen minutes.

(b) Notwithstanding any other Standing or Special Order, the sitting shall be suspended from 10:30 p.m. to 9 a.m. the next day when the House is taking several recorded divisions successively without intervening debate.

58.1 No dilatory motion shall be allowed on Mondays before the period provided for oral questions or on Thursdays after 4 p.m.”,

(xiii) Standing Order 50(1) be amended by replacing the word “six” with the word “five”,

(xiv) Standing Order 50(6) be amended by deleting the words “or after”,

(xv) Standing Order 50(7) be amended by replacing the word “sixth” with the word “fifth”,

(xvi) Standing Order 51(1) be amended by replacing the word “sixtieth” with the word “fiftieth”, and each occurrence of the word “ninetieth” with the word “seventieth”,

(xvii) Standing Order 52(11) be deleted,

(xviii) Standing Order 54(1) be amended by deleting the words “(2 p.m. on a Friday)”,

(xix) Standing Order 66(1) be amended by deleting the words “and after 11 a.m. on Fridays”,

(xx) Standing Order 81(4)(a) be amended by deleting the words “or, if taken up on a Friday, at the conclusion of Private Members’ Business”,

(xxi) Standing Order 81(10)(a) be amended by replacing each occurrence of the word “seven” with the word “six”, the word “eight” with the word “seven”, the word “twenty-two” with the word “nineteen”, and by deleting the words “and no more than one fifth thereof shall fall on a Friday”,

(xxii) Standing Order 81(18)(c) be amended by replacing number “10” with number “9”,

(xxiii) Standing Order 86.2(1) be amended by replacing the word “sixty” with the word “forty-eight”,

(xxiv) Standing Order 97.1(1) be amended by replacing each occurrence of the word “sixty” with the word “forty-eight”, and each occurrence of the word “thirty” with the word “twenty-four”,

(xxv) Standing Order 97.1(2)(f) be amended by replacing the word “sixtieth” with the word “forty-eighth”, and the word “thirty” with the words “twenty-four sitting”,

(xxvi) Standing Order 97.1(3) be amended by replacing each occurrence of the word “thirty” with the word “twenty-four”, the word “sixtieth” with the word “forty-eighth”, and the word “ninetieth” with the word “seventy-second”,

(xxvii) Standing Order 107(2) be amended by replacing the word “five” with the word “four”, and the word “twentieth” with the word “sixteenth”,

(xxviii) Standing Order 110(1) be amended by replacing the word “five” with the word “four”, and the word “thirty” with the word “twenty-four”,

(xxix) Standing Order 110(2) be amended by replacing the word “thirty” with the word “twenty-four”,

(xxx) Standing Order 111(1) be amended by replacing the word “thirty” with the word “twenty-four”, and the word “ten” with the word “eight”,

(xxxi) Standing Order 124 be amended by replacing the word “fifteenth” with the word “twelfth”,

(xxxii) the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons be amended by replacing, in subsection 28(9), number “10” with the word “eight”, and by replacing, in subsections 28(10) and 28(12), number “30” with the word “twenty-four”,

(xxxiii) the Code of Conduct for Members of the House of Commons: Sexual Harassment Between Members be amended by replacing, in section 11, each occurrence of number “30” with the word “twenty-four”, by replacing, in section 55 and subsection 56(1), number “10” with the word “eight”, by replacing, in paragraph 56(2)(a), the word “tenth” with the word “eighth”, by replacing, in subsection 56(3), the word “30th” with the word “twenty-fourth”, and by deleting, in subsection 56(3), the words “that is not a Friday”;

(c) in order for committee chairs to be elected and members to have to agree before being replaced from a committee:

(i) the following new Standing Orders be added:

“104.1(1) The Chairs of the standing and standing joint committees of the House, as listed in Standing Orders 104(2) and 104(3), shall be elected by Members of the House for the duration of a session.

(2)(a) Not later than four sitting days after the opening of Parliament and each subsequent session, the Chief Government Whip, after consultation with the Whips of the other recognized parties, shall move a motion under “Motions”, notice of which was given pursuant to Standing Order 54, that, in relation to standing and standing joint committees provides:

(i) for the allotment of Chairs according to the proportional size of the recognized parties in the House; and

(ii) indicate the party to which the Chair will be allocated, provided that the party forming the government has the first opportunity to identify which standing and standing joint committees it shall chair in its allotment, excluding the committees identified in paragraph (c) of this section, followed by all other recognized parties, in descending order, for the remaining committee positions in their respective allotments.

(b) From time to time as required, another motion may be moved pursuant to paragraph (2)(a) of this Standing Order, provided it establishes which committee Chair positions are to be declared vacant.

(c) Only a Member from an opposition party may be a candidate for the Chair of the following standing committees:

(i) Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics;

(ii) Government Operations and Estimates; and

(iii) Public Accounts.

(d) Only a Member from the Official Opposition may be a candidate for the Joint Chair acting on behalf of the House on the Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations.

(3) No Member may speak on a motion moved pursuant to paragraph (2)(a) of this Standing Order more than once nor longer than ten minutes and, after one hour of consideration, unless previously disposed of, the Speaker shall interrupt and put all questions necessary to dispose of the motion forthwith. Proceedings on this motion shall not be interrupted or adjourned by any other proceeding or by the operation of any Order of the House.

(4) Within four sitting days following the adoption by the House of the motion provided for under section (2) of this Standing Order, the elections for the Chairs of standing and standing joint committees shall take place, provided that the Speaker shall give forty-eight hours’ notice of the election.

(5)(a) The Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, the Assistant Deputy Speakers, Ministers, leaders of recognized parties, House Officers and Parliamentary Secretaries shall not be eligible for election as Chair of a standing or standing joint committee.

(b) Candidates for the position of Chair shall only be from the party designated by the House, pursuant to section (2) of this Standing Order.

(6) No Member may be a candidate for more than one chair position.

(7) The balloting shall proceed under the supervision of the Speaker, who shall also have responsibility for making all arrangements necessary to ensure the orderly conduct of the elections.

(8) Any Member who wishes to be considered for election as Chair of a standing or standing joint committee shall, not later than 6:00 p.m. on the day preceding the election:

(a) inform the Clerk of the House, in writing, of the name of the committee for which the Member is seeking to be Chair;

(b) provide signatures of fifteen Members of the same party as the candidate, or ten percent of the Members of the same party, whichever is lower; and

(c) no Member may sign the statement of more than one candidate for Chair of the same committee.

(9) The Clerk of the House shall prepare a list of names of candidates for each standing or standing joint committee, and shall provide the list to all Members prior to the balloting

(10) The ballot shall take place during the hours of sitting on the day designated by the Speaker.

(11) Members wishing to indicate their choice for each standing or standing joint committee Chair, shall rank their preferences by marking the number “1” in the space adjacent to the name of the candidate who is the Member’s first preference, the number “2” in the space adjacent to the name of the Member’s second preference and so on until the Member has completed the ranking of all the candidates, in all elections, for committee Chairs for whom the Member wishes to vote.

(12) A ballot on which a Member has ranked one or more, but not all, of the candidates is valid only in respect of the candidate or candidates whom the Member has ranked.

(13) Upon completion of all ballots for which the Member wishes to vote, the Member shall then deposit ballots into the appropriate ballot box.

(14) Once balloting is closed, the Clerk of the House shall count the number of first preferences recorded on the ballots for each candidate for each committee.

(15) If no candidate has received a majority of first preferences, the Clerk of the House shall:

(a) eliminate the candidate who received the least number of first preferences from any subsequent counts and, in the event that, at the conclusion of a count, there is an equality of votes between two or more candidates, both or all of whom have the fewest first preferences, eliminate all of the candidates for whom there is an equality of first preferences;

(b) in all subsequent counts, treat each second or lower preference as if it were a first preference for the next highest candidate in the order of preference who is not eliminated; and

(c) repeat the process of vote counting described in paragraphs (a) and (b) until one candidate has received a majority of first preferences.

(16) Every ballot shall be considered in every count, unless it is exhausted in accordance with section (17) of this Standing Order.

(17) A ballot is exhausted when all the candidates on that ballot in respect of which a preference has been made are eliminated.

(18)(a) In the event that, after all other candidates have been eliminated, the process of vote counting has resulted in an equality of largest number of first preferences between two or more candidates, the Speaker shall inform the House to that effect, and shall cause a vote to be held during the hours of sitting of the House on a day designated by the Speaker, as provided for in section (10) of this Standing Order.

(b) On the day designated pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, Members shall be provided by the Clerk of the House with ballot papers, on which shall be listed, in alphabetical order, the names of all candidates who have not been eliminated, and the vote shall proceed in the manner provided for in this Standing Order.

(19) Following the successful completion of each election, the Clerk of the House shall provide the Speaker with a list of all elected standing or standing joint committee Chairs. The Speaker shall inform the House accordingly, at the earliest opportunity.

20) After standing or standing joint committee Chairs have been declared elected, the Clerk of the House shall destroy the ballots together with all records of the number of preferences marked for each candidate and the Clerk of the House shall in no way divulge the number of preferences marked for any candidate.

(21)(a) Should a Chair vacancy arise, the Speaker shall announce the date of the election to fill the vacancy, not later than eight sitting days following such announcement, pursuant to the Standing Orders.

(b) The following are conditions upon which a vacancy would occur in the position of Chair:

(i) the Chair has ceased to be a Member of the House;

(ii) the Chair has given written notice to the Speaker of a wish to resign as Chair;

(iii) the committee has reported a resolution that it has no confidence in the Chair and the report has been adopted by the House;

(iv) the Chair has accepted a position which is not eligible for election as Chair of a standing or standing joint committee, pursuant to Standing Order 104.1(5); or

(v) the Chair is no longer a member of the party to which the Chair of that committee has been allocated.

114(5) During a session, a member of a standing, standing joint or special committee may only be replaced with the consent of the member, except when:

(a) The member becomes ineligible pursuant to Standing Order 104(6)(a) and

(b) or resigns from the committee pursuant to Standing Order 114(2)(d);

(b) The member ceases to be a Member of Parliament; or

(c) The member ceases to be affiliated with the party to which the committee position is allocated.”,

(ii) each Standing Order listed herein be replaced with the following:

“104(1) At the commencement of the first session of each Parliament, after the election of committee chairs pursuant to Standing Order 104.1, the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, which shall consist of ten Members, including the elected Chair, and the membership of which shall continue from session to session, shall be appointed to act, among its other duties, as a striking committee. The said Committee shall prepare and report to the House within the first eight sitting days after its appointment, and thereafter, within the first eight sitting days after the commencement of each session, lists of Members to compose the standing committees of the House pursuant to Standing Order 104(2), and to act for the House on standing joint committees.

105(1) A special committee shall consist of not more than fifteen members.

(2) The Chair of a special committee shall be elected in the same manner as the election of Chairs of standing and standing joint committees, if not already designated by the Order establishing the committee.

106(1) Within eight sitting days following the adoption by the House of a report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs pursuant to Standing Order 104(1), each Chair of a standing committee shall convene its first meeting, provided that forty-eight hours’ notice is given of any such meeting.

106(2)(a) At the commencement of every session and, if necessary, during the course of a session, each standing or special committee shall elect two Vice-Chairs.

(b) When the Chair is a Member of the government party, the first Vice-Chair shall be a Member of the Official Opposition, and the second Vice-Chair shall be a Member of an opposition party other than the Official Opposition.

(c) When the Chair is a Member of the Official Opposition, the first Vice-Chair shall be a Member of the government party and the second Vice-Chair shall be a Member of an opposition party other than the Official Opposition.

(d) When the Chair is a Member from neither the government party nor the Official Opposition, the first Vice-Chair shall be a Member of the government party and the second Vice-Chair shall be a Member of the Official Opposition.

(e) In the case of the Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations, the first Vice-Chair shall be a Member of the government party and the second Vice-Chair shall be a Member of an opposition party other than the Official Opposition.”,

(iii) Standing Order 104(2) be amended by adding, after the words “ten Members,”, the words “including the elected Chair,”,

(iv) Standing Order 104(3) be amended by adding, after the words “lists of Members”, the words “, including the elected Joint Chair,”,

(v) Standing Order 106(3) be amended by deleting each occurrence of the words “Chair or”;

(d) in order to initiate debate on the matter of a petition:

(i) Standing Order 36(7) be replaced with the following:

“36(7)(a) No debate on or in relation to a petition shall be allowed on the presentation of a petition. A Member may, however, request that a take-note debate on the matter of a petition take place in the Hall pursuant to Standing Order 53.2, provided that the petition contains a total number of signatures equal to or higher than 70,000.

(b) Any Member may request a take-note debate on the matter of a petition either upon presentation of the petition, or in writing to the Speaker within ten sitting days following the presentation of the said petition.

(c) A request made pursuant to this Standing Order shall be published in the Journals and deemed referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.”,

(ii) the following new Standing Orders be added:

“36.1(1)(a) At the beginning of the first session of a Parliament, and thereafter as required, the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs shall name one Member from each of the parties recognized in the House and a Chair from the government party to constitute the Subcommittee on Petitions.

(b) Upon a Member requesting a take-note debate on the matter of a petition pursuant to Standing Order 36(7), the Subcommittee on Petitions shall meet within five sitting days to consider the request for a debate.

(c) In determining whether a debate should occur in the Hall the Subcommittee shall take into consideration the following conditions:

(i) the subject has not recently been debated or is unlikely to be debated in the House in the near future; and

(ii) the subject is determined to be suitable for debate in Parliament, according to the criteria adopted by the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.

(2) After having met pursuant to section (1) of this Standing Order, the Subcommittee on Petitions shall forthwith deposit with the clerk of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs a report recommending whether or not a take-note debate on the matter of a petition shall or shall not occur, giving the reasons when not recommending such a debate, and that report, which shall be deemed to have been adopted by the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, shall be presented to the House at the next earliest opportunity as a report of that Committee and shall be deemed concurred in as soon as it is presented.

53.2(1) When a report pursuant to Standing Order 36.1(2) has been presented to the House, the Clerk of the House shall cause to be placed on the Notice Paper for the Hall a notice of motion, which shall stand in the name of the Member requesting the debate. The take-note debate shall take place in the Hall within ten meetings of the Hall following the presentation of the report, at a time designated by the Deputy Speaker pursuant to Standing Order 168(3) and the motion shall be deemed moved upon commencement of the debate.

(2) The rules to apply to a take-note debate held in the Hall, whether in relation to the matter of a petition or any other subject that the House may refer to it, shall be as follows:

(a) the Minister who proposed the motion or the Member who requested the debate on the matter of a petition may speak first provided that if the Minister or Member is not present at that time, he or she is not deemed to have spoken to the motion;

(b) no Member may speak for longer than twenty minutes, provided that a Member may indicate to the Deputy Speaker that he or she will be dividing his or her time with another Member, and each speech may be followed by a period of not more than ten minutes for questions and comments;

(c) when no Member rises to speak or after three hours of debate, whichever is earlier, the debate shall end; and

(d) the ordinary time of daily adjournment and any proceedings pursuant to Standing Order 38 shall be delayed accordingly.”;

(e) in order to establish a second, parallel debating chamber:

(i) the following new Standing Orders be added after Standing Order 159:

“160(1) The Hall shall be established as a committee of the House to consider, in addition to any matters referred to it by the House from time to time, the following items of business:

(a) Private Members’ Business;

(b) Statements by Members (pursuant to Standing Order 31);

(c) Routine Proceedings, which shall be as follows:

(i) Tabling of Documents (pursuant to Standing Orders 32 or 109);

(ii) Statements by Ministers (pursuant to Standing Order 33);

(iii) Presenting Reports from Interparliamentary Delegations (pursuant to Standing Order 34);

(iv) Presenting Reports from Committees (pursuant to Standing Order 35);

(v) Introduction of Private Members’ Bills; and

(vi) Presenting Petitions (pursuant to Standing Order 36(6)).

(d) Take-Note Debates on petitions (pursuant to Standing Order 53.2);

(e) Adjournment proceedings (pursuant to Standing Order 38);

(f) Emergency Debates (pursuant to Standing Order 52);

(g) Take-Note Debates (pursuant to Standing Orders 53.1 and 53.2);

(h) Debate on a motion to concur in a committee report or for the continuation of such a debate (pursuant to Standing Order 66);

(i) Other items referred from the House or, on agreement of the House, by a committee of the House.

(2) Nothing in the provisions related to the Hall should be interpreted as preventing any business from being considered by the House. The Hall is a supplementary and parallel venue through which House business can be conducted.

(3) The Clerk of the Hall shall record the proceedings of the Hall as the Minutes of Proceedings of the Hall. The minutes shall form part of a distinct section in the Journals of the House.

161(1) The Hall shall meet from Monday through Friday during weeks on which the House is scheduled to sit, subject to Standing Order 28, unless otherwise provided by Standing or Special Order of the House.

(2) On Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the Hall shall meet in a location determined by the Speaker of the House. On Fridays, the Hall shall meet in the House of Commons chamber.

(3) The Hall shall meet on Mondays at 11 a.m., on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m., on Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m., and on Fridays at 9:00 a.m.

(4) Except as otherwise provided for in the Standing Orders, at 6:30 p.m. on any sitting day except Friday, the Chair shall deem a motion to adjourn the sitting until the next sitting day moved and seconded, whereupon such motion shall be debatable for not more than thirty minutes. The “Adjournment Proceedings” shall be taken up pursuant to Standing Order 38. At the conclusion of debate on the motion to adjourn, the Chair shall deem the motion to adjourn to have been carried and shall adjourn the sitting until the next sitting day. At 2:30 p.m. on Fridays, the Chair shall adjourn the Hall to the next meeting day.

(5) The hours and days of meetings of the Hall shall be subjected to the following exceptions:

(a) The Hall shall not meet until the second Monday after the commencement of each Session.

(b) The Chair shall suspend the meeting:

(i) when the bells ring to call in the Members to any recorded division in the House. The Chair shall not convene or resume a meeting when the bells are ringing or during the taking of a recorded division in the House.

(ii) from 2 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, and at any other time Statements by Members and Oral Questions may be taken up in the House;

(iii) when, in the opinion of the Chair, the presence of members is expected in the House for other reasons;

(iv) between items of business, except to proceed to the Adjournment Proceedings, unless there is unanimous consent of the Members present to continue to meet and proceed with the next scheduled item of business;

(v) at any time when debate on an item of Private Members’ Business has been concluded prior to the normal time provided for that debate, or has been interrupted pursuant to paragraph (e) of this section, unless the sponsor of the next scheduled item is present and there is unanimous consent of the Members to proceed without suspending.

(c) The Deputy Speaker may, at his or her discretion, extend the hours of the meeting when an Order of the House is adopted pursuant to Standing Order 27(1) or if the hours of sitting of the House are extended by special order. In doing so, the Deputy Speaker shall determine the schedule according to requests arising from consultations under Standing Order 168(2).

(d) A period of time corresponding to the time taken for suspensions or delays in convening as a consequence of the bells ringing or the taking of recorded division, or for other interruptions, shall be added to the time provided for the order of business that was interrupted or delayed. Other orders of business and, where applicable, the ordinary time of daily adjournment, shall be delayed accordingly.

(e)(i) If a period of time of ten minutes or less is taken from an item of Private Members’ Business considered in the Hall as a consequence of a suspension or delay, a period of time corresponding to the time of the delay or interruption shall be added to the end of the hour, delaying the next order of business accordingly and taking as much time of the business set out in section (6) of this Standing Order as necessary. On Fridays, business scheduled pursuant to Standing Order 168(3) shall be delayed accordingly.

(ii) If a period of more than ten minutes is taken, the said Private Members’ Business, or any remaining portion, shall be added to the business of the Hall on a day to be determined by the Deputy Speaker pursuant to Standing Order 168(3), who shall designate a day and time for the item to be resumed within the next ten meetings of the Hall following the delay or interruption.

(6)(a) At 1:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, at 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, and at 9:30 a.m. on Fridays, the Hall shall proceed to Routine Proceedings for a period not exceeding 30 minutes, which shall be as follows:

Tabling of Documents (pursuant to Standing Orders 32 or 109);

Statements by Ministers (pursuant to Standing Order 33);

Presenting Reports from Interparliamentary Delegations (pursuant to Standing Order 34)

Presenting Reports from Committees (pursuant to Standing Order 35)

Introduction of Private Members’ Bills

Presenting Petitions (pursuant to Standing Order 36(6))

(b) When the time provided pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section is delayed for more than thirty minutes as a consequence of a suspension or delay pursuant to paragraph (5)(e) of this Standing Order, Routine Proceedings shall not be taken up that day.

(7) The order of business of the Hall shall be as follows:

(a) 30 minutes of Statements by Members, pursuant to Standing Order 31, at the beginning of each sitting;

(b) Private Members’ Business shall be taken up for:

(i) two hours on Mondays, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.;

(ii) three hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; and

(iii) four hours on Fridays, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.;

c) 30 minutes of adjournment proceedings, pursuant to Standing Order 38, at the end of each day except on Fridays.

162 All Members shall be members of the Hall.

163(1) The presence of at least one government member, one opposition member and the Chair shall be necessary to constitute a meeting of the Hall.

(2) If at any time during a meeting a quorum is not present, the Chair shall suspend the meeting until there be a quorum, or until the time scheduled for the next order of business. If there is no further business scheduled, the Chair shall adjourn until the next meeting.

(3) Whenever the Chair adjourns the Hall for want of a quorum, the time of the adjournment, and the names of the Members then present, shall be inserted in the Minutes of Proceedings of the Hall.

164(1) The Standing Orders of the House shall be observed in the Hall so far as may be applicable.

(2) The provisions of Standing Orders 57, 58, 60, 61, 62, 63, 67.1, and 78 shall not apply to meetings of the Hall.

(3) Dilatory motions shall not be admissible during meetings of the Hall, except where provided for in the provisions of these Standing Orders.

(4) At any time, a Minister may move in the House, without notice, a motion to be decided immediately without debate or amendment, requiring that an item of business under Government Orders be reported back to the House for further consideration. Notwithstanding Standing Order 171, when such a motion is adopted, the item in question must be reported back to the House at the earliest opportunity during the sitting. Any such report filed with the Clerk of the House shall be deemed presented to the House. The Speaker shall inform the House at the earliest opportunity that a report has been received and an entry in relation thereto shall be inserted in the Journals of that sitting. The item shall again be considered in the House on a day and at a time determined by the government, but no later than at the conclusion of the fourth sitting day after the motion was adopted.

(5) A motion, or an amendment to a motion, of censure of or non-confidence in the government shall be inadmissible in the Hall.

165 In addition to the Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees of the Whole, the following Members may chair the Hall:

(a) Any Assistant Deputy Speaker; and

(b) Any member of the Panel of Chairs, appointed pursuant to Standing Order 112, when so requested by the Deputy Speaker, in the absence of the Deputy Speaker or one of the Assistant Deputy Speakers.

166(1) The Chair shall have the same responsibility to maintain and preserve order and decorum in the Hall as the Speaker has in the House, deciding all question of order, provided that the Chair shall not entertain questions of privilege. No debate shall be permitted on any decision.

(2) A decision of the Chair may not be subject to an appeal to the Hall but may be brought to the attention of the Speaker by any Member and the Speaker shall have the power to rule on the matter.

(3) If any Member persistently disregards the authority of the Chair, the Chair may order the Member to withdraw from the room until the next order of business, or for the remainder of that meeting. No such order shall be subject to an appeal to the Speaker or the House.

(4) In the event of a Member disregarding an order of the Chair pursuant to section (3) of this Standing Order, the Chair shall order security personnel to remove the Member. Notwithstanding any action taken pursuant to this Standing Order, the Chair may report the conduct of a Member to the House by rising in the House pursuant to Standing Order 47.

167(1) The Hall shall not make any decisions on any item of business.

(2) At the expiry of the time allotted to any item of business where a decision is required, the Chair shall report the question to the House; and any question shall be put in accordance with Standing Order 171.

(3) Any debate on an item of business under consideration by the Hall shall adjourn following an order of the House requiring it to be reported back to the House pursuant to Standing Order 164(4).

168(1) The business taken up at any meeting of the Hall shall be such as the Deputy Speaker shall appoint, except when otherwise ordered by the Speaker or the House.

(2) For any business pursuant to section (3) of this Standing Order, the Deputy Speaker shall determine the business taken up by the Hall, following consultations; and, when possible, the time allotted for proceedings shall be divided as equitably as practical according to requests arising from those consultations.

(3) For any meeting of the Hall, the Deputy Speaker shall schedule the business to be considered during the time not otherwise provided for in Standing Orders 161(5), 161(6) and 161(7) according to requests arising from consultations under section (2) of this Standing Order.

(4) In consultation with the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker shall:

(a) make all arrangements necessary to ensure the orderly conduct of the Hall;

(b) ensure that all Members have not less than 24 hours’ notice of the order of business to be considered in the Hall;

(c) ensure that the notice required is published, in a distinct and dedicated section of the Notice Paper;

(d) include in this section a list of all questions or matters reported to but not yet disposed of by the House.

169(1) If a motion is moved in the House by a Minister of the Crown to have an order of the day be proceeded with at a meeting of the Hall, the question shall be put immediately without debate or amendment. In putting the question on the motion, the Speaker shall ask those Members who object to rise in their places. If 15 or more Members rise, the motion shall be deemed to have been withdrawn; otherwise, the motion shall have been adopted.

(2) When a motion under section (1) is adopted, the Deputy Speaker shall schedule the business to be considered in the Hall during the time not otherwise provided for in Standing Orders 161(5), 161(6), and 161(7).

170(1) In the Hall, the Standing Orders, as they relate to the rules of debate and time limits for speeches, shall apply, subject to the following provisions:

(a) During debate on an item of business, a Member may rise and, if recognized by the Chair, ask the Chair whether the Member speaking is willing to give way. The Member speaking shall either:

(i) refuse to give way and continue speaking; or

(ii) accept to give way and allow the Member to ask a short question or make a brief response immediately relevant to the Member’s speech. Such an intervention may not exceed 30 seconds.

(b) In any case, if a Member making the request causes disorder, the Chair may, at his or her discretion, interrupt the Member and give the floor to the Member making a speech.

(2) Any period of time taken from a Member during a speech for interventions made under paragraph (1)(a) of this Standing Order or for points of order, shall not be deducted from the time allocated to that Member’s speaking time.

(3) Notwithstanding any provisions of the Standing Orders, in the Hall, less formal rules of debate may be allowed at the discretion of the Deputy Speaker. As such, unless a Member present objects, the Deputy Speaker may allow a Member, among other matters, to speak twice on a motion, to use visual aids if necessary, to ask a question to the sponsor of the Private Members’ Business item being debated, or to participate in a debate in a manner not expressly provided for in the Standing Orders.

171(1) Notwithstanding Standing Order 164(4), when the Hall has completed consideration of a motion, bill or any other item of business, or upon conclusion of an item of business to be reported to the House, the Clerk of the Hall shall create a report to the House which shall include a certified copy of any bill or item of business to be reported to the House, together with any schedules of amendments and unresolved questions, and shall deposit the report with the Clerk of the House after the adjournment of the Hall.

(2) Receipt by the Clerk of the House of a report from the Clerk of the Hall shall be deemed for all purposes to constitute the report being laid before the House, and any such receipt shall be inserted in the Journals of the House.

(3) Once a report has been received by the House, all questions requiring a decision from the House shall be put successively without debate or amendment at each sitting during Routine Proceedings provided that any recorded division demanded shall be deferred to the next sitting day at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions. Any recorded division demanded during Routine Proceedings on a Thursday shall be deferred to the following Monday at the ordinary hour of daily adjournment.”,

(ii) each Standing Order listed herein be replaced as follows:

“28(1)(a) The House and the Hall shall not meet on New Year's Day, the day fixed for the celebration of the birthday of the Sovereign, St. John the Baptist Day, Dominion Day, Labour Day, Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day and Christmas Day. When St. John the Baptist Day and Dominion Day fall on a Tuesday, the House and the Hall shall not meet the preceding day.

(b) The Hall shall meet on Fridays during weeks where the House is scheduled to sit pursuant to this Standing Order, provided that it shall not meet on Good Friday and, when St. John the Baptist Day and Dominion Day fall on a Thursday, the Hall shall not meet the following day.

31 A Member, other than a Minister of the Crown, may be recognized, under the provisions of Standing Orders 30(5) or 161(7)(a), to make a statement for not more than one minute. The Speaker or the Chair of the Hall, as the case may be, may order a Member to resume his or her seat if, in their opinion, improper use is made of this Standing Order.

36(6)(a) Members desiring to present a petition may do so during Routine Proceedings in the House under the rubric “Presenting Petitions”, a period not to exceed 15 minutes.

(b) Provided that it has not been presented to the House, Members may also present a petition in the Hall during Routine Proceedings under the rubric “Presenting Petitions”. This period shall not exceed the time provided for Routine Proceedings as set out in Standing Order 161(6).

38(3) When several Members have given notices of intention to raise matters during Adjournment Proceedings, the Speaker shall decide the order and if such matters are to be raised in the House or in the Hall. In doing so, the Speaker shall have regard to the order in which notices were given, to the urgency of the matters raised, and to the apportioning of the opportunities to debate such matters among the Members of the various parties in the House. The Speaker may, at his or her discretion, consult with representatives of the parties concerning such order and be guided by their advice. The Speaker may also consult the Deputy Speaker for matters concerning the Hall.

38(4) By not later than 5 p.m. on any Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, the Speaker shall indicate to the House and the Deputy Speaker shall indicate to the Hall the matter or matters to be raised during Adjournment Proceedings that day.

52(2) Members wishing to move, “That this House do now adjourn” or “That the Hall has considered an urgent matter” under the provisions of this Standing Order shall give to the Speaker, at least one hour prior to raising it in the House, a written statement of the matter proposed to be discussed

52(3) When requesting leave to propose an emergency debate, the Member shall:

(a) rise in his or her place and present without argument the statement referred to in section (2) of this Standing Order;

(b) specify whether they wish to have the debate take place in the House or in the Hall.

52(8) If the Speaker so desires, the decision upon whether the matter is proper to be discussed may be deferred until later in the sitting, when the proceedings of the House may be interrupted for the purpose of announcing the decision.

52(9)(a) If the Speaker is satisfied that the matter is proper to be discussed and that the debate is to take place in the House, the motion shall stand over until the ordinary hour of daily adjournment on that day, provided that the Speaker, at his or her discretion, may direct that the motion shall be set down for consideration on the following sitting day at an hour specified by the Speaker;

(b) If the Speaker decides that the debate is to take place in the Hall, the Speaker shall instruct the Deputy Speaker to place the emergency debate on the order of the day of the Hall on that day or on the following day that is not a Friday, at a time specified by the Deputy Speaker pursuant to Standing Order 168(3).

52(12)(a) The proceedings on any motion being considered in the House, pursuant to section (9)(a) of this Standing Order, may continue beyond the ordinary hour of daily adjournment but, when debate thereon is concluded prior to that hour in any sitting, it shall be deemed withdrawn. Subject to any motion adopted pursuant to Standing Order 26(2), at 12:00 midnight on any sitting day, the Speaker shall declare the motion carried and forthwith adjourn the House until the next sitting day. In any other case, the Speaker, when satisfied that the debate has been concluded, shall declare the motion carried and forthwith adjourn the House until the next sitting day.

(b) The proceedings on any motion being considered in the Hall, pursuant to section (9)(b) of this Standing Order, may only take place during times scheduled pursuant to Standing Order 168(3). At the expiry of the time scheduled by the Deputy Speaker, the motion shall be deemed carried and the Hall shall proceed with the next item of business.

53.1(2)(a) A take-note debate ordered by the House shall begin at the ordinary hour of daily adjournment and any proceedings pursuant to Standing Order 38 shall be suspended on that day.

(b) If a take-note debate is to take place in the Hall, it shall begin at the time set for business scheduled pursuant to Standing Order 168(3).

66(2) A motion for the concurrence in a report from a standing or special committee, when moved in the House, shall receive not more than three hours of consideration, after which time, unless previously disposed of, the Speaker shall interrupt and put all questions necessary to dispose of the motion without further debate or amendment, provided that, if debate is adjourned or interrupted:

(a) the motion shall again be considered either in the House on a day designated by the government after consultation with the House Leaders of the other parties, or in the Hall on a day and at a time designated by the Deputy Speaker pursuant to Standing Order 168(3), but, in any case, not later than the eighth sitting day after the interruption;

(i) when debate on the motion is continued in the House, it shall be resumed at the ordinary hour of daily adjournment on the day designated pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section and shall not be further interrupted or adjourned,

(ii) when debate on the motion is continued in the Hall, it shall be resumed at a time designated by the Deputy Speaker pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, and shall not be further adjourned or interrupted, except if required in accordance with Standing Order 161(5)(b) in which case the adjournment proceedings shall be delayed accordingly;

(b) when no Member rises to speak or after three hours of debate, whichever is earlier:

(i) If the debate on the motion for concurrence has been concluded in the House, the Speaker shall put all questions necessary to dispose of the motion, provided that any recorded division demanded on the motion shall stand deferred to an appointed time on the next Wednesday, no later than the expiry of the time provided for Government Orders on that day.

(ii) If the debate on the motion for concurrence has been concluded in the Hall, the Deputy Speaker shall report the motion to the House pursuant to Standing Order 171.

86.1 At the beginning of the second or a subsequent session of a Parliament,

(1) All items of Private Members’ Business originating in the House of Commons that were listed on the Order Paper during the previous session shall be deemed to have been considered and approved at all stages completed at the time of prorogation and shall stand, if necessary, on the Order Paper or, as the case may be, referred to committee.

(2) The List for the Consideration of Private Members’ Business established pursuant to Standing Order 87 shall continue from session to session. The items on the second order of precedence at the time of prorogation shall be added at the beginning of the first order of precedence at the time of prorogation and together shall constitute a new first order of precedence.

87(1)(a)(i) At the beginning of the first session of a Parliament, the List for the Consideration of Private Members’ Business shall be established by adding first the names of eligible Members from the List for the Consideration of Private Members’ Business of the preceding Parliament, in the same order they were at dissolution, retaining only the names of any returning Member of the House. Then, after notifying all Members of the time, date and place, the Clerk of the House, acting on behalf of the Speaker, shall, conduct a random draw of the names of all remaining Members of the House which shall be added to that List. On the sixteenth sitting day following the draw, the first ninety names on the List shall, subject to paragraph (c) of this Standing Order, constitute the first order of precedence.

89 The order for the first consideration of any motion or subsequent stages of a bill already considered during Private Members’ Business, of second reading of a private bill and of second reading of a private Member’s public bill originating in the Senate shall be placed at the bottom of the first order of precedence. The order for the second consideration of any such item shall be added to the bottom of the second order of precedence.

91 Notwithstanding Standing Orders 30(6) and 161(7), the consideration of Private Members’ Business shall be suspended at the beginning of the first session of a Parliament and, at the time otherwise provided for the consideration of Private Members’ Business,

(i) the House shall continue to consider any business before it until a first order of precedence is established pursuant to Standing Order 87(1);

(ii) the business of the Hall shall be scheduled in the manner provided for in Standing Order 168.

93(1)(a) Except as provided for in Standing Order 96(1), unless previously disposed of, bills at the second reading stage or motions shall receive not more than two hours of consideration pursuant to Standing Order 89 and, unless previously disposed of, shall be again considered only when it reaches the top of the second order of precedence.

(b) Provided that:

(i) when proceedings then before the House are disposed of, every question necessary to dispose of the motion or of the bill at the second reading stage, shall be put forthwith and successively without further debate or amendment;

(ii) unless otherwise disposed of, at the end of the time provided for the consideration of the said item, any proceedings then before the Hall shall be interrupted and the item reported to the House pursuant to Standing Order 171.

(c) Any recorded division on an item of Private Members’ Business demanded pursuant to Standing Order 45(1) shall be deferred to the next Wednesday, immediately before the time provided for Private Members’ Business.

94(1)(a) The Speaker shall make all arrangements necessary to ensure the orderly conduct of Private Members’ Business including ensuring that:

(i) at the beginning of a Parliament, Private Members’ Business in the House not begin earlier than forty-eight hours after the presentation of the first report presented pursuant to Standing Order 91.1(2);

(ii) at the beginning of a Parliament, Private Members’ Business in the Hall, begin eight sitting days following consideration of items pursuant to subparagraph (i) of this section;

(iii) all Members have not less than twenty-four hours’ notice of items to be considered during Private Members’ Business; and

(iv) the notices required by subparagraph (iii) of this paragraph is published in the Notice Paper for the House and for the Hall.

94(1)(b)(i) In the event of it not being possible to provide the notice required by subparagraphs (a)(iii) or (a)(iv) of this section, Private Members’ Business shall be suspended for that day and the House shall continue with or revert to the business before it prior to Private Members’ Business until the ordinary hour of daily adjournment.

(ii) In the event of it not being possible to provide notice of an item of Private Members’ Business pursuant to Standing Order 168(4), the hour provided for the said item to be considered by the Hall shall be suspended until the next order of business. The said item shall retain its place in the order of precedence.

94(2)(b) In the event that the Speaker has been unable to arrange an exchange,

(i) the House shall continue with the business before it prior to Private Members’ Business,

(ii) the Deputy Speaker shall schedule the business to be considered in the Hall pursuant to Standing Order 168(3).

97(2)(a) When debate on a motion for the production of papers being considered during Private Members’ Business has taken place for a total time of one hour and fifty minutes, in the manner provided for in Standing Order 89, the debate shall at that point be interrupted whereupon a Minister of the Crown or a Parliamentary Secretary speaking on behalf of the Minister, whether or not such Minister or Parliamentary Secretary has already spoken, may speak for not more than five minutes, following which the mover of the motion may close the debate by speaking for not more than five minutes, after which, unless otherwise disposed of,

(i) any proceedings then before the House shall be interrupted and every question necessary to dispose of the motion, shall be put forthwith and successively without further debate or amendment; or

(ii) any proceedings then before the Hall shall be interrupted and the item reported to the House pursuant to Standing Order 171.

(b) Any recorded division on an item of Private Members’ Business demanded pursuant to Standing Order 45(1) shall be deferred to the next Wednesday, immediately before the time provided for Private Members’ Business.

98(2) The report and third reading stages of a Private Member’s bill shall be taken up on two days pursuant to Standing Order 89 and, unless previously disposed of, the order for the remaining stage or stages shall be again considered when the said bill reaches the top of the second order of precedence.

98(3)(a) When the report or third reading stages of the said bill are before the House on the first of the days provided pursuant to section (2) of this Standing Order, and if the said bill has not been disposed of prior to the end of the first thirty minutes of consideration, during any time then remaining, any one Member may propose a motion to extend the time for the consideration of any remaining stages on the second of the said days during a period not exceeding five consecutive hours, provided that:

(i) the motion shall be put forthwith without debate or amendment and shall be deemed withdrawn if fewer than twenty Members rise in support thereof; and

(ii) a subsequent such motion shall not be put unless there has been an intervening proceeding.

(b) When a motion is adopted pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, the item shall be dropped to the bottom of the first order of precedence after having been once considered, notwithstanding Standing Order 89, and shall be again considered in the House, notwithstanding Standing Order 88, only when it reaches the top of the said order of precedence, at the end of the time provided for Private Members’ Business, except on a Monday when the period shall begin at the ordinary hour of daily adjournment.

98(4)(a) On the second day provided pursuant to section (2) of this Standing Order, unless previously disposed of, at the end of the time provided for the consideration thereof,

(i) any proceedings then before the House shall be interrupted and every question necessary to dispose of the then remaining stage or stages of the said bill shall be put forthwith and successively without further debate or amendment;

(ii) any proceedings then before the Hall shall be interrupted and the item reported to the House pursuant to Standing Order 171.

99(1)(a) The proceedings on Private Members’ Business in the House shall not be suspended except as provided for in Standing Orders 2(3), 30(4), 30(7), 52(14), 83(2), 91, 92(1)(b) and 94(1)(b) or as otherwise specified by Special Order of this House. No Private Members’ Business shall be taken up in the House on days appointed for the consideration of business pursuant to Standing Order 53 nor on days, other than Mondays, appointed for the consideration of business pursuant to Standing Order 81(18).

(b) The proceedings on Private Members’ Business in the Hall shall not be suspended except as provided for in Standing Orders 91, 94(1)(b), and 161(5), or as otherwise specified by Special Order of this House.”,

(iii) the following new Standing Orders be added:

“28(6) On Fridays when the House is adjourned and the Hall has met, the Minutes of Proceedings of the Hall, along with any report deposited pursuant to Standing Order 171, shall be published in the Journals.

35(3) No reports pursuant to Standing Orders 91.1(2), 92(3), 97.1(1), 104(1), 119.1(2), and 123 may be presented to the Hall.

66(2.1) A motion for the concurrence in a report from a standing or special committee may be debated in the Hall provided that a similar motion has not been moved in the House and that the debate be requested and scheduled by the Deputy Speaker pursuant to Standing Order 168(3), and that, after three hours of consideration, unless previously disposed of, the Deputy Speaker shall report the motion to the House pursuant to Standing Order 171.

88 The first hour of debate on any item of Private Members’ Business pursuant to Standing Orders 93(1) and 98(2) shall be considered by the House from Monday to Thursday at the time provided for in Standing Order 30(6), and by the Hall on Fridays at the time provided for in Standing Order 161(7). The second hour of debate shall be considered by the Hall from Monday to Thursday at the time provided for in Standing Order 161(7).”,

(iv) Standing Order 30(3) be amended by replacing the words “At 3:00 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and at 12:00 noon on Fridays, the House shall proceed to the ordinary daily routine of business, which shall be as follows:” with the words “At 3:00 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, and at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the House shall proceed to Routine Proceedings, which shall be as follows: Reports from the Hall (pursuant to Standing Order 171)”,

(v) Standing Order 52(1) be amended by adding, after the word “consideration”, the words “or for a motion to consider such a matter in the Hall”,

(vi) Standing Order 52(4) be amended by adding, after the word “discussed”, the words “and shall decide if the debate shall occur in the House or in the Hall”,

(vii) Standing Order 52(10) be amended by deleting the words “on any day, except Friday,” and by adding, after the words “same day”, the words “in the House”,

(viii) Standing Order 53.1(1) be amended by adding, after the words “designating a day”, the words “and place”,

(ix) Standing Order 53.1(3) be amended by adding, after the words “to a debate”, the words “in the House”,

(x) Standing Order 66(3) be amended by adding, after the words “be moved”, the words “in the House”,

(xi) Standing Orders 87(1)(b), (c), (d), 87(5), 91.1(1), 92.1(3), (4), (5), and 98(1) each be amended by replacing each occurrence of the words “order of precedence” with the words “first order of precedence”,

(xii) Standing Order 87(2) be amended by replacing the words “order of precedence” with the words “first order of precedence”, and replacing the word “fifteen” with the word “forty”,

(xiii) Standing Order 87(3) be amended by replacing the word “fifteen” with the word “fifty”, and adding, after the words “names of all”, the word “eligible”,

(xiv) Standing Order 87(4) be amended by replacing the words “of an order” with the words “a first order”,

(xv) Standing Order 90 be deleted,

(xvi) Standing Order 92.1(2) be amended by replacing the word “five” with the word “four”, and replacing the words “Order of Precedence” with the words “first order of precedence”,

(xvii) Standing Order 93(2) be deleted,

(xviii) Standing Order 93(3) be renumbered 93(2),

(xix) Standing Order 94(2)(a) be amended by replacing the words “by the order” with the words “by any of the orders”, and replacing the words “placed in the order” with the words “placed within the same order”,

(xx) Standing Order 95(1) be amended in the French version by deleting the words “la Chambre étudie”, and adding, after the word “vote”, the words “est à l’étude”,

(xxi) Standing Order 97(1) be amended by adding, after the word “called”, the words “in the House”,

(xxii) Standing Order 97.1(2)(c) be amended by adding, after the word “Business”, the words “in the House”;

(f) the Standing Orders, as amended, take effect at the beginning of the 43rd Parliament;

(g) the amendments to the Standing Orders outlined in (e), and other correlative changes, take effect provisionally at the beginning of the 43rd Parliament, that two years after their implementation, the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs undertake a review of their application and make recommendations on whether to amend the provisional Standing Orders, to continue with them provisionally, to make them permanent, or to rescind them, and that the said Standing Orders remain in effect until such time as the Committee has presented its report and the report has been concurred in by the House;

(h) the name of the Hall be chosen by the House at the beginning of the 43rd Parliament, by secret ballot, provided that any suggested name for the Hall on the ballot be signed by at least 20 Members of the House;

(i) the Clerk of the House be authorized to make any required editorial and consequential alterations to the Standing Orders, including to the marginal notes, as well as such changes to the Order Paper and Notice Paper, as may be required; and

(j) the Clerk of the House be instructed to print a revised edition of the Standing Orders of the House.

Mr. Speaker, I am sure you enjoyed that reading.

Before I start talking about the motion, I would like to point out that none of the ideas in the motion are mine. Not only that, I did not write most of the motion. Therefore, people cannot get mad at me for its being so long to read. It was actually the work of many members of this House of Commons, and I would like to thank them.

I will start with the Conservative member for Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston, who collaborated on this along with his assistant, Dennis Laurie. I would also like to thank the Conservative member for Wellington—Halton Hills, the NDP member for Elmwood—Transcona and the NDP member for Victoria, who also collaborated with me on parts of this motion. The Green Party member for Saanich—Gulf Islands also contributed, as well as the Liberal member for Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame and the Liberal member for Laurentides—Labelle.

All of these people, and many more, helped put this together. It was a project done by many people in the House, and I would like to thank them. In addition, I really have to thank the procedural clerk, Ms. Isabelle Dumas, who probably saw far more of me than she wanted to as we were working on this.

Fundamentally, this motion is trying to do one thing.

I would take members back to ancient Greece, the foundation of democracy, and Pericles' Funeral Oration. Normally, a funeral oration was given at the end of a year of war to recognize the dead, but in his oration, Pericles did something unique. He asked what they died for, what they fought for, and he talked about their way of government: democracy. He said, “[W]e are called a democracy, for the administration is in the hands of the many and not of the few.”

That was 2,450 years ago, and to this day, the battle of democracies versus autocracies exists. In fact, scholars tell us that right now we are in what is called the third wave of autocratization, as opposed democratization. All over the world, democratic principles and institutions are being attacked, and this could be through lack of a free media, lack of fair and open elections, a leader of a great nation declaring himself leader for life, fake elections, or a leader attacking democratic institutions.

Canada has not been immune to this. Over the last 30 years, we have seen a centralization of power more and more towards the centre: less and less for the many, and more and more for the few.

This motion seeks to address that by doing three things. It seeks to take power and give it back: one, to the Speaker; two, to members of Parliament; and three, to our citizens. I believe that, in so doing, we will get a better and stronger democracy.

What will they do?

Mr. Speaker, you have the title “Speaker”, because it is your role to decide who speaks. However, over the last 25 years in Canada, there has been a perversion of the Westminster system, which does not exist anywhere else, where you are no longer the Speaker, and I mean no disrespect, but you are now the reader of a list, and that is not how our democracy was meant to be. I sincerely believe that if you had your full powers, Mr. Speaker, we would have far more civility in the House of Commons and far better debate.

Two, as a member of Parliament, I am here to represent my constituents, and I need more freedom to do that. I need the freedom that existed here in Canada and elsewhere before it became centralized. We need to put it back in the hands of the many. In doing so, I would be able to present this motion. I am doing it at the last minute because I was lucky, or unlucky, depending on how we look at it, to have my motion come up at this time. However, if we make the changes in this motion, every member of Parliament can expect to have a private member's bill during his or her time here.

As well, committees would have a leader chosen by the House. The job of a committee is to take bills from the government, review them and report back to the House, not to the leadership. If we elect our committees, and have them elected through the entire House, they would have the legitimacy of the House.

The third thing this motion would do is give powers to our citizens. Right now, we talk to our citizens once every four years when we ask whom they want to elect. However, this motion would allow that, if there is a matter of great importance to people and they are able to get 70,000 citizens to sign a petition, we would debate it in Parliament. There would be an interaction there. A lot of people tell me that this is inside baseball and nobody cares about this. I disagree. When I have talked to citizens, they tell me that they want us to be more civil to one another; they want us to be more productive; and they want us to have better, truer debates. I firmly believe that this motion would bring us there.

Given our lack of time, it is unlikely that this motion will come to a vote. I recognize that, but it does not take away from the importance of our discussing it. I believe our democracy in Canada is one of our most precious gifts. It reminds me a bit of health. They say we never appreciate our health until we lose it. Not just around the world but here in Canada, we are seeing our democracies reduced.

Last week, we commemorated 75 years since D-Day. There are people who do not exist because their grandfather or grandmother died in the Second World War. They are not here, do not exist. My grandfather fought but luckily survived. I believe, sincerely, that we honour them and we honour their sacrifices by not taking our democracy for granted. I believe that, by making these changes to our democracy, we will strengthen it. In so doing, we will ensure that the administration of our democracy is in the hands of the many and not the few.

Frank Baylis

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