Chapter 21Private Members’ Business

Private Members’ Hour

Private Members’ Business is considered for one hour every sitting day, as follows:

Monday: 11:00 a.m. to noon;
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday: 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.; and
Friday: 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.¹⁵⁵

At the beginning of a Parliament, Private Members’ Business is cancelled until the List for the Consideration of Private Members’ Business and the order of precedence have been established, and the report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs indicating those items which remain votable has been presented to the House.¹⁵⁶ Once the report of the Committee has been presented, Private Members’ Business begins two days later.¹⁵⁷

This figure illustrates, in a series of boxes linked by lines, the process the Subcommittee on Private Members’ Business uses to determine whether any item in the Order of Precedence should be designated as non-votable. The top box sets out the four criteria for making this determination. Below, a series of boxes set out the process, depending on whether the item is votable or non-votable. If it is non-votable, the figure shows the sponsor’s options for appeal (appeal to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, appeal to the House, substitution of another item, right of appeal withdrawn). — Figure 21.1 Process to Designate an Item of Private Members’ Business as Votable or Non-Votable

The order of precedence for Private Members’ Business indicates to all Members when particular items are expected to be taken up for consideration. However, because Private Members’ Business may not take place for a number of reasons, and because the Speaker is obliged to “make all arrangements necessary to ensure the orderly conduct of Private Members’ Business”, an additional notice is required by the Standing Orders. The Speaker must give Members at least 24-hours’ notice before an item in the order of precedence can be considered. This notice is published in the Notice Paper.¹⁵⁸ If no notice is published, then Private Members’ Business is cancelled that day and the House continues with whatever business was previously before it.¹⁵⁹ When Private Members’ Business is cancelled on a Monday, as it is the first order of business of the sitting, the House proceeds to consider Government Orders at 11:00 a.m.¹⁶⁰ During Private Members’ Hour, items in the order of precedence are considered in the order in which they are listed and normally only one item is considered each day.¹⁶¹

Exchange of Items

If the sponsor of an item is unable to move his or her motion on the day set by the order of precedence and has given the Speaker at least 48-hours’ written notice, the Speaker may arrange to exchange the position of the sponsor’s item with that of another Member in the order of precedence, with the permission of the Members involved.¹⁶²

However, consideration of an item cannot be moved ahead through an exchange if:

The Standing Committee on Procedure has not yet reported to the House whether or not the item is votable.¹⁶³
It has been designated non-votable in a report presented to the House by the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, but the appeal process is not complete or the sponsor has not yet waived the right to appeal.¹⁶⁴

In addition, a private Member’s motion or a private Member’s bill at second reading cannot be exchanged unless 10 sitting days have elapsed between the first hour and second hour of debate.¹⁶⁵

Where an exchange is sought by a Member, the Speaker attempts to find another Member willing to switch dates for the consideration of his or her item. If no exchange is possible, Private Members’ Hour is cancelled for that day; the House continues with the business before it,¹⁶⁶ and the Member’s item is consequently dropped to the bottom of the order of precedence and marked with an asterisk.¹⁶⁷ If Private Members’ Hour is cancelled on a Monday, the House takes up Government Orders during that time.¹⁶⁸

Once an item is marked with an asterisk, its sponsor may not request an exchange, although the sponsor may accept an exchange requested by another Member. Furthermore, if the sponsor fails to move the item the next time it reaches the top of the order of precedence, thereby causing the cancellation of a second Private Members’ Hour, then the item is dropped from the Order Paper.¹⁶⁹ The asterisk marks the item concerned as long as it remains on the Order Paper, including for subsequent stages of the legislative process if it is a bill.

Members sponsoring items on which debate has previously begun (motions, bills at second reading, report stage or third reading) may request an exchange, but if an exchange is not possible, debate on their item will proceed nonetheless. If the sponsor is not present, the sponsor will lose the five-minute right of reply at the end of the debate.

Cancellations

Although Private Members’ Hour is regularly scheduled for each day that the House sits, there are some situations when it may be cancelled or not take place. The cancellation of the hour has been a matter of concern to the House ever since the adoption of the modern rules relating to Private Members’ Business in 1986.¹⁷⁰

The consideration of Private Members’ Business may be cancelled or not take place for a number of reasons:

There is no Private Members’ Business until the List for the Consideration of Private Members’ Business and the order of precedence have been established, and the initial report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs indicating those items which remain votable has been presented to the House.¹⁷¹
Should Members not have 24-hours’ notice of the item to be considered during Private Members’ Hour, the Speaker will advise the House that Private Members’ Business will not take place; the House will continue with, or revert to, the business before it prior to the time designated for Private Members’ Business.¹⁷²
If the Member scheduled to move an item gives written notice that the Member will be unable to do so on the day scheduled and no exchange of items is possible, Private Members’ Business will not take place and the House will continue with the business before it prior to Private Members’ Hour. The item is also dropped to the bottom of the order of precedence and marked with an asterisk.¹⁷³
If, at the beginning of Private Members’ Business, the sponsor of an item set for consideration is not present to move the item and has failed to provide the necessary notice, the rest of the hour is cancelled. On Mondays, the sitting of the House is suspended for the duration of Private Members’ Hour. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, the House proceeds immediately to the Adjournment Proceedings or adjourns. The item is dropped to the bottom of the order of precedence and marked with an asterisk.¹⁷⁴
If, at the beginning of Private Members’ Business, the sponsor of an item set for consideration declines to move the item, the rest of the hour is cancelled. On Mondays, the sitting of the House is suspended for the rest of Private Members’ Hour. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, the House proceeds immediately to the Adjournment Proceedings or adjourns. The item is therefore not proceeded with and is dropped from the Order Paper.¹⁷⁵
Private Members’ Business does not take place if debate does not begin by 30 minutes after the time Private Members’ Hour would have ordinarily ended. After consulting the sponsor of the item and the recognized political parties, the Speaker attempts to reschedule the debate within the next 10 sitting days so that no more than one adjournment period passes. The debate takes place as an extra hour of Private Members’ Business.¹⁷⁶
There is no Private Members’ Business on the day of the presentation of the Speech from the Throne.¹⁷⁷
Private Members’ Business does not take place when, during the course of a session, the House must elect a new Speaker. The scheduled item does not lose its place in the order of precedence.¹⁷⁸
Private Members’ Business does not take place on any day designated for the presentation of the budget, if the presentation is scheduled to take place prior to Private Members’ Hour.¹⁷⁹ The scheduled item does not lose its place in the order of precedence.¹⁸⁰
On the last supply day in June, except if it falls on a Monday, the consideration of Private Members’ Business is cancelled in order to allow more time to consider and dispose of the main estimates. The scheduled item does not lose its place in the order of precedence.¹⁸¹
Private Members’ Business is cancelled if the House is debating a motion related to a prima facie question of privilege. The scheduled item does not lose its place in the order of precedence.¹⁸²
To ensure that the government is not prevented in any way from introducing its legislation, the Standing Orders provide that the House complete “Introduction of Government Bills” at every sitting, even if it means cancelling all or part of Private Members’ Hour. If proceedings under “Introduction of Government Bills” have not been completed on a Tuesday or Thursday prior to Statements by Members, Routine Proceedings will continue immediately after Question Period until the completion of all items under “Introduction of Government Bills”.¹⁸³ Private Members’ Business is therefore delayed or cancelled, as the case may be. If the hour is cancelled, the item scheduled for that day does not lose its place in the order of precedence. The provisions in the Standing Orders adding an extra hour of Private Members’ Business to another day do not apply.¹⁸⁴
Private Members’ Business is cancelled when a Minister moves a motion in relation to a matter the government considers to be of an urgent nature, and debate subsequently takes place during the time scheduled for Private Members’ Business.¹⁸⁵ The item does not lose its place in the order of precedence. If such a motion is moved during Private Members’ Hour, only the remaining time allotted for consideration of the item being debated is not used for that purpose.¹⁸⁶ If the maximum one hour of debate allowed on the motion extends into Private Members’ Hour, then the beginning of Private Members’ Hour is delayed.¹⁸⁷
Private Members’ Business is not taken up when a motion to adjourn the House is adopted prior to the beginning of Private Members’ Hour. The scheduled item does not lose its place in the order of precedence.¹⁸⁸
Private Members’ Business is not taken up when the House adjourns due to a lack of quorum prior to the beginning of Private Members’ Hour. The scheduled item does not lose its place in the order of precedence.¹⁸⁹
Private Members’ Business, or the remainder thereof, does not take place when the House adjourns due to a lack of quorum during Private Members’ Hour. A votable item is dropped to the bottom of the order of precedence while a non-votable item is dropped from the Order Paper.¹⁹⁰
Private Members’ Business does not take place if an emergency debate begins prior to Private Members’ Hour. The Speaker reschedules the debate, where possible and so that no more than one adjournment period passes, within the next 10 sitting days as an extra hour of Private Members’ Business.¹⁹¹

Generally, when Private Members’ Business is not taken up at all on a Monday owing to a previously known cancellation of proceedings, the House takes up Government Orders during the time designated for Private Members’ Business.¹⁹²

Delays and Interruptions

If Private Members’ Hour is delayed or interrupted for any reason, the debate on the item of business before the House is then extended or rescheduled so that no time is lost.¹⁹³ When the beginning of Private Members’ Hour is delayed because of a recorded division¹⁹⁴ or a question period on a time allocation motion or a closure motion,¹⁹⁵ or if Private Members’ Business is interrupted so that Members may attend the Royal Assent ceremony in the Senate Chamber,¹⁹⁶ or by an emergency alarm,¹⁹⁷ then Private Members’ Hour is extended by the amount of time that was lost. Similarly, when the time provided for Government Orders has been extended by 90 minutes or less because of a ministerial statement, the start of Private Members’ Hour will be delayed by a corresponding amount of time.¹⁹⁸ If debate on Private Members’ Business does not begin or resume by 30 minutes after the time Private Members’ Business would have ordinarily ended, the time is added to another sitting.¹⁹⁹

Rescheduling of Debate

The rescheduling of Private Members’ Hour due to a delay or interruption is done at the discretion of the Speaker within 10 sitting days, to the extent possible, and after consultation.²⁰⁰ No more than one adjournment period as provided in the parliamentary calendar may intervene in the rescheduling of the debate.²⁰¹ The rescheduled business is considered during an additional Private Members’ Hour, which is added to the daily schedule of the House, normally after the ordinary time of daily adjournment.²⁰²

The regular 24-hours’ notice of the item to be considered is given to the House. The notice is published in the Notice Paper on the day the additional debate is to take place.²⁰³ The Order Paper entry referring to the rescheduled debate, or to a debate waiting for rescheduling, appears immediately before the list of “Items in the Order of Precedence”.²⁰⁴

On days when Private Members’ Business has been rescheduled, the Adjournment Proceedings are delayed by the amount of time required to complete the rescheduled debate.

155.: This schedule came into effect on February 14, 1994, following the adoption of amendments to the Standing Orders on February 7, 1994 (Journals, February 7, 1994, pp. 112–20). Pursuant to Standing Order 26, Members are not permitted to propose the continuation or extension of the sitting during Private Members’ Business. However, if, within the first 30 minutes of debate on the first day of consideration of the report and third reading stages of a private Member’s bill it is not disposed of, then during any time remaining on that day, any Member may propose a motion to extend the debate on the second day for a period not to exceed five consecutive hours pursuant to Standing Order 98(3). See, for example, Journals, December 1, 2010, p. 981; February 8, 2011, pp. 1202–4.
156.: Standing Order 91.
157.: Standing Order 94(1)(a)(i).
158.: Standing Order 94(1)(a)(iii). The Speaker has previously given notice of two items for the same day. On January 14, 1997, Stephen Harper (Calgary West) resigned his seat (Journals, February 3, 1997, p. 1025). His bill, Bill C-341, An Act to establish the terms and conditions that must apply to a referendum relating to the separation of Quebec from Canada before it may be recognized as a proper expression of the will of the people of Quebec, 2nd Sess, 35th Parl, 1996, was in the order of precedence. On March 3, 1997, the bill was the first item in this order (Order Paper and Notice Paper, p. 23). This created a situation not provided for in the Standing Orders. When the House reached Private Members’ Business, the item would be called, not proceeded with and dropped to the bottom of the order of precedence, and Private Members’ Hour would be cancelled for that day. So that the House would not lose the hour, the Speaker gave notice of two items, Bill C-341 and Motion M-126, sponsored by Art Hanger (Calgary Northeast), the second item in the order of precedence (Order Paper and Notice Paper, p. III). On March 3, 1997, Bill C-341 was therefore called and dropped to the bottom of the order of precedence (Debates, p. 8475). The House then proceeded to the consideration of Mr. Hanger’s motion (Journals, p. 1173).
159.: Standing Order 94(1)(b).
160.: Standing Order 99(2).
161.: The Member is advised in advance of the day when the Member’s item is scheduled for debate. On occasion, two or more items have been considered during Private Members’ Hour by unanimous consent. See, for example, Journals, July 21, 1988, pp. 3250–1; June 27, 1989, pp. 468–70; June 7, 1990, pp. 1852–5; June 18, 1992, pp. 1800–1; November 28, 1996, p. 935; April 28, 1999, pp. 1780–1. The House has also extended Private Members’ Business by 30 minutes in order to have two items considered (Journals, March 18, 1997, p. 1310; March 19, 1997, pp. 1319–20). For further information, see the section in this chapter entitled “Rescheduling of Debate”.
162.: Standing Order 94(2)(a). In the First Session of the Thirty-Sixth Parliament, there had been an increasing loss of time for Private Members’ Business due to Members not being available for exchanges. This matter was discussed by the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (Evidence, April 15 and April 20, 1999). The issue was addressed with the adoption of an amendment to the Standing Orders, preventing Members from seeking an exchange if they have failed to be present when their item is called for debate or if an exchange has been requested and is not possible. The Standing Order was adopted when the House concurred in the Third Report of the Special Committee on the Modernization and Improvement of the Procedures of the House of Commons, presented to the House on February 28, 2003 (Journals, p. 492), and deemed concurred in on March 17, 2003 (Journals, p. 495), pursuant to a Special Order made on February 28, 2003 (Journals, p. 492). In addition, at the beginning of the Fortieth Parliament, the Speaker used his discretion under the Standing Orders to ensure the orderly conduct of Private Members’ Business to allow an exchange without 48-hours’ notice. The sponsor of the item that was at the top in the newly established order of precedence had informed the Speaker that he could not attend the day following the presentation by the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs of its report on items that were not designated non-votable. He could therefore not provide the required 48-hours’ notice (Debates, October 19, 2011, p. 2221; Order Paper and Notice Paper, pp. 27, 29; October 20, 2011, pp. 25, 27). The Standing Orders now allow for Private Members’ business to start on the day following the presentation of the report.
163.: Standing Order 91.1(1).
164.: In one case where the Subcommittee on Private Members’ Business had reported to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs that an item be designated non-votable and in another case where the Standing Committee had reported to the House that an item be designated non-votable, exchanges involving these items were permitted in order to place them further down the order of precedence (see the exchange of position in the order of precedence between Rob Moore (Fundy Royal) (Bill C-268, An Act to confirm the definition of marriage and to preserve ceremonial rights, 1st Sess, 38th Parl, 2004) and John Reynolds (West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country) (Bill S-2, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act, 1st Sess, 38th Parl, 2005); Order Paper and Notice Paper, November 26, 2004, pp. 17, 22; November 29, 2004, pp. 17, 21; and the exchange of position between Pauline Picard (Drummond) (Bill C-482, An Act to amend the Official Languages Act (Charter of the French Language) and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, 2nd Sess, 38th Parl, 2007) and Guy André (Berthier—Maskinongé) (Bill C-469, An Act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (use of phosphorus), 2nd Sess, 39th Parl, 2007); Order Paper and Notice Paper, December 11, 2007, pp. 26, 28; December 12, 2007, pp. 28, 30.
165.: Standing Order 93(2).
166.: Standing Order 94(2)(b). See, for example, Debates, October 5, 2006, p. 3737; October 24, 2007, p. 347; May 7, 2014, p. 5073.
167.: Standing Order 94(2)(c).
168.: Standing Order 99(2). See, for example, Debates, January 27, 2003, p. 2689; February 6, 2004, p. 283.
169.: Standing Order 94(2)(c). See, for example, Debates, February 12, 2004, p. 529; April 19, 2004, p. 2047; April 18, 2008, p. 5131; June 19, 2008, p. 7199; September 23, 2014, p. 7743; November 24, 2014, p. 9681.
170.: In its Third Report presented to the House in June 1986, the Standing Committee on Private Members’ Business expressed concerns about the cancellation of Private Members’ Business: “Since debate began under the new rules … there have been, theoretically, thirty-two hours for Private Members’ Business; but only fifteen have been used. Ten were suspended because of allotted days and seven were lost because Members in whose name the motions stood were unable to attend the House” (Journals, June 19, 1986, p. 2365).
171.: Standing Orders 91, 91.1 and 99.
172.: Standing Order 94(1)(b). When this occurs, the item is dropped to the bottom of the order of precedence (Standing Order 42(2)). See, for example, Speaker Parent’s ruling (Debates, April 18, 1997, pp. 9919–20; Order Paper and Notice Paper, April 17, 1997, p. 23; April 18, 1997, pp. 23, 27, III).
173.: Standing Order 94(2)(b) and (c). See also Order Paper and Notice Paper, October 24, 2007, p. 17; October 25, 2007, pp. 21, VI.
174.: See, for example, Debates, November 28, 2005, p. 10183; February 15, 2008, p. 3184; June 13, 2014, p. 6847.
175.: Standing Order 42(1).
176.: Standing Order 30(7). See, for example, Debates, February 4, 2015, p. 11070; Order Paper and Notice Paper, February 16, 2015, p. 55. In one case, the Speaker allowed Private Members’ Business to take place even though debate had not begun 30 minutes after the time at which the hour would have ordinarily ended. This exception was made necessary by a second reading debate held that evening that could not be further delayed pursuant to Standing Order 30(7) (Journals, March 27, 2013, pp. 2946–7, Debates, p. 15312).
177.: Standing Order 94(1)(b) requires that the Speaker provide 24-hours’ notice of the item to be considered during Private Members’ Business, and as there is no opportunity to provide such notice on the first day of a session, no Private Members’ Business is taken up.
178.: Standing Orders 2(3) and 99.
179.: Standing Order 99(1). Pursuant to Standing Order 83(2), if the House is considering Private Members’ Business at the time specified for the presentation of the budget, the Speaker will interrupt the proceedings and the proceedings will be deemed adjourned.
180.: See, for example, for the Budget of 2015, Order Paper and Notice Paper, April 21, 2015, pp. 56–7, 64; April 22, 2015, p. 66.
181.: Standing Order 99(1). See, for example, entries in the Order Paper and Notice Paper illustrating that such items did not lose their place in the order of precedence and indicating that notice pursuant to Standing Order 94(1)(a) was not given (Order Paper and Notice Paper, June 10, 2014, pp. 33, 47, V; June 11, 2014, p. 49). For further information, see Chapter 18, “Financial Procedures”.
182.: See, for example, Speakers’ statements, on Friday, February 1, 2002 (Debates, p. 8619) and Friday, November 4, 2005 (Debates, pp. 9552–3) announcing the cancellation of Private Members’ Business on the following Monday. See also entries in the Order Paper and Notice Paper illustrating that such items did not lose their place in the order of precedence and indicating that notice pursuant to Standing Order 94(1)(a) was not given while the House debated privilege motions (February 1, 2002, pp. 27, IV; February 4, 2002, pp. 27, IV; February 5, 2002, pp. 29, V; November 3, 2005, pp. 33, IV; November 4, 2005, pp. 33, V; November 14, 2005, pp. 35, VI; November 15, 2005, pp. 35, V). On March 4, 2014, a privilege motion was under closure in the House. Notwithstanding the usual practice that items under closure do not prevent the House from holding Private Members’ Hour on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, the House did not hold the hour that day, reflecting the high priority of privilege motions (Journals, pp. 616–9). The item at the top of the order of precedence did not lose its place (Order Paper and Notice Paper, March 4, 2014, pp. 33, IV; March 5, 2014, pp. 35, IV). Since the duration of a debate on a privilege motion is rarely predictable, the Clerk nonetheless gives the 24-hour notice required by the Standing Orders for Private Members’ Business so as not to penalize the sponsor of the item at the top of the order of precedence in the event the debate on the privilege motion ends before the start of Private Members’ Business. The only notable exception is when the House adjourns on a Friday without completing the debate on a privilege motion; this forces the cancellation of Private Members’ Business on the following Monday, since it takes place at the beginning of the sitting, from 11:00 a.m. to noon. For further information on motions of privilege and related debates, see Chapter 3, “Privileges and Immunities”.
183.: Standing Order 30(4)(a).
184.: Standing Order 30(4)(b) and (7).
185.: Standing Orders 53 and 99(1). No debate of this nature has ever led to the cancellation of Private Members’ Business. For further information, see Chapter 15, “Special Debates”.
186.: On at least two occasions, motions pursuant to Standing Order 53 have been moved during Private Members’ Hour. In both cases, the motion was deemed withdrawn after debate and Private Members’ Business resumed (Journals, June 10, 1999, p. 2097; June 8, 2007, p. 1499).
187.: Standing Order 30(7).
188.: Standing Orders 41 and 42(3). See, for example, Bill C-357, An Act to provide for an improved framework for economic, trade, cultural and other initiatives between the people of Canada and the people of Taiwan, 1st Sess, 38th Parl, 2005 (Jim Abbott (Kootenay—Columbia)), which was scheduled to be taken up for debate on May 11, 2005, however the House adjourned prior to reaching Private Members’ Hour. It retained its place in the order of precedence. The House again adjourned prior to Private Members’ Hour on May 12 and 13, 2005. In each instance, Bill C-357 maintained its position at the top of the order of precedence. On May 16, 2005, the item was taken up for debate (Journals, May 11, 2005, pp. 740–2; May 12, 2005, pp. 745–6; May 13, 2005, pp. 751–4; May 16, 2005, p. 755; Order Paper and Notice Paper, May 11, 2005, pp. 31, IV; May 12, 2005, pp. 29, III; May 13, 2005, pp. 29, III; May 16, 2005, pp. 29, IV).
189.: Standing Orders 29(3), 41 and 42(3).
190.: Standing Orders 29(3), 30(7) and 41(2). See, for example, Journals, October 19, 1995, p. 2032, Order Paper and Notice Paper, p. 19; October 20, 1995, pp. 22–3.
191.: Standing Orders 52(14), 30(7) and 99. Thus, when an emergency debate takes place on a Friday, Private Members’ Hour is cancelled. See, for example, Debates, June 13, 1986, p. 14388.
192.: Standing Order 99(2). Exceptions to this rule include cancellations relating to the election of a Speaker during a Parliament or the rescheduling of an adjourned debate on a question of privilege.
193.: Standing Order 30(7).
194.: See, for example, Journals, February 3, 2015, pp. 2087–90. This occurs frequently on Wednesdays when deferred recorded divisions on items of Private Members’ Business are taken.
195.: Standing Order 67.1(2). See, for example, Debates, February 19, 2015, pp. 11391–2, 11398, 11443. In the case of a question period on a closure motion, if the motion is adopted prior to the beginning of Private Members’ Hour, then the debate on the closured item, which may continue until 8:00 p.m. (Standing Order 57), is adjourned at the time regularly scheduled for Private Members’ Hour and Private Members’ Business is not delayed. Debate on the closured item then resumes at the end of Private Members’ Hour until 8:00 p.m. See, for example, Debates, May 27, 2014, pp. 5670, 5675-6, 5687. The one exception to this practice is when the House has applied closure to a privilege motion. For further information on this subject, see the section entitled “Cancellations” in this chapter.
196.: See, for example, Journals, April 18, 2007, pp. 1235–6; June 19, 2014, pp. 1330, 1332.
197.: See, for example, Debates, February 16, 2000, p. 3625.
198.: Standing Order 33(2). See, for example, Debates, November 1, 2007, p. 702; April 29, 2015, p. 13199.
199.: Standing Order 30(7). On April 23, 1996, for instance, Private Members’ Hour was scheduled to take place from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Because of a ministerial statement, Government Orders was extended by 72 minutes. Moreover, it was then followed by a recorded division. As a result, the House was not ready to proceed with Private Members’ Business until 7:15 p.m., 45 minutes after the time at which it would normally have ended. Pursuant to this Standing Order, the Speaker had to reschedule the debate for another sitting (Debates, April 23, 1996, p. 1880; Journals, May 2, 1996, pp. 289–90, Order Paper and Notice Paper, pp. 15, III–IV). For other cases where Private Members’ Business has been rescheduled, see Motion M-310 (Debates, March 5, 2008, pp. 3700–1; March 10, 2008, p. 3859; Journals, March 12, 2008, pp. 588–9, Order Paper and Notice Paper, pp. 41, V-VI) and Bill C-555, An Act respecting the Marine Mammal Regulations (seal fishery observation licence), 2nd Sess, 41st Parl, 2015 (Debates, February 4, 2015, p. 11070; Journals, February 17, 2015, p. 2139, Order Paper and Notice Paper, p. 53, VI).
200.: Standing Order 30(7). See, for example, Debates, March 10, 2008, p. 3859.
201.: See, for example, Speakers’ statements designating days following a summer adjournment and the adjournment for Thanksgiving (Debates, June 12, 2000, pp. 7842–3; October 7, 2005, p. 8562). In one case, the Speaker allowed Private Members’ Business to begin more than 30 minutes after the time at which the hour would ordinarily have ended. This exception was made necessary by a second reading debate held that evening on a delayed item that could not be further delayed; the requirement to delay debate so that no more than one adjournment period intervenes was therefore respected (Journals, March 27, 2013, pp. 2946–7, Debates, p. 15312).
202.: For an example of an item rescheduled on a Monday after the daily hour of adjournment—the Private Members’ Business item already scheduled for that day having been debated from 11:00 a.m. to noon—see Journals, April 20, 2015, pp. 2375–6, Order Paper and Notice Paper, p. 63. Through a special order, the House has also scheduled a second hour of Private Members’ Business on a Friday (Journals, April 22, 2015, p. 2385; April 24, 2015, pp. 2412–3).
203.: See, for example, Order Paper and Notice Paper, April 18, 2013, p. III–IV.
204.: See, for example, Order Paper and Notice Paper, February 17, 2015, p. 53.

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