Precedence and Sequence of Business / Notice of Objection to the Estimates

Notice of objection to the estimates

Journals pp. 1144-5

Debates pp. 12123-6

Background

When Mr. Chretien (President of the Treasury Board) sought to obtain concurrence in a specific vote 10b (Department of National Revenue for Taxation—Office of the Administrator—Anti-inflation Programme expenditures) which formed part of supplementary estimates to be decided that day, Mr. Lambert (Edmonton West) rose on a point of order to challenge the precedence given to this motion over that offered by Mr. Kempling (Halton—Wentworth) who had given the required 24 hours notice to oppose this item of the estimates. In making his case, Mr. Lambert went on to argue that the government had not fulfilled its obligation to provide 48 hours notice on the motion for concurrence.

Issue

How are notices to oppose items in the estimates handled? Should they precede the motion of the President of the Treasury Board for the concurrence of the said item?

Decision

The point of order is not accepted.

Reasons given by the Speaker

A notice of objection to an item in the estimates is not a motion; it only notifies the House that a Member insists on a separate vote on that particular item.

The only way to deal with the matter is by the motion of the President of the Treasury Board to concur in that item. This is as close as the House can come to dealing with the notice of objection under present practices.

Authority cited

Standing Order 58(4).