The Daily Program

Introduction

The conduct of parliamentary business on a given sitting day follows a pattern which, in general terms, is regulated by the Standing Orders and can be found printed on the daily Order Paper. The House opens its proceedings each day with prayers, and then pursuant to Standing Order, proceeds to a prescribed daily routine of business. In the period October 1986 to November 1988, the operative Standing Order was numbered 19; from November 1988 to the end of Speaker Fraser’s term in 1993, the Standing Order was numbered 30. The actual proceedings carried out under each of these rubrics is governed by Standing Order and practice.

While the precise time for the commencement of Statements by Members, of Oral Questions, and of the calling of items collectively known as Routine Proceedings may vary according to the day of the week, the number and order of items called under the Routine Proceedings normally does not. These items are Tabling of Documents, Statements by Ministers, Presenting Reports from Inter-parliamentary Delegations, Presenting Reports from Committees, Introduction of Government Bills, Introduction of Private Members’ Bills, First Reading of Senate Public Bills, Motions, Presenting Petitions, and Questions on the Order Paper.

The Standing Orders provide as well for an adjournment debate, commonly known as the “Late Show”, to take place on four days of the week.

For ease of reference therefore, this chapter is divided into five sections: Prayers, Statements by Members, Oral Questions, Routine Proceedings, and Adjournment Proceedings. Each of these sections opens with a separate introduction.

During the seven years of Speaker Fraser’s term, many amendments to the Standing Orders governing the number, order and duration of items under this daily program were adopted. Thus, the Chair Occupants were continually called upon to interpret and re-interpret procedures based on the new text and new “understandings”, as well as to enforce commonly-understood practices. Account of these changes and relevant discussions have been highlighted in the introductory text in the individual sections of this chapter. Readers are referred as well to key rulings touching upon the daily routine of business which are located in other chapters of this book.