The rules and procedures of the House are
far more complex than they appear on the surface. This complexity, illustrated
by the growth in the number of Standing Orders, an ever‑increasing number
of Speakers’ rulings and statements, and the whole body of unwritten practice,
has led to the publication over the years of various works on parliamentary
procedure, which have come to be referred to as “the Authorities”. In their own
time, these books have attempted to collect and organize the traditions,
precedents and procedure of our Parliament. Until the publication of the first
edition of House of Commons Procedure and Practice in 2000, the House
relied primarily on Arthur Beauchesne’s Parliamentary Rules and Forms of the
House of Commons of Canada and Sir John George Bourinot’s Parliamentary
Procedure and Practice in the Dominion of Canada (last published in 1916).
Other works that have proved useful in understanding the procedures of the
House include William F. Dawson’s Procedure in the Canadian House
of Commons, C.E.S. Franks’ The Parliament of Canada, Joseph Maingot’s
Parliamentary Privilege in Canada, John B. Stewart’s The
Canadian House of Commons: Procedure and Reform, and Norman Ward’s Dawson’sThe Government of Canada. When these and other sources have been
insufficient to help with a problem, reference may be made to Erskine May’s Treatise
on The Law, Privileges, Proceedings and Usage of Parliament as a guide to
relevant current British procedures.