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Under the Constitution Act, 1867, a quorum of 20 Members, including the Speaker, is required “to constitute a meeting of the House for the exercise of its powers”.[5] This constitutional requirement is reiterated in the Standing Orders.[6] For a quorum to exist, it is sufficient that 20 Members be in attendance, regardless of their party affiliations or whether they are in government or in opposition.[7] In this regard, the Deputy Speaker of the House stated in 1998: The count is for the minimum number of 20 members. If 20 members are present the debate resumes. The Speaker is disinterested as to whether it is all government members, all opposition members or a mixture of members from both sides forming the quorum. As such the Speaker is not in a position to tell members from either side of the House who should be in his or her place or how many members should be available for any debate.[8] Although there have been several attempts to increase the size of quorum, it has remained unchanged since Confederation.[9] Modern‑day demands on Members’ time are such that attending the sittings of the House is only one of many duties. Party Whips have traditionally been responsible, through the use of roster systems, for ensuring that the required number of Members is present to maintain the quorum.
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