M-340 Amendments to Standing Orders 86, 87, 90 and 92 to 95

That the Standing Orders of the House of Commons be amended:

(a) by deleting Standing Order 86(1) and replacing it with the following:

“86. (1)(a) Any one Member may give notice of an item of Private Members’ Business, and may do so, if he or she chooses, in conjunction with up to as many other Members as the number of parties with official status in the House of Commons minus one.

(b) Any Member sponsoring an item of Private Members’ Business with another Member may move a motion related to that item with the consent of all the other sponsoring Members of the item, and such a motion will stand in the name of all sponsors of the item.”

(b) by deleting Standing Order 86(2) and replacing it with the following:

“(2) Notwithstanding the usual practices of the House, not more than twenty Members may jointly second an item under Private Members' Business and may indicate their desire to second any motion in conjunction with the Member or Members in whose name or names it first appeared on the Notice Paper, by so indicating, in writing to the Clerk of the House, at any time prior to the item being proposed.”

(c) by inserting the following new section immediately after Standing Order 87(1)(a)(iii):

“(iv) An item of Private Members’ Business shall not be dropped from the Order Paper if one or more sponsoring Members become ineligible, unless all sponsors become ineligible.”

(d) by deleting Standing Order 87(1)(d) and replacing it with the following:

“(d) Not later than the ordinary hour of daily adjournment on the second sitting day after the day on which the order of precedence is established or replenished, a Member whose name has been placed in the order of precedence may indicate that he or she wishes to have his or her item designated non-votable by informing the Clerk in writing through a notice signed by all sponsors of that item.

(e) The names of the Members sponsoring an item are removed from the List for the Consideration of Private Members’ Business once the item has been placed in the order of precedence.”

(e) by deleting Standing Order 90 and replacing it with the following:

“90. Except as provided pursuant to Standing Order 96, after any bill or other order standing in the name of a private Member or Members has been considered in the House or in any Committee of the Whole and any proceeding thereon has been adjourned or interrupted, the said bill or order shall be placed on the Order Paper for the next sitting at the bottom of the order of precedence under the respective heading for such bills or orders.”

(f) by deleting Standing Order 92(1)(b)(ii) and replacing it with the following:

“(ii) all the sponsors of the item have waived the right to appeal by so notifying the Speaker in writing.”

(g) by deleting Standing Order 92(2) and replacing it with the following:

“(2) Within five sitting days of the deposit of a report referred to in paragraph (1)(a) of this Standing Order, the sponsor or sponsors of an item that is the object of the report shall have the opportunity to appear before the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs and to provide a written submission to the Committee to explain why the item should be votable.”

(h) by deleting Standing Order 92(4)(a) and replacing it with the following:

“(4)(a) Where a report pursuant to paragraph (3)(a) of this Standing Order has been presented to the House, any sponsor of the item which is the object of the report may appeal the decision of the Committee by filing with the Speaker within five sitting days of the presentation of the said report, a motion to that effect signed by all sponsors of the item and five other Members of the House representing a majority of the recognized parties in the House, and, if no appeal is filed with the Speaker during the period provided for in this paragraph, or if all the sponsors have waived the right to appeal by so notifying the Speaker in writing, the report is deemed adopted.”

(i) by deleting Standing Order 92.1(1) and replacing it with the following:

“92.1(1) Where a report pursuant to Standing Order 92(3)(a) has been presented to the House, any sponsor of the item that has been designated non-votable may, within five sitting days of the presentation of the said report, give written notice signed by all sponsors of the item of his or her intention to substitute another item of Private Members’ Business for the item designated non-votable.”

(j) by deleting Standing Order 92.1(2) and replacing it with the following:

“(2) When notice has been given pursuant to section (1) of this Standing Order, the sponsor of the item, or all sponsors in the case of an item with multiple sponsors, who has or have other notices of motion on the Order Paper or Notice Paper or bills on the Order Paper set down for consideration at the second reading stage shall, when forwarding that notice, inform the Clerk which of their items is to replace the non-votable item in the order of precedence and, notwithstanding any other Standing Order, that item shall retain its place in the order of precedence and shall remain subject to the application of Standing Orders 86 to 99.”

(k) by deleting Standing Order 92.1(3) and replacing it with the following:

“(3) When notice has been given pursuant to section (1) of this Standing Order, the sponsor or sponsors of the item without a notice of motion on the Order Paper or Notice Paper or a bill on the Order Paper set down for consideration at the second reading stage shall, within 20 days of the deposit of the report pursuant to Standing Order 92(3)(a), have another notice of motion on the Order Paper or Notice Paper or a bill on the Order Paper set down for consideration at the second reading stage and, notwithstanding any other Standing Order, that item shall be placed at the bottom of the order of precedence and shall remain subject to the application of Standing Orders 86 to 99.”

(l) by deleting Standing Order 93(3) and replacing it with the following:

“(3) Amendments to motions and to the motion for the second reading of a bill may only be moved with the consent of all sponsors of the item.”

(m) by deleting Standing Order 94(2)(a) and replacing it with the following:

“(2)(a) When any Member has given at least forty-eight hours' written notice that he or she is unable to be present to move his or her motion under Private Members' Business on the date required by the order of precedence, the Speaker, with permission of the Members involved, may arrange for an exchange of positions in the order of precedence with a Member or Members whose motion or bill has been placed in the order of precedence, provided that, with respect to the Member or Members accepting the exchange, all of the requirements of Standing Order 92 necessary for the item to be called for debate have been complied with.”

(n) by deleting Standing Order 94(2)(c)(i) and replacing it with the following:

“(i) the sponsor or sponsors shall be prohibited from requesting an exchange pursuant to Standing Order 94(2)(a); and”

(o) by deleting Standing Order 95(1) and replacing it with the following:

“95. (1) When an item of Private Members' Business that is votable is under consideration, the Member moving the motion shall speak for not more than fifteen minutes followed by a five-minute period for questions and comments. When an item is sponsored by more than one Member, the sponsors wishing to speak shall share equally a total of fifteen minutes followed by a five-minute period of questions and comments. Thereafter, no Member shall speak for more than ten minutes. The Member or Members moving the motion shall, if desired, speak again for not more than five minutes, shared equally by sponsors wishing to speak, at the conclusion of the second hour of debate, or earlier if no other Member rises in debate.”

(p) by deleting Standing Order 95(2) and replacing it with the following:

“(2) When an item of Private Members' Business that is not votable is proposed, the Member moving the motion shall speak for not more than fifteen minutes. When such an item is proposed by more than one Member, the sponsors wishing to speak shall share equally a total of fifteen minutes. Thereafter, no Member shall speak for more than ten minutes for a period not exceeding forty minutes. After forty minutes, or earlier if no other Member rises in debate, any Member moving the motion shall, if he or she chooses, speak again for not more than five minutes, shared equally by all Members moving the motion who wish to speak. Debate is thereby concluded.”;

and that the Clerk be authorized to make any required editorial and consequential amendments.