Special Debates / Emergency Debates

Leave refused: events in Syria; application filed on a previous day

April 13, 2017

Debates, pp. 10519–20

On April 13, 2017, Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan) rose on a point of order regarding his request for an emergency debate on the use of chemical weapons in Syria, notice of which he provided on April 10, 2017. However, he had not been able to ask for leave to move his motion due to the House not reaching the rubric “Requests for Emergency Debates” on April 11 or 12, 2017. Mr. Genuis argued that since there was no maximum period of notice and it was his first opportunity since giving notice, he should be allowed to make his request for an emergency debate.^[1]

Resolution

The Deputy Speaker (Bruce Stanton) ruled immediately. He determined that Mr. Genuis would need to resubmit his notice at least one hour before Routine Proceedings, as required.

Decision of the Chair

The Deputy Speaker: I thank the hon. member for Sherwood Park for his point of order. I refer to page 690 of O’Brien and Bosc, under initiating debate, pertaining to emergency debates. It states:

Any member…who wishes to move the adjournment of the House to discuss a specific and important matter requiring urgent consideration must give the Speaker written notice of the matter he or she wishes to propose for discussion at least one hour prior to rising in the House to make the formal request.

In respect to the member’s request, it is noted that the member did submit the request at an earlier time. In fact, the House was not in a position to accept that request for emergency debate as routine proceedings had not completed at that time. Therefore, the member would be obliged to resubmit his request for said emergency debate. Therefore, due to the fact that notice had not been given in the last hour, or at least an hour prior to today’s consideration of routine proceedings, we are not in a position to receive the request for emergency debate.

Of course, the hon. member will have the opportunity to do so the next time we have routine proceedings, which will be on Monday, May 1, at the ordinary time of routine proceedings. He can get his request in prior to one hour before routine proceedings that day, which typically occurs after question period.