Private Members’ Business / Votable and Non-votable Items

Item designated as non-votable: appeal to the House; results of secret ballot vote

January 29, 2019

Debates, p. 24999

On January 28, 2019, Luc Thériault (Montcalm) sought unanimous consent to move a motion requesting that the results of the secret ballot on Bill C-421 be disclosed at the same time as the voting results. The request was denied.^[1] On January 29, 2019, in reference to the Speaker’s statements on the voting process, Mr. Thériault rose on a point of order to request that, following the vote on the designation of Bill C-421, an act to amend the Citizenship Act (adequate knowledge of French in Quebec), standing in the name of Mario Beaulieu (La Pointe-de-l’Île), the number of votes in favour and votes against be announced at the same time as the result of the vote. Mr. Thériault stated that the purpose of the secret ballot under Standing Order 92(4) was to enable members to vote freely, and that disclosing the vote results would support greater transparency and democracy in a 21st century Parliament.^[2]

Resolution

The Speaker delivered his ruling later that day. Citing a ruling from November 28, 2017, the Speaker stated that Standing Order 92 did not provide any direction to the Chair that would cause it to depart from the only similar practice, that of the election of the Speaker, in which only the final outcome of the vote is announced and not the number of ballots cast. The Speaker invited the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs to consider the matter if doing so was deemed necessary. Accordingly, the Speaker concluded by stating that he would announce only the final outcome of the vote on the designation of Bill C-421 and nothing more.

Decision of the Chair

The Speaker: I am now prepared to rule on the point of order raised earlier today by the hon. member for Montcalm concerning the secret ballot on the designation of Bill C-421.

I want to thank the hon. member for Montcalm for having raised this question.

During his intervention, the member asked that the result of the secret ballot on the designation of Bill C-421, an act to amend the Citizenship Act in regard to the adequate knowledge of French in Quebec, be revealed at the same time as the result of the vote itself. In his opinion, the Chair cannot simply announce whether Bill C-421 is votable, because it is essential that the number of votes for and against be announced to thwart the government’s desire to muzzle members.

As the member himself remarked, I issued a ruling on the same question on November 28, 2017. At the time, it was claimed that the procedure for designating a bill did not have to be the same as the procedure for electing the Speaker. Members will recall that in response I stated, at page 15653 of the Debates:

Standing Order 92 does not provide any direction to the Chair which would cause it to depart from that now established practice.

I also invited the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs to consider the matter, if it deemed it necessary. Until such time as the House decides to provide new direction on this matter, the Chair will continue to follow the only similar practice that exists in our Standing Orders, that of the election of the Speaker.

Therefore, once the voting is completed at the end of tomorrow’s sitting, I will be provided only with and announce to the House the final outcome of the vote, and nothing more. The table officers will in no way reveal to the Chair, or anyone else, the number of ballots cast on the designation of Bill C-421.

I want to thank the hon. members for their attention.

Postscript

The vote on the designation of Bill C-421 took place on January 29 and 30, 2019, and the results were announced by the Deputy Speaker on January 31, 2019.