Adjournment Motion Proposed under Standing Order 26 / Application Not Accepted

Issue not urgent

Debates p. 2659

Background

Mr. Benjamin (Regina—Lake Centre) sought leave to move the adjournment of the House, under the provisions of Standing Order 26, in order to debate a court decision which, in setting aside a decision of the Canadian Transport Commission on the railways' application for freight rate increases, raised questions as to who is responsible for setting such rates and threatened to aggravate further inequalities in the rate structure.

Issue

Does the application satisfy the provisions of Standing Order 26?

Decision

The application is not accepted.

Reasons given by the Speaker

The subject matter of the motion can hardly be described as an emergency. As the Member himself put it, the court's decision has aggravated a situation which has already existed for a long time.

Moreover, it would be inappropriate for the House to become involved in the interpretation of a court decision, particularly while the matter is still under adjudication before the courts or other administrative bodies.