Adjournment Motion Proposed under Standing Order 26 / Application Not Accepted

Specific, regional industry

Debates pp. 2785-7

Background

Mr. Rodriguez (Nickel Belt) sought leave to move the adjournment of the House, under the provisions of Standing Order 26, in order to discuss the lay-offs recently announced in the nickel industry.

Issue

Does the application satisfy the provisions of Standing Order 26?

Decision

The application is not accepted.

Reasons given by the Speaker

Standing Order 26 ought not to be used to bring before the House matters which are considered crises of individual constituencies or industries. To do so would only invite the same kind of application on an almost weekly basis with respect to other areas of the country. In the past, the Chair has resisted applications of this kind, and to allow such an application now would directly contradict the Chair's own precedents.

As a minor issue, there is the problem of jurisdiction, which if it is not significantly or primarily provincial certainly is shared. Queen's Park has recognized this in setting up a special committee related to this issue.

Precedents cited

Debates, January 27, 1975, p. 2613; December 4, 1975, p. 9715; October 21, 1977, pp. 126-7.