Amendments to the Content of Bills / Report Stage

Motion in amendment, beyond scope of clause and bill

Journals pp. 154-5            

Debates pp. 1754-6

Background

A motion at the report stage to amend the definition clause of Bill C-14, an Act to incorporate the Federal Business Development Bank, was entered on the Order Paper by Mr. Dick (Lanark—Renfrew—Carleton). His amendment sought to define the type of commercial enterprise to which the new bank could lend money. The Speaker, however, explained that he had reservations as to the procedural regularity of the proposed amendment and, before making a final ruling, invited Mr. Dick to present his arguments.

Issue

Is an amendment, moved at the report stage, acceptable if it seeks to change a definition clause and add a new principle to the bill?

Decision

The amendment motion is not acceptable.

Reasons given by the Speaker

The fact that the amendment would appear to add a totally new clause to the definition section, which in turn would add a totally new principle to the application of the bill as a whole, offends the basic rules of parliamentary procedure pertinent to amendments.

An amendment seeking not simply to clarify the definition section but to limit the application of the bill to the kind of activity that is defined by the proposed amendment, not only goes beyond the scope of the clause under consideration but also is probably outside the principle and scope of the bill itself.