Rules of Debate - Order and Decorum / Debate, Second Reading

March 15, 1985

Debates p. 3060

On March 14, 1985, during debate at second reading on Bill C-24 (Act to amend the Oil Substitution and Conservation Act and the Canadian Home Insulation Program Act), Mr. Waddell (Vancouverr—Kingsway) moved "That this House do now adjourn." A recorded division was requested and the bells were rung to call in the Members. The motion was defeated and the House resumed consideration of the motion for second reading. Mr. Hnatyshyn (President of the Privy Council) then raised a point of order to ask the Speaker whether the time taken by the ringing of the bells was to be counted as part of the eight hours of debate in which speeches are limited to 20 minutes. Mr. Hnatyshyn cited a precedent in which the Speaker had ruled that the time spent ringing the bells was to be included in the two-hour limit on proceedings for a time allocation motion. The Speaker heard statements from several Members and reserved his ruling.

Issue

Is the time taken by the ringing of the bells prior to voting on a superseding motion to be included in the time of the debate on the second-reading motion during which speeches are limited to 20 minutes?

Decision

No. The time taken by the ringing of the division bells should not be counted in the time of the debate.

Reasons given by the Speaker

There are differences between the wording of Standing Order 82, dealing with time allocation, and Standing Order 35(2), dealing with the length of speeches at second reading. In a similar set of circumstances during consideration of Bill C-151 (Borrowing Authority Act) on May 17, 1983, there were 84 minutes of debate remaining when the House resumed consideration. After five minutes of debate, a motion to adjourn the House was moved. The bells had rung for six hours and 48 minutes when the adjournment motion lapsed. When debate resumed on May 26, the bill was de bated for a further 79 minutes, during which 20-minute speeches followed by ten-minute question-and-comment periods were allowed. A motion for adjournment is a distinct question and supersedes the question under consideration. It must be disposed of before debate on the original question can be resumed.