Adjournment Motions for Emergency Debates / Application Accepted

September 25, 1985

Debates pp. 6970-1

On September 20, 1985, Mr. Broadbent (Oshawa) sought leave to move the adjournment of the House under the provisions of Standing Order 31 to discuss the Government's role in the crisis facing the Northland Bank. The Speaker found that while a genuine emergency existed, he was not yet satisfied that there was sufficient urgency to justify changing the order of business. On September 23 Mr. Broadbent again requested an emergency debate on the subject and the Speaker again refused the application on the grounds that the Government had expressed its intention to call the matter for debate the following afternoon. On September 25 Mr. Deans (Hamilton Mountain) asked the Speaker to consider whether there now existed a justifiable case for allowing the motion. The Speaker ruled immediately.

Issue

Did the application meet the requirements of Standing Order 31?

Decision

Yes. The application was accepted.

Reasons given by the Speaker

The conditions of the Standing Orders with respect to the urgency of the matter have been met.

(When the Speaker put the question for leave to move the adjournment of the House, more than five but fewer than twenty Members rose. The Speaker called in the Members to vote, where upon a discussion a rose. The vote was then taken and was unanimous in favour of the debate. The Speaker scheduled the debate for eight o'clock that day.)