Introduction

The Selected Decisions of Speaker Bosley is the fifth in a series of volumes which will bring together in a comprehensive collection all of the significant modern rulings of the Speakers of the Canadian House of Commons. Earlier volumes contained the decisions of Speakers Lucien Lamoureux (1966-1974), James Jerome (1974-1979), Jeanne Sauvé (1980-1984), and Lloyd Francis (1984). The present volume contains approximately 80 decisions, covering the period from 1984 to 1986 when John Bosley presided over the House.

Mr. Bosley was first elected to Parliament in 1979 and was re-elected in 1980, 1984 and 1988. He became Speaker when the Progressive Conservative Party formed the Government after the 1984 general election. When the second session of the 33rd Parliament opened in September1986, Mr. Bosley announced to the House his intention to resign the office of Speaker and sit as a Private Member. His last act as Speaker was to preside over the first election of a Speaker by secret ballot, a new procedure adopted by the Hou se in June 1985.

During his Speakership a number of rulings were made which built upon the decisions of Speakers Sauvé and Francis concerning Standing Order changes dating from 1982. He also began to interpret some of the new procedures adopted by the House in February 1986 following the work of the Special Committee on Reform of the House (the McGrath Committee).

Many people have, of course, contributed to this work. I would like particularly to acknowledge the efforts of the Table Research Branch, which worked assiduously to gather, analyze and prepare these decisions for publication. I also wish to thank the Index and Reference Service and the Publications Service, both under the Parliamentary Publications Directorate, as well as the Government Translation Services for their assistance.

Ottawa, 1994

Clerk of the House

Robert Marleau