Questions Related to Content of Bills

Introduction

Even after a bill has received first reading, the Speaker or Members can challenge its acceptability at any time if it appears to conflict with any practice or fall short of any requirement of the House. One recurrent failing of private Members' bills is the proposal of expenditures in the absence of a Royal Recommendation, which can only be secured by a Minister of the Crown. A related problem, now obsolete for most legislation, concerned the resolution that preceded a bill: it was possible to challenge a bill if its terms were not the same as those of its resolution. More current and problematic is the difficulty presented by items in the Estimates that have a legislative character. Since Supply is now considered according to a comparatively fixed timetable, the Speaker has ruled that items of a legislative nature cannot be inserted in the Estimates if the usual restraints on debate are to apply. Another difficulty with respect to bills arises when a request is made to divide a bill which appears to contain several principles, for this is a request that no Speaker in Canada has ever accepted.