House of Commons Procedure and Practice
Edited by Robert Marleau and Camille Montpetit
2000 Edition — More information …

22. Public Petitions

[51] 
Debates, November 20, 1984, pp. 412-3.
[52] 
Debates, December 19, 1990, pp. 16963-4.
[53] 
Bourinot, 4th ed., p. 232.
[54] 
See, for example, the general discussion on petitions on February 13, 1990 (Debates, pp. 8233-42). In presenting petitions, Members occasionally make reference to their “duty” in this respect (Debates, December 1, 1981, p. 13549; October 20, 1989, p. 4953; March 14, 1994, p. 2226).
[55] 
Debates, November 25, 1986, pp. 1501, 1505; February 25, 1994, pp. 1863-4.
[56] 
See Debates, October 21, 1997, p. 878 (petitions presented on behalf of a Member who had resigned).
[57] 
Debates, May 28, 1987, pp. 6500-1; September 22, 1987, p. 9172; March 8, 1988, p. 13490.
[58] 
See, for example, Debates, December 12, 1991, p. 6176.
[59] 
Bourinot, 4th ed., p. 231. See also Debates, April 23, 1879, pp. 1453-4; March 23, 1987, pp. 4433-4. Other Presiding Officers have presented petitions (see, for example, Journals, October 26, 1994, p. 829 (Bob Kilger, Assistant Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole); June 19, 1995, p. 1784 (Shirley Maheu, Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole)).
[60] 
Standing Order 36(3). This has been part of the written rules since Confederation.
[61] 
Standing Order 36(4).
[62] 
Standing Order 36(6).
[63] 
Standing Order 36(5).
[64] 
Statistics compiled by the Clerk of Petitions indicate that 2107 of 2361 petitions presented in the Second Session of the Thirty-Fifth Parliament (1996-97) were presented orally during Routine Proceedings.
[65] 
Standing Order 36(6). Rarely is the entire 15 minutes taken up (see, for example, Debates, March 13, 1995, pp.10393-7).
[66] 
Standing Order 36(6).
[67] 
Debates, October 28, 1983, p. 28457; June 11, 1985, p. 5649; November 7, 1986, pp. 1190-1.
[68] 
Standing Order 36(7).
[69] 
Debates, April 27, 1994, p. 3576; June 22, 1995, p. 14413; November 20, 1995, p. 16547; November 4, 1996, pp. 6068-9. Members had been known to inform the House of their personal views as they presented petitions. See, for example, Debates, June 9, 1947, p. 3912; March 29, 1985, p. 3510; April 26, 1994, p. 3483.
[70] 
Debates, April 26, 1989, p. 975.
[71] 
See, for example, Debates, April 6, 1982, p. 16198; March 14, 1990, p. 9284; September 16, 1991, p. 2173; December 8, 1992, pp. 14806-7; May 7, 1993, pp. 19111-2; September 28, 1998, p. 8474.
[72] 
Standing Order 36(5).
[73] 
On May 22, 1992, two Members presented petitions which were not recorded in that day’s Journals (Debates, pp. 11088-9; Journals, p. 1546).
[74] 
Debates, May 15, 1992, p. 10794.
[75] 
Debates, January 20, 1986, p. 9946.
[76] 
Standing Order 36(8).
[77]
From 1986 to 1994, a copy of each petition was forwarded to the Privy Council Office. Since the Standing Order changes in 1994, the original petition is now transmitted to the Privy Council Office.
[78] 
See, for example, Journals, September 19, 1994, pp. 683-5 (depositing with the Clerk); February 6, 1995, p. 1076 (tabling during Routine Proceedings).
[79] 
A sessional paper is any document tabled (or deemed tabled) in the House during a given session and as such is available for public scrutiny.
[80] 
See, for example, Debates, February 8, 1993, pp. 15560-2.
[81] 
Debates, April 19, 1993, pp. 18104-6.
[82] 
See the One Hundred and First Report of the Standing Committee on House Management, deemed tabled on September 8, 1993 (Journals, p. 3338).
[83] 
Debates, June 27, 1986, p. 14969.
[84] 
Standing Order 49.
[85] 
See, for example, Journals, February 29, 1996, p. 17, when responses to petitions presented in the First Session of the Thirty-Fifth Parliament were tabled early in the Second Session.

Please note —

As the rules and practices of the House of Commons are subject to change, users should remember that this edition of Procedure and Practice was published in January 2000. Standing Order changes adopted since then, as well as other changes in practice, are not reflected in the text. The Appendices to the book, however, have been updated and now include information up to the end of the 38th Parliament in November 2005.

To confirm current rules and practice, please consult the latest version of the Standing Orders on the Parliament of Canada Web site.

For further information about the procedures of the House of Commons, please contact the Table Research Branch at (613) 996-3611 or by e-mail at trbdrb@parl.gc.ca.