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Appendix 4Deputy Chairs of Committees of the Whole House Since 1938*On February 11, 1938, the Standing Orders of the House were amended to provide for the appointment of a Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole. The tenure of this office is for a single session rather than for a Parliament. Whenever the Chair of Committees of the Whole is absent, the Deputy Chair is entitled to exercise all the powers vested in the Chair of Committees of the Whole, including the powers as Deputy Speaker. After the first appointment, the position was left vacant for nine years and then, from 1947 until 1953, was only filled when necessary. In 1953 and subsequent years, the practice of appointing a Deputy Chair for a session was firmly established.
* Effective March 2003, the term “Chair” replaced the term “Chairman” in the Standing Orders of the House of Commons. [1] At the time of the appointment of John Frederick Johnston, it was expected that the Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees of the Whole would be absent for a period of time. No Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole was appointed between 1938 and 1947. [2] Louis-René Beaudoin was appointed Deputy Speaker and Chairman of Committees of the Whole on April 9, 1952. The position of Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole remained vacant from that date until May 23, 1952. [3] William Alfred Robinson was selected as Deputy Speaker in the next Parliament. [4] Charles Edward Rea was replaced as Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole, due to illness, on June 8, 1961. [5] Gordon Campbell Chown was selected as Deputy Speaker in the next Parliament. [6] Herman Maxwell Batten was selected as Deputy Speaker in the next Parliament. [7] On December 26, 1967, Maurice Rinfret died in office. The position remained vacant during the remainder of the Second Session of the Twenty-Seventh Parliament. [8] Albert Béchard was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice on October 1, 1970, and resigned as Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole on October 5, 1970. [9] Gérald Laniel was selected as Deputy Speaker in the next Parliament. [10] For the first time, the motion for this position was seconded by a Member of an opposition party. [11] Keith Penner’s resignation as Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole was announced in the House on October 14, 1975. He had been appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Science and Technology on October 10, 1975. [12] On July 21, 1982, the Speaker informed the House that Denis Ethier had resigned as Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole, effective July 8, 1982. [13] Rod Blaker resigned as Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole on January 15, 1984. He had been appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for International Trade on January 13, 1984. [14] Shirley Maheu was appointed to the Senate on February 2, 1996. [15] Robert (Bob) Kilger’s appointment was agreed to by the House on a recorded division (Journals, February 27, 1996, p. 3). This marked the first occasion that the motion for this position was adopted on a recorded division. Mr. Kilger resigned as Deputy Chairman of Committees of the Whole on October 29, 1996, when he was appointed Chief Government Whip by the Liberal Government. [16] Peter Milliken’s appointment was agreed to by the House on a recorded division (Journals, October 29, 1996, pp. 787-8). Mr. Milliken was selected as Deputy Speaker in the next Parliament. [17] For the first time, a Member of the Official Opposition was appointed to the position. [18] Changes to the process for electing the Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole were implemented at the start of the Thirty-Eighth Parliament. The Speaker of the House, after consultation with the leaders of each of the officially recognized parties, announces the name of the Member he or she considers to be qualified for the position. The House then votes on the Speaker’s designation without debate or amendment. |
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