9. Sittings of the House

The House sometimes alters its normal schedule of sittings to accommodate special events or ceremonies. These “special” or “unusual” sittings have included: sitting for the sole purpose of attendance at the Royal Assent ceremony; sitting for the purpose of electing a Speaker; conducting a secret sitting; and sitting to hear addresses by distinguished visitors.

In the late 1980s, the House followed the practice of adopting special orders permitting the Speaker, during periods of adjournment, to recall the House for the sole purpose of attending Royal Assent. ^[100]  The Standing Order authorizing the Speaker to recall the House, if it is deemed to be in the public interest, has also been invoked to recall the House for the sole purpose of attending Royal Assent. ^[101]  In 1994, the House codified in the Standing Orders the practice of recalling the House, at the request of the government for the sole purpose of Royal Assent. ^[102] 

A sitting for the sole purpose of Royal Assent is treated as a recall of the House with proper notice given so that the Speaker may make the necessary preparations to reopen the House. The House does not need a quorum for the Speaker to take the Chair when the Usher of the Black Rod appears in the Chamber to request the attendance of Members in the Senate. ^[103]  In responding to a summons of the Crown, the House is simply being asked to witness an event, rather than to make a decision. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Speaker returns to the House and, once in the Chair, reports that the Governor General was pleased to give, in Her Majesty’s name, Royal Assent to certain bills. The Chair then immediately adjourns the House ^[104]  without proceeding to any other business. ^[105] 

At the first sitting of a new Parliament or at any time during the course of a Parliament when the Speakership becomes vacant, the House may, if necessary, sit beyond the regular hour of adjournment until such time as a Speaker is declared elected. The election of a Speaker takes precedence over all other business. No other business may be addressed and no motion for adjournment, nor any other motion, may be entertained. If the House has continued to sit beyond the regular hour of adjournment, the Speaker, upon being elected and taking the Chair, adjourns the House until the next sitting day. ^[106] 

Although not explicitly provided for in the Standing Orders, the House has the right and authority to conduct its proceedings in private. This has been referred to as a “secret sitting”. The House may conduct an entire sitting or a portion of a sitting where “strangers” (anyone who is not a Member or an official of the House of Commons) are either not admitted or asked to withdraw from the galleries of the House. ^[107] These meetings are regarded as sittings and are noted as such in the documents of the House. To conduct a secret sitting, the House has either adopted a special order to initiate the proceeding, ^[108]  or has simply not opened the doors of the House to the public following the prayers at the beginning of a sitting. ^[109] 

The House has met in secret on four occasions, all during wartime. ^[110]  As well, in the years shortly after Confederation, the House would, upon the commencement of a sitting but prior to the doors being opened to the public, conduct a portion of its sittings out of public view in order to discuss internal or “domestic” matters. ^[111] 

From time to time, the House of Commons Chamber is the site for a joint address to Parliament by a distinguished visitor (usually a head of state or head of government). Since the early 1940s, numerous distinguished visitors have addressed Members of the Senate and the House of Commons from the floor of the Chamber. (See Figure 9.1.)

Since the 1970s, the practice has normally been for the House to adopt a motion for a joint address, without debate, prior to the delivery of the address. ^[112]  In addition to the order to append the address and related speeches to Hansard, ^[113] the motion has also included the date and time of the adjournment of the House, as well as other conditions for the order of business on the day of the address. By 1980, the motion also included permission for the transmission of the address and related speeches by the media. ^[114] 

When a joint address takes place, Senators and Members of the House of Commons assemble in the House of Commons Chamber. However, the assembly does not constitute a sitting and the Mace is not on the Table. An established protocol is nonetheless followed.

The seating arrangements in the House are not what they would be for a regular sitting. The Speaker of the House takes the Chair, with the Speaker of the Senate seated in a chair to his or her right. The Table is cleared of the usual paraphernalia and a lectern placed at its head. The Prime Minister and the distinguished visitor are seated along the side of the Table to the Speaker’s right; the Clerk of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Commons are seated along the other side of the Table. Seating for the rest of the official party, the Justices of the Supreme Court and the Senators is arranged on the floor of the House in front of the Table.

On arrival at the Centre Block, the distinguished visitor is met in the Rotunda by the Prime Minister and the Speakers of both Houses, and signs the Senate and House of Commons’ visitors books. At the appointed hour, the official party enters the House of Commons Chamber. The Prime Minister provides an official welcome and invites the visitor to address the assembly. Afterwards, the visitor is thanked by the Speaker of the Senate, followed by the Speaker of the House of Commons who will then conclude the assembly. At this point, the official party exits the Chamber and proceeds to the House of Commons Speaker’s Chambers.