House of Commons Procedure and Practice
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13. Rules of Order and Decorum

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[101]: See, for example, Debates, September 21, 1983, p. 27358; November 20, 1990, p. 15456; June 18, 1991, p. 1931; May 22, 1992, p. 11117; December 9, 1992, p. 14934.
[102]: See, for example, Debates, April 16, 1970, p. 5937; December 4, 1990, pp. 16245-6.
[103]: Bourinot, 4^th ed., p. 336. See also Journals, June 21, 1960, p. 675.
[104]: Bourinot, 4^th ed., p. 336.
[105]: Bourinot, 4^th ed., p. 336. See, for example, Debates, February 25, 1998, p. 4407; April 22, 1999, p. 14202.
[106]: See, for example, Debates, July 23, 1963, p. 2549.
[107]: See, for example, Debates, May 31, 1928, p. 3604.
[108]: See, for example, Debates, May 16, 1928, p. 3073; May 14, 1973, pp. 3725-7; April 9, 1976, pp. 12682-3; February 14, 1984, pp. 1361-3. See also Debates, February 1, 1954, pp. 1644-5, 1647-8, where the Speaker defines an unsigned or anonymous letter.
[109]: Debates, April 14, 1943, p. 2179; September 29, 1994, p. 6314.
[110]: Bourinot, 4^th ed., p. 337; Beauchesne, 4^th ed., pp. 134-5. See, for example, Debates, October 2, 1997, p. 415; October 29, 1997, p. 1287; November 5, 1997, pp. 1582-3, 1586; February 6, 1998, pp. 3499-500; February 23, 1998, p. 4289; April 29, 1998, p. 6293. See Chapter 10, “The Daily Program”, for additional information on the tabling of documents required by statute or in respect to administrative responsibilities by Ministers during Routine Proceedings under the rubric “Tabling of Documents”.
[111]: Beauchesne, 4^th ed., p. 134. See also Debates, October 28, 1983, pp. 28455-6; November 2, 1983, pp. 28627-31; October 17, 1995, p. 15488.
[112]: Journals, March 7, 1941, pp. 171-2.
[113]: See, for example, Journals, November 16, 1971, p. 922; Debates, March 4, 1975, p. 3755; February 11, 1983, p. 22755; November 14, 1984, pp. 219-20; February 4, 1992, p. 6376.
[114]: See, for example, Journals, February 22, 1972, p. 15.
[115]: See, for example, Debates, October 13, 1987, pp. 9898-9.
[116]: Standing Order 32(4). There have been occasions when a document has been tabled in only one language. See, for example, Journals, February 24, 1998, p. 526; March 17, 1998, p. 574; March 16, 1999, p. 1618. See also Debates, February 19, 1998, p. 4125, when the Parliamentary Secretary to the Government House Leader sought unanimous consent to table a newspaper article which was quoted by a Minister and which was available in English only. Consent was given.
[117]: Journals, April 6, 1971, pp. 475-6. For cases where the Speaker has refused requests by private Members for unanimous consent to table a document, see Debates, February 1, 1985, p. 1914; February 13, 1985, p. 2313; March 25, 1985, pp. 3326-7; September 23, 1985, p. 6864; June 27, 1986, p. 15006.
[118]: Debates, December 3, 1974, p. 1882.
[119]: See, for example, Debates, June 8, 1989, pp. 2812-3; December 5, 1990, p. 16330; November 30, 1992, p. 14276; February 1, 1994, p. 690; October 17, 1995, p. 15488; October 2, 1997, p. 415; December 4, 1997, pp. 2706-7; February 13, 1998, p. 3866; March 17, 1998, p. 5029; November 24, 1998, p. 10388; February 16, 1999, p. 11980. The first time a private Member was allowed to seek unanimous consent to table a document occurred on November 15, 1978 (Debates, pp. 1160-1). During the Thirty-Second Parliament (1980-84), the Chair discouraged Members from tabling material by unanimous consent, but allowed the request to be made (Debates, January 18, 1983, pp. 21954-5; May 6, 1983, pp. 25229-30, February 14, 1984, pp. 1362-3; April 18, 1984, p. 3185). In 1986, in allowing a Member to table a document by unanimous consent, Speaker Fraser advised the House while he would abide by its wishes, “the House has quite clearly decided to move outside the usual practice” (Debates, October 24, 1986, pp. 709-10).
[120]: See, for example, Journals, December 5, 1990, p. 2379; November 30, 1992, p. 2254; February 1, 1994, p. 88; March 16, 1994, p. 260; March 20, 1997, p. 1325; October 2, 1997, p. 70; February 16, 1999, p. 1514; March 11, 1999, p. 1596.
[121]: See, for example, Debates, June 13, 1991, p. 1646. See also Speaker’s comments, Debates, February 24, 1992, p. 7531. In 1992, the House adopted a special order allowing Members to table documents as sessional papers during a debate on proposals for reform of the constitution (Journals, February 5, 1992, p. 975).
[122]: See, for example, Debates, June 3, 1971, p. 6359; December 3, 1990, p. 16085. See also House of Representatives Practice, 3^rd ed., pp. 466-9.
[123]: See, for example, Debates, December 8, 1997, pp. 2851-2.
[124]: See, for example, Debates, February 8, 1994, pp. 1030, 1095; March 25, 1994, pp. 2812, 2821-2. The Speaker has refused to ask the House for unanimous consent to include as an appendix to Hansard the text of a speech given outside the House (Debates, April 2, 1981, p. 8876). Nonetheless, the House has agreed to append to the Debates a speech made by the Prime Minister in the Senate for the installation of a Govenor General (Debates, February 8, 1995, pp. 9334, 9367-70) and remarks made by the Governor General at the funeral service of a former Member (Debates, January 20, 1994, pp. 112, 133-5).
[125]: See, for example, Debates, February 11, 1986, p. 10687; February 9, 1993, p. 15637; March 23, 1994, pp. 2671, 2674; December 8, 1995, p. 17444; May 7, 1999, p. 14886. Examples of printed material used as a prop and ruled out of order include advertisements, newspapers, books and money (Debates, April 26, 1989, pp. 994-5; March 14, 1990, p. 9277; March 6, 1991, p. 18111; May 25, 1993, p. 19679; November 1, 1994, p. 7497; April 24, 1996, p. 1889).
[126]: These include produce, samples of grain, detergent boxes, boxes of letters and petitions, a wig and a pen (see, for example, Debates, June 16, 1969, p. 10156; October 29, 1969, p. 237; June 10, 1980, p. 1967; June 2, 1982, p. 18022; February 15, 1985, pp. 2387, 2404; May 5, 1987, p. 5763; March 13, 1995, p. 10383; March 5, 1997, p. 8649). On one occasion, a Member, who had been recognized to ask a question to the Minister of Health, held up a toy. The Speaker reprimanded the Member and ruled the question out of order (Debates, November 18, 1997, p. 1846). On another occasion, a petition in the form of a birthday card was deemed an exhibit and ordered removed from the Chamber (Debates, July 5, 1982, p. 18990). Another time, a Member held up a sign when the Minister of Finance was making a statement during Statements by Ministers and having ignored the Chair’s request that the display be removed, the Member was ordered suspended from the service of the House for the remainder of the day’s sitting (Debates, June 27, 1985, p. 6270).
[127]: See, for example, Debates, May 12, 1964, p. 3165; June 12, 1964, p. 4237; June 16, 1964, pp. 4352-3; August 17, 1964, p. 6926.
[128]: See, for example, Debates, December 14, 1994, p. 9057. On February 26, 1998, some Members used desk flags to demonstrate their opposition to certain remarks previously made by Suzanne Tremblay (Rimouski – Mitis). The Chair found that such use of the flag created disorder in the House and asked Members that the flags be put back in their desks (Debates, p. 4488). When Mrs. Tremblay was recognized later in the sitting, Members began singing the national anthem (Debates, p. 4503). A point of order was raised (Debates, pp. 4509-12) and, in his subsequent ruling, Speaker Parent underlined that the ruling was not about the flag or the national anthem. It was about “order and decorum and the duty of the Speaker to apply the rules and practices of the House.” The Speaker concluded that, until the House decided otherwise, no such displays would be allowed (Debates, March 16, 1998, pp. 4902-3).
[129]: See, for example, Debates, December 10, 1984, p. 1064; October 18, 1995, pp. 15537-8.
[130]: Debates, June 22, 1995, pp. 14465-6. See also Debates, September 18, 1995, p. 14508; October 2, 1995, pp. 15108-9.
[131]: Beauchesne, 3^rd ed., pp. 91-2.
[132]: See section above, “Reading of Speeches”.
[133]: See, for example, Debates, February 25, 1994, p. 1882; April 14, 1994, p. 3027.
[134]: See, for example, Debates, September 25, 1997, pp. 69-71; September 26, 1997, pp. 164-6.
[135]: Beauchesne, 4^th ed., p. 126. See, for example, Debates, March 10, 1994, p. 2101; October 30, 1997, p. 1388; February 23, 1998, p. 4312; April 2, 1998, p. 5685.
[136]: Beauchesne, 4^th ed., p. 126. See, for example, Debates, October 6, 1997, p. 530.
[137]: Beauchesne, 4^th ed., p. 126.
[138]: Debates, November 29, 1985, p. 8991. See also Debates, January 26, 1988, pp. 12282-5; October 26, 1990, pp. 14767-8; March 17, 1998, p. 4960; March 1, 1999, p. 12262.
[139]: See, for example, Debates, February 18, 1994, pp. 1553-4; June 21, 1994, p. 5674; December 5, 1995, pp. 17207-8; February 6, 1998, p. 3479; February 16, 1999, p. 11941; April 22, 1999, p. 14214; May 5, 1999, p. 14715.
[140]: Debates, April 3, 1987, p. 4875.
[141]: Standing Order 18.
[142]: Bourinot, 4^th ed., p. 361. Beauchesne, 4^th ed., p. 115. See, for example, Debates, June 15, 1994, p. 5377; September 29, 1994, p. 6311; June 9, 1995, p. 13517; October 29, 1996, pp. 5868-9, 5875; October 6, 1998, p. 8832. See also Debates, November 4, 1987, p. 10741; September 30, 1994, p. 6371; February 10, 1999, p. 11727. The use of unparliamentary language is discussed in detail later in the chapter.
[143]: Debates, February 11, 1993, pp. 15792-3.
[144]: Standing Order 18. See also Bourinot, 4^th ed., pp. 360-1. See, for example, Debates, December 20, 1989, pp. 7247-8; June 8, 1990, pp. 12522-3, 12533-4; June 13, 1995, pp. 13734-5; June 14, 1995, p. 13872; September 24, 1998, p. 8354; February 5, 1999, pp. 11515-6.
[145]: See, for example, Debates, January 21, 1994, p. 170; June 8, 1994, pp. 5015-7.
[146]: Bourinot, 4^th ed., p. 357. See, for example, Debates, December 5, 1985, pp. 9204-5. It is acceptable to refer to the official printed records of the Senate even though they may not have been formally asked for and communicated to the House.
[147]: See, for example, Debates, October 1, 1990, pp. 13607, 13621-2; March 12, 1993, p. 16913.
[148]: May, 22^nd ed., p. 381.
[149]: Beauchesne, 4^th ed., p. 114.
[150]: See, for example, Debates, January 17, 1991, pp. 17294-5, 17304-5; May 25, 1993, p. 19709.