SMIP Committee Report

TAKE-NOTE DEBATES

26.   Over the past several years, the House has experimented with an innovative form of debate known as “take note” debates. A Minister moves a motion, which includes the words “that the House ‘take note’ of,” to solicit the views of Members on some aspect of government policy, or an issue confronting Canadians. These debates allow Members to participate in the development of government policy, making their views known before the government makes a decision; they allow the Government to canvass the views of Members. By the same token, Members are enabled to put their comments on the record in a relatively less formal and partisan setting.

27.   The Committee believes that take-note debates are good opportunities for parliamentary input, and that their use should be encouraged, although they fall short of the debate and vote format that some Members would like to see. While we do not want such debates to become so common that they lose their value, we think that, generally speaking, it would be possible to have one take-note debate in each group of sitting weeks. In 2001, there are seven sitting segments. Moreover, it appears that Tuesday evenings are most appropriate for such debates, and that they will generally last for a maximum of four hours, beginning at the conclusion of the regular sitting, generally 6:30 p.m. On evenings when a take-note debate is to be held, there should be no adjournment proceedings.

28.   Most take-note debates to date have been initiated by the Government, although the ideas may have originated from opposition requests. We believe that it is important that the topics for take-note debates be selected on the basis of consensus among the parties. Such debates are most useful when there is a general desire on the part of Members on both sides to debate an issue of public policy, and there are few pre-determined positions. We, therefore, believe that the topics for such debates should be agreed upon by the House Leaders. The subject-matter should be announced several days in advance, so that Members can plan to be present if they are interested, and have sufficient time to prepare their remarks.

29.The format for take-note debates has evolved over the last while. Most recently, we have experimented with the use of a committee of the whole format, whereby Members are not required to be in their assigned seats, but can congregate around the Table. We believe that this facilitates intimacy and an exchange of views by participants, and should be encouraged. The Standing Orders should, therefore, set out the basic format, which can be modified on specific occasions as required. This format would also be appropriate for emergency debates, and perhaps, in the future, other proceedings. Thus, unless otherwise agreed to, the format should be as follows: Members will not be required to be in their seats to be recognized; Members may speak for a maximum of ten minutes; after each ten-minute speech, there will be a ten-minute period for questions and comments; no motion may be proposed except the motion “That the Committee do now rise”; the Speaker will be permitted to preside as Chair; and the House shall adjourn immediately on the rising of the Committee.

The Committee recommends that the Standing Orders be amended by the addition of a new Standing Order 53.1 as follows:

53.1(a) A Minister of the Crown, following consultation with the House Leaders of the other parties, may propose a motion at any time, to be decided without debate or amendment, setting out the subject-matter and designating a day on which a take-note debate shall take place, provided that the motion may not be proposed less than forty-eight hours before the said debate is to begin.

(b) A take-note debate ordered by the House pursuant to section (a) of this Standing Order shall begin at 6:30 p.m., or, on a Friday, at 2:30 p.m., and any proceedings pursuant to Standing Order 38 shall be suspended on that day.

(c) The rules to apply to a debate under the present Standing Order shall be those applied during a Committee of the Whole except that:

                                i.            the Speaker may preside;

                              ii.            no Member may speak for longer than ten minutes and each speech may be followed by a period of not more                than ten minutes for questions and comments;

                            iii.            the Speaker shall not accept any motions except a motion “That the Committee do now rise”;

                            iv.            when no Member rises to speak or after four hours of debate, whichever is earlier, the Committee shall rise; and

                              v.            when the Committee rises, the House shall immediately adjourn to the next sitting day.