There is no such thing as a bad seat in the House of Commons.
Speaker Gilbert Parent
(Debates, September 30, 1998, p. 8585)
W
hile the House of Commons conducts its business in accordance with
established procedures and practices, it does so in its own unique physical setting and under administrative
structures of its own making. These two factors are an important backdrop to the procedural operations of
the House. This chapter provides information about Ottawa as the seat of government, the Parliament
Buildings, the House of Commons Chamber and the administrative framework through which are provided an
array of facilities and services dedicated to the operations of the House and the needs of its Members.
Ottawa as the Seat of Government
In 1857, Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the seat of government for the Province of Canada. This followed
years of intense rivalry among the elected representatives of the pre-Confederation colonies of Upper and
Lower Canada, who could not agree on a permanent site. [1]
The itinerant Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada met in several different cities, beginning
with Kingston in 1841. In 1844, it moved to Montreal where it remained until 1849 when the legislative
building was burned by rioters. [2]
Thereafter a system was adopted under which the assembly met alternately at Quebec and Toronto before
finally settling into its permanent home in Ottawa, where it met for the first time in 1866. With the
advent of Confederation the following year, the capital of the Province of Canada became the national
capital, in compliance with the Constitution Act, 1867, Section 16 of which states that “the
seat of Government of Canada shall be Ottawa”. [3]
Accordingly, the Parliament of Canada assembled in Ottawa on November 6, 1867, for the First Session of
the First Parliament.
The Parliament Buildings and Grounds
Location and Disposition
The Parliament Buildings are situated on a cliff, originally a primeval forest of beech and hemlock whose
southern approach consisted of dense cedar swamps and a beaver meadow. The site, [4]
which was formerly the location of a military barracks, overlooks the Ottawa River. It is bounded by
Wellington Street to the south (the Wellington Wall, which was built in 1872, stands on the north side of
Wellington Street, separating the lawns and buildings of Parliament Hill from the city street), the Rideau
Canal to the east, the Ottawa River to the north and Bank Street to the west, and has the legal name of
Parliament Hill. [5]
(See Figure 6.1, The Parliamentary Precinct.) The original complex of buildings comprised the Parliament
Building — fronted by a tower and backed by the Library of Parliament, a 16-sided polygonal structure
— as well as two extant departmental buildings styled East Block and West Block. The Parliament
Building, including the tower, was destroyed by fire on February 3, 1916. [6]
Only the library survived intact, thanks to an employee who closed the great iron doors connecting the
library to the rest of the building. For the next four years, both Houses of Parliament met several city
blocks south of Parliament Hill in the Victoria Memorial Museum, now called the Canadian Museum of Nature. [7]
In 1920, sittings resumed in the new Centre Block, which was built on the same site as the old building. [8]
A new tower, called the Peace Tower in commemoration of Canada’s human and material contributions to
the First World War, was also built. [9]
While originally sufficient to house the entire parliamentary and governmental apparatus, the Centre, East
and West Blocks ceased to provide adequate accommodation as the size, complexity and functions of
Parliament and government multiplied. Today, government departments are housed in office buildings
throughout the National Capital Region and elsewhere in the country. The parliamentary precinct —
those premises which both Houses of Parliament “occupy from time to time for their corporate purposes” [10]
— has expanded to include several other buildings in the immediate vicinity of Parliament Hill. [11]
The House of Commons and Senate Chambers are located in the Centre Block. Offices for Members of Parliament
are located in the Centre Block, East Block and West Block, as well as the Confederation Building, the
Justice Building and the Wellington Building. Committee rooms are found in the Centre Block, East and West
Blocks, La Promenade Building and Wellington Building. Offices for House staff and parliamentary services
are found in these and other locations in the capital.
The grounds around Parliament Hill have undergone several stylistic transformations since Confederation but
have always included a wide central walk leading from the gateway at the south end of the grounds to the
main entrance at the base of the tower. At the southern end of the walkway is a fountain; in its centre
burns the Centennial Flame, which was lit on New Year’s Eve 1966, to mark the first hundred years of
Confederation (1867-1967). [12]
The fountain is a 12-sided truncated pyramid, each side holding a bronze shield bearing the coat of arms
of a province or territory. Water flows continuously around the shields; the flame, fed by natural gas,
burns through the water and gives the impression of the flame dancing over the water. Coins tossed into the
fountain are retrieved to fund the Centennial Flame Research Award Fund. [13]
The grounds of Parliament Hill are the site of 14 bronze portrait statues, erected between 1885 and 1992. [14]
Represented are seven former Prime Ministers (John A. Macdonald, Alexander Mackenzie, Wilfrid Laurier,
Robert Borden, William Lyon Mackenzie King, John Diefenbaker and Lester B. Pearson), five Fathers of
Confederation (George-Étienne Cartier, a joint memorial to Robert Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte
Lafontaine, George Brown and Thomas D’Arcy McGee) and two monarchs (Victoria and Elizabeth II). [15]
Title, Management, Care and Control
Given Parliament’s right to administer its own affairs free from interference, including overseeing
the areas used in the performance of official parliamentary functions, the Speakers of the two Houses have
traditionally held authority and control over accommodation and services within the parliamentary precinct. [16]
At Confederation, Parliament Hill (including the adjacent parcel of land on which the Confederation
Building stands) was transferred by the imperial government to Canada as “ordnance property”. [17]
As such, control of the grounds and construction, repair and maintenance of the buildings fell under the
general mandate of the government department responsible for federal buildings and property. [18]
The National Capital Commission, a federal body whose mandate is the improvement and beautification of the
national capital region, [19]
is charged with the landscaping and upkeep of the grounds of Parliament Hill.
The Centre Block
Built in a modern Gothic revival style, the rectangular Centre Block is some 144 metres long by 75 metres
deep, and six stories high. [20]
More than 25 different types of stone and marble were used in the building’s construction; however,
much of the exterior is Nepean sandstone, quarried near Ottawa, and its interior walls are sheeted with
Tyndall limestone from Manitoba. Inside, the history and traditions of Canada are reflected in many stone
carvings which have been the ongoing work of over 60 sculptors and carvers since 1916.
The main entrance to the Centre Block is located at the base of the Peace Tower, where a broad flight of
steps leads into a stately Gothic archway. The main doors open onto stairs leading up into the octagonal
Confederation Hall (also called the Rotunda) and the Hall of Honour leading to the Library of Parliament
(see Figure 6.2, Floor Plan of the Centre Block). In the centre of the Confederation Hall is a massive
stone column inscribed in memory of the Canadian soldiers who fought in World War I. On the eastern end of
the Centre Block is found the Senate Chamber and on the western end, the House of Commons Chamber. Each
House has a distinct entrance to the building for its Members.
Peace Tower
The Peace Tower with its four-faced clock is the focal point of the Parliament Buildings. It commemorates
Canada’s contributions to World War I and houses on its third floor the Memorial Chamber, which holds
the books of remembrance naming those Canadians who gave their lives in each of the wars in which Canada
has been involved. An enclosed observation deck below the clock offers a view in all directions of the
National Capital Region. The Tower, which is 92.2 metres high, is surmounted by a mast from which the flag
is flown. [21]
The Peace Tower also contains a carillon of 53 bells, inaugurated on July 1, 1927, in honour of the Diamond
Jubilee of Confederation. Regular recitals are given by the carillonneur. The bells chime every quarter-hour,
controlled by a mechanism connected to the clock.
Library of Parliament
At the north end of the Centre Block’s Hall of Honour, opposite the main entrance, are the doors to
the Library of Parliament. Its style of architecture is High Victorian Gothic Revival; its interior is
circular in form and richly ornamented with carved white pine panelling. The Library survived the fire of
1916, but in 1952 a fire broke out in the cupola of the Library, causing extensive smoke and water damage.
The Library serves Parliament using state-of-the-art information technologies, and housing a collection of
well over 1,000,000 items (books, periodicals, brochures and microforms), of which over 400,000 titles are
catalogued in the integrated Library system. Comprehensive information, research and analysis services are
provided by the Library to parliamentarians, their staff, parliamentary committees, parliamentary
associations and delegations and senior officials of both Houses. It also provides information about
Parliament to the general public. [22]
Apart from the main Library and the Parliamentary Reading Room, there are branch libraries in some of the
other buildings used by Parliament. [23]
The Chamber
The South Corridor, hung with portraits of former Prime Ministers, links the Confederation Hall to the
Commons Chamber. At the west end of the corridor is the spacious, high-ceilinged foyer of the House of
Commons, which may also be accessed from the Members’ entrance at the western end of the Centre Block.
On the four walls of the foyer, just below the balcony which overlooks it from the floor above, is a series
of 10 bas-relief sculpture panels depicting 25,000 years of Canadian history from the arrival of the
aboriginal peoples to that of the United Empire Loyalists in the late eighteenth century. [24]
Opening off the foyer are the doors to an antechamber which leads into the Chamber itself. [25]
The doors are made of white oak and trimmed with hand-wrought iron. Members tend to use the smaller doors
to either side of the main doors; these lead into the antechamber and then into the government and
opposition lobbies, rooms behind the government and opposition benches, which also open onto the Chamber.
Each day when the House meets to conduct business, the Speaker’s parade [26]
moves from the Speaker’s chambers through the halls of the Centre Block, entering the antechamber
through the large centre doors and proceeding into the Chamber through a second set of doors.
The Chamber itself is rectangular in shape, measuring approximately 21 metres in length and 16 metres in
width; it is also sheeted with Tyndall limestone as well as white oak and, like its counterpart at
Westminster, it is decorated in green. [27]
(See Figure 6.3, The House of Commons Chamber.) The 14.7-metre high ceiling is made of linen canvas,
hand-painted with the provincial and territorial coats of arms.
The floral emblems of the ten provinces and two territories are depicted in 12 stained-glass windows on the
east, west and north walls of the Chamber. [28]
On the east and west walls, above the Members’ galleries and between the stained-glass windows, is
the noted British North America Act series of sculptures. It consists of 12 separate bas-relief sculptures
in Indiana limestone. Each one depicts, in symbolic and story form, the federal roles and responsibilities
arising out of the BNA Act (now called the Constitution Act, 1867). [29]
Seating
The Chamber is divided by a wide central aisle and is furnished on either side with tiered rows of desks
and chairs, facing into the centre. Government Members sit to the Speaker’s right, opposition Members
to the left. The Prime Minister and Cabinet sit in the front rows of the government side; directly across
the floor from the Prime Minister sits the Leader of the Opposition who is flanked by Members of his or
her party. The second-ranked opposition party and all other recognized parties in the House sit with their
leaders usually to the left of the Official Opposition, closer to the Bar of the House. Traditionally, the
front-row seats to the left of the Speaker are reserved for leading members of the opposition parties, and
opposition parties are allocated front-row seats in proportion to their numbers in the House. [30]
The distance across the floor of the House between the government and opposition benches is 3.96 metres,
said to be equivalent to two swords’ length. [31]
When there are more government Members than can be accommodated on the Speaker’s right, some are
seated on the left, usually nearest the Speaker. Members of parties not recognized in the House and
independent Members are assigned seats at the discretion of the Speaker, usually at the rear of the House
on the Speaker’s left.
The allocation of seats in the House is the responsibility of the Speaker and is carried out in collaboration
with the party Whips. [32]
Seat assignments may change from time to time, but the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition are
always seated in the same places. It is customary for seats to be assigned near the Chair for the use of
the Deputy Speaker and other Chair occupants when they are not presiding over the House; no such allocation
is made for the Speaker. [33]
The Chair
The Speaker’s Chair stands on a dais [34]
at the north end of the Chamber with the flag displayed on either side. [35]
In the years after Confederation, it was the custom for departing Speakers to take their chairs with them
and a new Chair to be made for the new Speaker; [36]
this custom ceased in 1916 when the Chair then in use was destroyed in the fire. A new Chair arrived in
1921 as a gift from the British branch of what is now the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. [37]
This Chair is an exact replica of the original Speaker’s Chair at Westminster, made circa
1849, and then destroyed when the British House of Commons was bombed in 1941. It is approximately four
metres high, surmounted by a canopy of carved wood and the Royal coat of arms. The oak used for the carving
of the Royal arms was taken from the roof of Westminster Hall, which was built in 1397.
In recent years, the Chair has undergone some minor renovations. Microphones and speakers have been
installed and lights placed overhead. The armrests now offer a writing surface and a small storage space,
as well as document holders onto which can be fixed the seating plan for the House. A hydraulic lift was
also installed to permit more comfortable seating for the various occupants of the Chair. [38]
At the foot of the Chair, visible only to its occupant, are two screens. The first, which was installed
during the Thirty-Fourth Parliament (1988-93), is a television monitor, enabling the Speaker to see the
House as the camera sees it. The other is a computer screen, installed during the Thirty-Fifth Parliament
(1994-97), by which the Speaker can receive information from the Table, which is equipped with laptop
computers. During debate, for example, or when other time limits apply, a Table Officer activates the
digital “count-down clock” and the Speaker is able to monitor the length of speeches and
interventions.
At the foot of the dais below the Speaker’s Chair is a bench where some of the House of Commons
pages are stationed during sittings of the House. The pages are university students employed by the House
of Commons to carry messages and deliver documents to Members during sittings of the House. [39]
A door behind the Speaker’s Chair opens onto a corridor, called the Speaker’s corridor,
leading directly to the Speaker’s chambers. Hanging in this hallway are portraits of past Speakers
of the House. [40]
The Table
A short distance in front of the dais and the Speaker’s Chair is a long oak table where the Clerk
of the House, chief procedural advisor to the Speaker, sits with other Table Officers. [41]
The Clerk sits at the north end of the Table, with Table Officers along the right-and left-hand side of
the Table. The Clerk’s chair was made in 1873. After the death in 1902 of the then Clerk, Sir John
Bourinot, the chair was presented to his widow; in 1940 it was donated back to the House by the family. The
Table is equipped with microphones, small television monitors and laptop computers. The laptop computers
are used to keep the records, [42]
to relay information to the Chair and, as they are connected to the House network, to send and receive
information via electronic mail to and from other branches of the House. The Mace rests at the south end of
the Table. Also on the Table is a collection of parliamentary reference texts for consultation by Members
and Table Officers, a pair of bookends, a calendar stand, inkstand and seal press. [43]
The Mace
The Mace is the ornamental staff, symbol of the authority of the Speaker, which rests on the Table during
sittings of the House. In the Middle Ages, the mace was an officer’s weapon; it was made of metal
with a flanged or spiked head and was used to break through chain-mail or plate-armour. [44]
In the twelfth century, the Sergeants-at-Arms of the King’s Bodyguard were equipped with maces. These
maces, stamped with the Royal Arms and carried by the Sergeants in the exercise of their powers of arrest
without warrant, became recognized symbols of the King’s authority. Maces were also carried by civic
authorities.
Royal Sergeants-at-Arms began to be assigned to the Commons early in the fifteenth century. By the end of
the sixteenth century, the Sergeant’s mace had evolved from a weapon of war to an ornately
embellished emblem of office. The Sergeant-at-Arms’ power to arrest without warrant enabled the
Commons to arrest or commit persons who offended them, without having to resort to the ordinary courts of
law. [45]
This penal jurisdiction is the basis of the concept of parliamentary privilege and, since the exercise of
this privilege depended on the powers vested in the Royal Sergeant-at-Arms, the Mace — his emblem of
office — was identified with the growing privileges of the Commons and became recognized as the symbol
of the authority of the House and of the Speaker through the House. [46]
At Confederation, the House of Commons’ Mace was that of the former Legislative Assembly of the
Province of Canada. [47]
It had survived the burning of the Parliament building in Montreal in 1849, [48]
as well as two fires in Quebec City in 1854, [49]
but was lost in the great fire of February 3, 1916. When the House met in the Victoria Memorial Museum
(as it was then known) in the immediate aftermath of the fire, the Senate lent the House its mace. For the
following three weeks, the mace belonging to the Ontario Legislature was used until a temporary mace, made
of wood, was fashioned. The Mace currently in use is a replica of the original. Made of silver covered with
heavy gilt, it is 1.47 metres long and weighs 7.9 kilograms. It was a gift from the Lord Mayor and the
Sheriffs of London and was presented in May 1917. [50]
The wooden mace was kept; it is displayed in the foyer of the House of Commons and is used in the Chamber
on the anniversary of the date of the fire. [51]
The Mace is integral to the functioning of the House; since the late seventeenth century it has been
accepted that the Mace must be present for the House to be properly constituted. [52]
The guardian of the Mace is the Sergeant-at-Arms, [53]
who carries it on the right shoulder in and out of the Chamber at the beginning and end of each sitting of
the House. At the opening of a sitting of the House, the Mace is laid across the foot of the Table with its
crown pointing to the government side of the House. When the House sits as a Committee of the Whole, it is
placed on brackets below the Table; [54]
and during the election of a Speaker, the Mace rests on a cushion on the floor beneath the Table. The Mace
is kept in the Speaker’s Chambers when the House is adjourned. During the longer adjournments and
recesses, it is on display in or near the Commons Chamber.
The Bar of the House
The Bar is a brass rod extending across the floor of the Chamber inside its south entrance. It is a barrier
past which uninvited representatives of the Crown (as well as other non-Members) are not welcome. [55]
When the House sits as a Committee of the Whole, departmental officials are permitted onto the floor of the
House in order to assist the Minister. The Sergeant-at-Arms, or an assistant, sits at a desk on the
opposition side of the Chamber and inside the Bar.
Individuals may be summoned to appear before the Bar of the House in order to answer to the authority of the
House, or to respond to questioning. If someone is judged to be in contempt of the House — that is,
guilty of an offence against the dignity or authority of Parliament — the House may summon the person
to appear and order that he or she be reprimanded by the Speaker in the name of and with the full authority
of the House. On a number of occasions in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, individuals
were summoned to appear before the Bar of the House. Since 1913, there has been just one instance of the
House requiring someone to appear at the Bar. [56]
Witnesses to be examined by the House will also stand at the Bar and reply to questions posed by Members. [57]
The Galleries
Overlooking the floor of the House on both sides and both ends of the Chamber are galleries which can
accommodate more than 500 people. (See Figure 6.3, The House of Commons Chamber.) In the gallery facing the
Speaker’s Chair, called the Ladies Gallery, [58]
the first rows are reserved for the diplomatic corps and for other distinguished guests; the remaining rows
are reserved for the visiting public. At the opposite end of the Chamber, immediately above the Speaker’s
Chair, is the Press Gallery. Admittance is restricted to members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery [59]
(one of the galleries in which note-taking is permitted). Immediately behind the Press Gallery is another
public gallery. On the side of the Chamber facing the government benches are three galleries: one for guests
of government Members, another for Senators and their guests, and another one for guests of the Prime
Minister and the Speaker. Only from the Speaker’s gallery can distinguished visitors (such as heads
of state, heads of government and parliamentary delegations invited to Canada) be recognized and introduced
to the House by the Speaker. [60]
On the other side of the Chamber, facing the opposition benches, a gallery is reserved for departmental
officials (the other gallery in which note-taking is permitted), another for guests of the Leader of the
Opposition, and two others for guests of Members of other opposition parties.
The doors to the galleries are opened at the start of each sitting of the House, after prayers are read. For
reasons of decorum and security, photography, reading and sketching materials, and note-taking (with the
above exceptions) are not permitted in the galleries. Coats, briefcases, notebooks, photographic equipment
and the like may not be carried into the galleries. [61]
Guests seated in the private galleries must be appropriately attired. [62]
Strangers
“Stranger” is a term of longtime use in the procedural lexicon; it refers to anyone who is not
a Member or an official of the House of Commons (for example, Senators, diplomats, government officials,
journalists or members of the general public). It underlines the distinction between Members and non-Members
and gives emphasis to the fact that strangers or outsiders may be present in the galleries or within the
parliamentary precinct only under the authority of the House. [63]
Strangers are not permitted on the floor of the House of Commons when the House is sitting. [64]
The right of the House to conduct its proceedings in private — that is, without strangers present
— is centuries old. Until 1845 in the British House, sessional orders excluded strangers from every
part of its premises (while in practice the presence of strangers came to be tolerated in areas not
appropriated to the exclusive use of Members). [65]
In Canada, at Confederation, the House adopted a rule giving individual Members the power to order the
galleries cleared. [66]
In 1876, the rule was substantially amended, [67]
allowing Members only to move a motion “that strangers be ordered to withdraw”; this
non-debatable and non-amendable motion was then left for the House to decide. [68]
The present rule, which was adopted in 1994, [69]
provides that the Speaker may order the withdrawal of strangers, and also that if a Member notices the
presence of strangers, the Speaker “may” allow the non-debatable and non-amendable motion to be
put. The House thus retains the power to order the removal of strangers and to meet privately. [70]
In practice such occurrences are not frequent and strangers are welcome so long as there is space to
accommodate them and proper decorum is observed.
Disorder in the Galleries
The Sergeant-at-Arms, one of the senior officials of the House, is responsible for maintaining order and
decorum in the galleries. [71]
From time to time there have been instances of misconduct in the galleries and the Sergeant-at-Arms and
security staff have acted to remove demonstrators or strangers behaving in a disruptive way. In cases of
extreme disorder, the Speaker has directed that the galleries be cleared. [72]
In addition, should the House adopt the motion “That strangers be ordered to withdraw”, it
would be the duty of the Sergeant-at-Arms and security staff to clear the galleries of strangers.
Lobbies
Adjacent to the government and opposition sides of the Chamber is a long, narrow room known as a lobby.
The one behind the government benches is reserved for government Members; the other, on the opposition side,
is for Members of the opposition parties. Connected by doors to the Chamber, the lobbies are furnished with
tables and armchairs and equipped with telephones, fax machines, photocopiers, computer terminals and the
like for Members’ use. Members attending the sitting of the House use the lobbies to converse,
discuss matters, make telephone calls, attend to correspondence or other business and are able to return
to the Chamber at a moment’s notice. The party Whips assign staff to work from the lobbies and pages
are stationed in the lobbies to answer telephones and carry messages. The lobbies are not open to the
public. The House of Commons security staff control access to the lobbies in accordance with guidelines set
by the Whips.
Sound Reinforcement and Interpretation Systems
In 1951, a special committee of the House recommended the installation of a sound reinforcement system
“similar to the one in the House of Commons Chamber at Westminster”. [73]
For some years, there had been complaints about the acoustics in the Chamber and the difficulty that
Members and those in the galleries had in following the proceedings. The challenge in providing effective
sound amplification lay in devising a system for use in an assembly where members speak from their places
(rather than from a rostrum) and only when recognized by the Speaker. The committee’s report was
adopted, the system was installed during a recess and used for the first time in the session which opened
on November 20, 1952. [74]
Each Member’s desk, as well as the Speaker’s Chair, is equipped with a microphone. A microphone
switching console, staffed by console operators, is located at the front of the gallery at the south end
of the Chamber. Individual microphones are activated when a Member is recognized by the Speaker. Only the
Speaker has the power to activate his or her own microphone (it may also be activated by the console
operator); when the Speaker’s microphone is activated, the Members’ microphones will not
function.
In 1958, the House agreed to the installation in the Chamber of a system for simultaneous interpretation in
both official languages. [75]
Members were of the opinion that this would give further expression to the Constitution, which provides for
the equal status of the official languages and for their use in parliamentary debate. [76]
Enclosed booths for interpreters are located in the corners of the Chamber opposite the Speaker’s
Chair. Members’ desks are equipped with interpretation devices in order to receive simultaneous
interpretation of the proceedings into French or English. Visitors in the galleries also have access to
the sound reinforcement and interpretation systems and may choose to listen to the proceedings with
interpretation in the official language of their choice, or without interpretation.
Broadcasting Arrangements
Following the decision in 1977 to broadcast the proceedings of the House of Commons, [77]
the Chamber became the site of extensive construction to equip it for this purpose. During the summer
adjournment, the Chamber was refitted: the sound systems were upgraded, appropriate lighting installed,
cameras were added (operated manually and later replaced with remote-controlled cameras), and a control
room was constructed above the Ladies’ Gallery situated at the south end of the Chamber. [78]
(The subject of broadcasting as an “electronic Hansard” is addressed in
Chapter 24, “The Parliamentary Record”.)
Provision for Still Photography
Before the advent of broadcasting of House of Commons’ proceedings, photographs of the House during
a sitting were taken with the permission of the House. [79]
In the late 1970s, once the House had dealt with the question of broadcasting, the matter of still
photography arose. There were no provisions for print media to take pictures of the House at work, except
by special arrangement, whereas the electronic media now had access to images of every sitting of the House. [80]
On a trial basis, and later to become standard practice, [81]
a photographer was allowed behind the curtains on each side of the House during Question Period. The
photographers are employed by a news service agency which supplies other news organizations under a pooling
arrangement. When in the Chamber, they operate in accordance with the principles governing the use of
television cameras, described in
Chapter 24, “The Parliamentary Record”.
Other Uses of the Chamber
At times, the House of Commons Chamber is used for purposes other than a parliamentary sitting. Some are
recurring events such as addresses by distinguished visitors, [82]
orientation sessions for new Members, [83]
and annual programs. [84]
At other times, the Chamber has been used for special events. [85]
Since these events are not actually sittings of the House, the Mace is not on the Table.
Committee Rooms
The House of Commons delegates much of its work to committees which are composed of Members (and in the case
of joint committees, Members and Senators). [86]
Aside from Committees of the Whole House which meet in the Chamber, [87]
committees meet in rooms outside the Chamber, often while the House is sitting. Committee rooms are located
principally in the Centre Block, East Block, West Block, Wellington Building and La Promenade Building.
They are outfitted with sound amplification systems as well as the necessary equipment to record the
proceedings and to provide simultaneous interpretation in both official languages. One room is set up for
television broadcasting, with an adjoining control room and cameras operated by remote control. Although
certain rooms are designated and equipped as committee rooms, they are all multifunctional and are used for
other purposes. Committees may meet anywhere in the parliamentary precinct provided the requirements for
interpretation and recording are met.
Typically a committee room is set up with several tables placed in a rectangular formation. The Chair sits
at the centre of one end with the Committee Clerk and other committee advisors. The Members take seats on
either side; as in the House, the government Members normally sit to the Chair’s right and the
opposition Members to the left. Witnesses are seated at the end opposite the Chair. Tables are available
for representatives of the press, usually behind the witnesses’ chairs, together with additional
seating for individuals viewing the proceedings.
While a committee may tend to hold its meetings in a particular room, no such formal room assignments are
made. In the years immediately following Confederation, committees were fewer and larger and much business
was conducted in Committees of the Whole. Certain rooms were set aside for committee meetings. For example,
the room known informally as the Railway Committee Room came to be so called because (although it was used
by other committees) it was the home of the standing committee dealing with railways. [88]
Committees book rooms as needed; priority of use may be established from time to time by the Standing
Committee on Procedure and House Affairs. [89]
Members’ Offices
Members are accommodated in suites of offices located in the Centre Block, East Block, West Block,
Confederation Building, Justice Building and Wellington Building. Ministers have offices on Parliament
Hill as well as in their departments. Office space is assigned to Members in consultation with their party
Whips. [90]
Members of parties not officially recognized in the House and Members with no party affiliation (usually
referred to as independent Members) are then allocated offices by the Speaker. [91]
At Confederation, the newly built Centre Block, or “Parliament Building” as it was then known,
housed the entire Parliament of Canada. The East and West Blocks, or “departmental buildings”,
were occupied by government departments and included offices for Cabinet Ministers. The Speaker was the
only Member to have an office in the parliamentary building. Members were provided with desks in the
Chamber, lockers nearby, and facilities for dressing, reading and smoking; the nature of the Members’
work and the length of sessions were such that this was considered adequate to their needs. [92]
The Centre Block was designed for the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, which was composed
of 130 members; at Confederation in 1867, it was required to house 181 Members of the House of Commons. By
the 1880s, the basements and attics were fully utilized and parliamentarians demanded improvements in their
accommodations. By 1916, the year in which fire destroyed the building, some Members were allocated private
offices (i.e., the Speaker, Cabinet Ministers, leading Opposition Members); others shared rooms. Conditions
for Members were improved in the new Centre Block, though not to the extent of offering private offices for
all. [93]
Over the years, the membership of the House increased and so did Members’ requirements for space and
staff, in line with the evolving role and worklife of Parliament and its elected representatives. Gradually,
additional space became available as administrative services were moved to other locations, and as other
buildings were converted to House of Commons use. [94]
Administrative Structures and Services
The House of Commons is one of three constituent elements of the Parliament of Canada. [95]
The other two elements are the Senate and the Sovereign, represented in Canada by the Governor General. The
House of Commons is not a department of the Government of Canada, although its administrative structure may
be described as generally comparable to that of a government department. One of the privileges of the House
is its right to independent regulation of its own internal affairs. [96]
The House may voluntarily follow administrative policies of the government, but it cannot be compelled to
do so, and it is also free to develop new policies and practices. [97]
The House administration exists to support the activities of Members individually and collectively in their
various roles as legislators in the House and in committees, as representatives of their constituents, and
as members of their respective party caucuses. As well as serving Members elected for the duration of a
Parliament, the administration also serves the House as an institution. [98]
In 1964, the administrative structure of the House of Commons was the subject of an important review which
noted significant changes in the nature, volume and complexity of House services and recommended an
administrative reorganization. [99]
The origins of the modern administrative structure of the House may be traced to a major comprehensive audit
carried out by the Auditor General in 1979 and 1980. In 1978, wishing to support a program of expenditure
restraint undertaken by the government, the Speaker asked the Standing Committee on Management and Members’
Services to suggest possible economy measures for the House. [100]
Out of this came a recommendation from the Committee for a complete and independent review of the House
administration. [101]
At the Speaker’s request, the Auditor General reviewed the administration of the House of Commons,
submitting an interim report in October 1979 and a final report early in 1981. [102]
The Auditor General noted that services to Members were of high quality; however, fundamental weaknesses
and a number of significant deficiencies were identified. [103]
These findings led to a major realignment of the administrative structure of the House, which has continued
to evolve to meet changing circumstances and demands. Another comprehensive audit undertaken by the Auditor
General in 1990-91 found a greatly improved quality of general and financial administration. [104]
The administrative structure of the House is not set out in any single text or piece of legislation. The
organization required to support the activities of the House has evolved and expanded over the years in
response to the needs of an increasingly complex system of government. Provisions for various aspects of
the administration are found in legislation, [105]
the Standing Orders, [106]
by-laws made by the Board of Internal Economy, internal policy manuals and in the unwritten practices
developed over time.
Overall Authority of the Speaker
Elected by the Members of the House, the Speaker holds a position of authority and represents the Commons
in all its powers, proceedings and dignity. [107]
The Speaker is guardian of the rights and privileges of the House, and spokesperson for the House in its
relations with the Senate, the Sovereign and other authorities outside Parliament; when in the Chair, he
or she is responsible for regulating debate and preserving order in accordance with the rules of the House. [108]
In addition to the more visible roles as representative of the House and presiding officer in the Chamber,
the Speaker is at the head of the administration of the House of Commons and holds extensive
responsibilities in that regard. The Speaker is responsible for the overall direction and management of the
House of Commons administration, [109]
much as a Cabinet Minister is responsible for a department.
The House has a number of unique characteristics that have a direct impact on how it functions and is managed.
As part of its corporate rights and privileges, the House of Commons, through the Speaker, holds exclusive
jurisdiction over its premises and the people within. The administrative activities of the House are
numerous and diverse. All matters of finance and administration are overseen by the Board of Internal
Economy, a statutory body of Members of Parliament. The House is accommodated for the most part in heritage
buildings, which are recognized national symbols. These and other characteristics inevitably produce a
necessarily complex administrative decision-making process.
Board of Internal Economy
The Board of Internal Economy is the governing body of the House of Commons. It has a long statutory history,
originating in 1868 with the passage of An Act respecting the internal Economy of the House of Commons,
and for other purposes. [110]
Membership
The membership of the Board consists of the Speaker, who acts as its Chair, two Ministers of the Crown
(appointed to the Board by the Governor in Council), the Leader of the Opposition or his or her
representative, and additional Members appointed in numbers resulting in an overall equality of government
and opposition representatives (apart from the Speaker). All recognized opposition parties (i.e., those
holding at least 12 seats in the House) are given representation on the Board. When there is only one
recognized opposition party in the House of Commons, the caucus of that party appoints two members of the
Board and the government caucus appoints one. When there is more than one recognized opposition party, each
opposition caucus appoints one member of the Board; the government caucus appoints a number of members of
the Board that is one less than the total number appointed by the opposition caucuses. [111]
The Speaker informs the House of appointments within 15 sitting days after they are made. [112]
Each Member of the Board is required to take an oath or affirmation “of fidelity and secrecy”,
administered by the Clerk of the House. [113]
The Clerk of the House is the Secretary to the Board of Internal Economy. [114]
When Parliament is dissolved, members of the Board retain their functions until they are replaced. [115]
This ensures continuity in the administrative leadership of the House; the practice has been that decisions
taken by the Board while Parliament is dissolved are confined to those of a housekeeping nature.
Chairperson
Meetings of the Board of Internal Economy are chaired by the Speaker of the House. Five members, including
the Speaker, constitute a quorum. [116]
In the event of the death, disability or absence of the Speaker, five members of the Board constitute a
quorum; one must be a Minister. The members present then designate one of themselves to chair the meeting. [117]
Mandate and Authority
The powers and authority of the Board flow from provisions of the Parliament of Canada Act, the
Standing Orders of the House of Commons, and the Parliamentary Employees and Staff Relations Act.
Under the Parliament of Canada Act, the Board has legal authority to “act on all financial
and administrative matters respecting the House of Commons, its premises, its services and its staff; and
the Members of the House of Commons”. [118]
The Board examines and approves the annual budget estimates of the House before the Speaker transmits them
to the President of the Treasury Board, who will then lay them before the House with the estimates of the
government. [119]
All sums of money voted for the House by Parliament are released by order of the Board. In other words,
the Board of Internal Economy manages all operating and administrative expenses of the House, including
employee salaries and amounts payable to Members (i.e., their sessional indemnities, expense allowances,
travel and communications costs). In administrative matters, the Board is responsible for managing the
premises, services and staff of the House as well as those goods, services and premises made available to
Members to carry out their parliamentary duties.
Pursuant to the Standing Orders of the House, the Board approves and controls the budget expenditures of
the committees of the House of Commons, and must table an annual financial report outlining the expenses
incurred by each committee. [120]
The rules further require that when the Board has reached a decision concerning any budget presented to it,
the Speaker shall lay upon the Table the record of the Board’s decision. [121]
In accordance with the Parliamentary Employee and Staff Relations Act, the Board is deemed to be
the employer of the staff of the House of Commons, as defined in the Act (the chief exception being
Members’ staff, who are deemed to be employed by the Members). [122]
As employer, the Board approves salary scales for non-unionized employees and authorizes officials of the
House to negotiate the renewal of the collective agreements of unionized employees and ratifies such
agreements.
Pursuant to the Standing Orders, a member of the Board is designated to be responsible for answering any
questions pertaining to the administration of the House which may be put during Question Period. [123]
By-laws and Decisions of the Board
The Board is authorized by the Parliament of Canada Act to make by-laws governing Members’
use of the funds, goods, services and premises made available to them. When the Board makes a by-law, it
must be tabled in the House within 30 days of its making, or deposited with the Clerk if the House is not
sitting. [124]
The Standing Orders require the Speaker to table at the beginning of each new session of Parliament a
report of decisions of the Board of Internal Economy for the previous session. [125]
Early in the Thirty-Fifth Parliament (1994-97), a new practice was instituted whereby records of the
Board’s decisions (typically, in the form of minutes) are tabled in the House as soon as they have
been approved by the Board. [126]
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee is responsible for management policy and major decision-making involving general
administrative practices, security, and financial and personnel administration of the House. It is chaired
by the Speaker and composed of the Deputy Speaker, the Clerk, the Sergeant-at-Arms and a senior official
responsible for financial services and human resources.
Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs
Some of the duties of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs also deal with the
administration of the House. The Committee’s mandate includes, among other things, reviewing and
reporting to the House and to the Board of Internal Economy on:
- issues concerning the management of the House and the provision of services and facilities to Members;
- the effectiveness and management of operations under the joint control of the House of Commons and the Senate;
- radio and television broadcasting of proceedings of the House and its committees; and
- matters relating to the election of
In addition, the Committee considers the budgetary estimates of the House of Commons, including the
Report on Plans and Priorities and the Performance Report, just as other committees
consider departmental estimates. [127]
Office of the Clerk of the House
Members are supported in their parliamentary functions by services administered by the Clerk of the House [128]
who, as the chief executive of the House administration, reports to the Speaker. The Clerk is appointed by
Order-in-Council [129]
and is the senior permanent official of the House. The Clerk advises and supports the Speaker, the House
and its committees in all procedural and administrative matters, and acts as Secretary to the Board of
Internal Economy. The staff and administration of the House come under the control of the Clerk. [130]
The Standing Orders establishing the procedural and administrative functions of the Clerk have changed
little since Confederation; however, the responsibilities of the office have evolved considerably as the
administrative apparatus of the House has become more complex.
The Clerk is responsible for maintaining records of the proceedings of the House and for keeping custody
of these records and other documents in the possession of the House. [131]
The Standing Orders also require the Clerk to provide the Speaker, prior to each sitting of the House, with
the official agenda for the day’s proceedings, published under the title Order Paper and Notice
Paper. [132]
This rule has traditionally been interpreted to mean that the Speaker must be in possession of the current
Order Paper and Notice Paper in order for the day’s proceedings to begin.
All decisions of the House are authenticated by signature of the Clerk. At the beginning of a Parliament,
the Clerk administers the oath of allegiance to all duly elected Members. The Clerk also administers an
oath to Members joining the Board of Internal Economy. [133]
In addition, the Clerk is responsible for administering the oath of allegiance to all employees of the
House administration. [134]
Reporting to the Clerk are senior officials who are responsible for the various organizational units of
the House administration (i.e., parliamentary precinct services, procedural services in the House and
committees, and corporate resources). The Sergeant-at-Arms, the Deputy Clerk and the Clerks Assistant have
duties in the Chamber when the House is sitting as well as administrative responsibilities.
The Sergeant-at-Arms [135]
assists the Clerk as head of parliamentary precinct services, performing certain ceremonial functions and
being responsible for security and building services. The ceremonial role of the Sergeant-at-Arms entails
accompanying the Speaker, as Mace-bearer, on all parliamentary functions. [136]
When engaged in ceremonial functions and when attending sittings of the House, the Sergeant-at-Arms is
attired formally in black tailcoat and cocked hat, with a sword signifying the authority of the office. [137]
As regards security, the Sergeant-at-Arms is responsible for the protection and security of Members,
employees, visitors and property within the parliamentary precinct. [138]
This includes personal security for the Prime Minister in the precinct of Parliament, and maintaining order
in the Chamber and all the parliamentary buildings. The Sergeant-at-Arms is also responsible for parking
control on Parliament Hill by agreement with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and for maintaining
accommodation for Members and staff of the House of Commons.
From time to time since Confederation, the Clerk of the House has also been assisted by a Deputy Clerk and
one or more Clerks Assistant, [139]
who act as Table Officers and assume various responsibilities in the administration of the House of Commons. [140]
Appointments to the position of Clerk Assistant have been made at various times either by the Speaker; [141]
by Order-in-Council; [142]
or, more recently, some have been made under the administrative authority of the Executive Committee on the
recommendation of the Clerk of the House.