Appendix 13Parliaments Since 1867 and Number of Sitting DaysThe length of a Parliament is calculated from the date set for the return of the writs following a general election to its dissolution by the Governor General by speech or proclamation. The Constitution Act, 1867, s. 50, and the Constitution Act, 1982, ss. 4(1) and 5, provide for a maximum five-year lifespan for the House of Commons from the date fixed for the return of the writs.[1] A Parliament is divided into sessions. A session begins with a Speech from the Throne when Parliament is summoned by proclamation of the Governor General; it ends with a prorogation or dissolution of Parliament. A session is divided into sittings and adjournments. A sitting is a meeting of the House within a session. The Standing Orders provide times and days for the sittings of the House. A sitting is not necessarily synonymous with a “day”. Some days may contain more than one sitting; some sittings may extend over more than one day.
[1] In 1917, the British Parliament resolved to extend the duration of Canada’s Parliament by one year during World War I. As a result, Canada’s 12th Parliament lasted for six years, from 1911 to 1917. [2] In the years following Confederation, the electoral system allowed polling to take place over more than a single day. See Office of the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, A History of the Vote in Canada, 2nd ed., www.elections.ca, 2007, pp. 42-3. [3] All writs were returnable on September 24, 1867, except those for the electoral districts of Gaspé and of Chicoutimi and Saguenay, which were returnable on October 24, 1867 (Journals, Vol. I, 1867-68, pp. vii-viii). [4] All writs were returnable on September 3, 1872, except those for the electoral districts of Gaspé and of Chicoutimi and Saguenay, which were returnable on October 12, 1872, and those for the Province of Manitoba and the Province of British Columbia, which were returnable on October 12, 1872 (Journals, Vol. VI, pp. vi-vii). [5] All writs were returnable on February 21, 1874, except those for the electoral districts of Gaspé and of Chicoutimi and Saguenay, which were returnable on March 12, 1874, and those for the Province of Manitoba and the Province of British Columbia, which were returnable on March 12, 1874 (Journals, Vol. VIII, p. vi). |
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