VI.—
Orders of the Day and Notices of Motion: Motions and Questions.
Orders of the Day and Notices of Motions.
68. The ordinary business of each day consists of Orders of the Day and Notices of Motions.
Orders of the Day defined.
69. An Order of the Day is a Bill, or other matter, which the House has ordered to be taken into consideration on a particular day.
Orders of the Day on Tuesdays ana Fridays.
70. Unless the House shall otherwise direct, Orders of the Day for Tuesdays and Fridays
are to be disposed of before the House will proceed upon any Motions of which Notice shall have been given.
71. When the House proceeds to the
Clerk to read the Orders of the Day without Question being put.
Orders of the Day, on days on which Orders have precedence, and after the Notices of Motion have been disposed of on all other days, or on the House resuming at half after Seven o'clock, as the case may be, Mr. Speaker is to direct the Clerk at the Table to read the Orders of the Day, without any Question being put.
72. The Orders of the Day are to be disposed
Government Orders to have precedence on certain Days.
of in the order in which they stand upon the Paper; the right being reserved to Ministers of placing Government business at the head of the list, in the rotation in which it is to be taken, on the days (Tuesdays and Fridays) on which Government business has precedence; but such business, if not disposed of on those days, shall revert to that position on the Order Paper which it would have occupied if it had not been advanced as Government business.
73. All dropped Orders of the Days are to
be set down in the Order Book after the Orders of the Day for the next day on which the House shall sit.
74. The House proceeds each day with: 1.
Private Business; 2. Public Petitions; 3, Giving Notices of Motion; 4. Motions for Leave of Absence; 5. Questions and unopposed Motions for Returns; 6. Orders of the Day and Notices of Motions, as set down in
the Order Paper. Notices of Motion for unopposed Returns and for Leave to Introduce Bills are called out of their turn before the commencement of the regular business of the day.
Questions to Ministers or other Members.
75. Before the Public Business is entered upon, Questions are permitted to be put to Ministers of the Crown relating to public affairs; and to other Members relating to any Bill, Motion, or other public matter connected with the business of the House, in which such Members may be concerned.
Such Questions not to involve argument.
76. In putting any such Question, no argument or opinion is to be offered, nor any facts stated, except so far as may be necessary to explain such Question.
In answering a Question, the matter not to be debated.
77. In answering any such Question, a Member is not to debate the matter to which the same refers.
78. Every Member, in giving Notice of Motion, is to deliver at the Table a copy of such Notice fairly written, together with his name, and the day proposed for bringing on such Motion.
Notices may be given for absent Members.
79. A Member may give notice for any other Member not then present.
Restrictions upon Notices.
80. No notice may be given for any day beyond the period which shall include the four days next following on which notices are entitled to precedence; due allowance being made for any intervening adjournment of the House, and the period being in that case so far extended as to include four notice days falling during the sitting of the House.
81. Notices of Motions take precedence
Notice take precedence on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
of Orders of the Day on Wednesdays and Thursdays, unless the House shall have otherwise directed.
82. Any Notice containing unbecoming
expressions will be liable to be expunged from the Notice Paper by Order of the Speaker.
83. A Member desiring to change the day
for bringing on a Motion may give notice of such Motion for any day subsequent to that first named, subject to the same rules as other Notices of Motions.
84. After a Notice of Motion has been
The terms may be altered.
given, the terms thereof may be altered by the Member, on delivering at the Table an amended Notice.
85. Motions will have precedence on each
day according to the order in which the Notices for the same were given.
86. An urgent Motion, directly concerning
Privileges of the House, will take precedence of other Motions, as well as of Orders of the Day.
87. Precedence is ordinarily given by
courtesy to a Motion for a Vote of the Thanks of the House.
88. A Motion may be made, by consent
of the House, without previous notice.
89. When a Motion has been made and
seconded, a Question thereupon is proposed to the House by Mr. Speaker.
90. Any Motion not seconded may not
be further debated, but is forthwith dropped, and
no entry thereof is made in the Journals.
91. A Member who has made a Motion may withdraw the same by leave of the House, such leave being granted without any negative voice.
92. A Question may be superseded: 1
By the Adjournment of the House, either on the Motion of a Member, "That this House do
now adjourn," or on notice being taken, and it appearing, that a Quorum is
2. By reading the Orders of the Day;
not present; 2. By a Motion, "That the Orders of the Day be now read," which Motion, however, is restricted to days on which Notices have precedence of Orders of
the Day; 3. By the Previous Question, viz., "That this Question be now put," being
proposed and negatived; and, 4. By Amendment.
Previous Questions resolved in the affirmative.
93. If the Previous Question be resolved in the affirmative, the Original Question is to be put forthwith, without any amendment or debate.
Previous Questions, &c., superseded by adjournment.
94. A Question for reading the Orders of the Day, and also "the Previous Question," may be superseded by the adjournment of the House.
95. The Debate upon a Question may be interrupted: 1. By a matter of Privilege suddenly arising; 2. By words of heat between Members; 3. By Question of Order; 4. By a Message from the Governor or his Commissioners; 5. By an Answer to an Address; 6. By a Message from the Legislative
Council; 7. By the time being come for a Conference; 8. By a Member appearing to be sworn; 9. By the swearing of an Election Committee; 10. By a Motion for the Adjournment of an Election Committee, under s. 28 of "The Election Petitions Act, 1858"; 11. By a Motion for reading an Act of Parliament, an entry in the Journal, or other public document, relevant to the Question before the House; 12. By a Motion that Strangers be ordered to withdraw.
96. The House may order a complicated
Complicated Questions may be divided.
Question to be divided.
97. So soon as the Debate upon a Question
Question "put" and again stated.
is concluded, Mr. Speaker
puts the Question to the House; and if the same should not be heard, will again state it to the House.
98. A Question being put is resolved in
Question determined by a majority of voices.
the affirmative or negative by the majority of voices, "Aye" or "No."
99. Mr. Speaker states whether, in his
Mr. Speaker states whether Ayes or Noes have it.
opinion, the "Ayes" or the "Noes" "have it," and unless his opinion be acquiesced in by the minority, the Question is determined by a Division.
100. No Question or Amendment may be
Same Question not to be proposed again.
proposed which is the same in substance as any Question which, during the same Session, has been resolved in the affirmative or negative.
101. A Motion which has been, by leave
A Motion withdrawn may be made again.
of the House, withdrawn, may be made again during the same Session.
Resolution or Vote rescinded.
102. A Resolution or other Vote of the House may be read and rescinded.
103. An Order of the House may be read and discharged.