Int roduc t i on - Vancouver Model United NationsInt roduc t i on Greetings! My name is Arun Solanky, and I am serving as the Speaker for the House of Commons at VMUN 2018. The House

Introduction Greetings!

My name is Arun Solanky, and I am serving as the Speaker for the House of Commons at

VMUN 2018. The House of Commons is among the most rigorous and challenging committees at VMUN; a key element of its unique and demanding nature is inherent in the unique Parliamentary Procedure used by the Chamber in its debates. I have strived to ensure that our ROP remains broadly faithful to the actual function of the House of Commons in Ottawa, while also adjusting it to make it better suited for a high school simulation lasting only three days.

Unfortunately, that means that our ROP is not representative of the actual Parliamentary

Procedure used by the actual Parliament of Canada and should not be treated as such. I have gone through the ROP assembled here, adding annotations and explanations

to make it easier to understand. Any studious and focused delegate should be able to understand the ROP we will be functioning off of.

Arun Solanky, Speaker of the House of Commons VMUN 2018

House of Commons Rules of Procedure Guide 1

THE FLOW OF DEBATE: A GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION

1. PRELIMINARY CAUCUS MEETING Before the conference convenes each of the parties will meet in a caucus to decide which pieces of legislative text in the Bill to support and their general strategy for the party. For example, the

1

Conservative Party might decide they support MMP voting and want to ally with the Bloc Quebecois to pass a Bill in favour of MMP in it.

2. FIRST READING MPs will submit PMRs, or bills, before the conference, which will then be edited and compiled into a single large bill. The First Reading will be the presentation of this collation to all the MPs. In practice, this means you, the MPs, will be given a packet containing all of the legislative text. Following the First Reading, we will move into second reading.

3. SECOND READING The Second Reading follows the First Reading and will occupy a large portion of the committee sessions at VMUN. During Second Readings, of which there will be several, the House of Commons assembled will go through the bill clause by clause. Each clause will either be struck, meaning it is deleted, or assigned to a subcommittee. In extraordinary cases, the Speaker or his designee may allow MPs to defer voting on a specific clause of great contention in the interest of time.

4. COMMITTEE STAGE This stage will occupy the majority of the time at the conference. The Chamber will break into three standing committees, each of which will discuss certain parts of the Bill - MPs will be assigned to subcommittees based on their position. While in subcommittees, MPs will be tasked with writing amendments, striking clauses, and if necessary, adding new text to the legislation. Intermittently, the Speaker shall call caucuses, where the parties will convene to discuss strategy, and reconvene the House into Second Reading.

5. THIRD READING After passage through the committees, the Bill shall be voted upon, clause by clause by the House of Commons in full Parliament. Following final passage of the text of The Bill, the Speaker of the House shall approve The Bill, and it shall be submitted to the Governor-General for approval in the name of Her Majesty, Elizabeth II.

1 At VMUN the HoC will only pass one bill on the set topic. The debate of the chamber will revolve around what precise text should be included within the bill. Therefore, Bill is a proper noun in this context.



Chapter I – Conference Rules

Standing Order 1: Scope and Application, Definitions

The Standing Orders of the House of Commons of Canada (‘Standing Orders’) are the only rules of procedure that apply to the House of Commons of Canada (‘HoC’) at Vancouver Model United Nations (VMUN), during all scheduled and extraordinary sittings. They do not apply to any other body at VMUN. The term ‘House’ in these Standing Orders refers to the main committee of the HoC in which all MPs (delegates) are participants, whereas the term ‘Standing Committee’ refers to the three Standing Committees of the HoC. A ‘sitting’ is the HoC equivalent to a committee session in VMUN. Standing Order 2: Parliamentary Conduct 2

(1) Members of Parliament (‘MPs’) shall be courteous and respectful to all staff and delegates of VMUN. The Speaker of the House will immediately call to order MPs who do not abide by this Standing Order.

(2) MPs must wear Western Business Attire during all HoC sittings. (3) MPs are expected to be present in the appropriate committee room(s) at the beginning of every

scheduled HoC sitting. (4) MPs shall communicate to House staff their absences from scheduled HoC sittings verbally or

by email in a timely fashion. Standing Order 3: Working Language 3

English shall be the official and only working language of the HoC. MPs may not use affected accents during HoC sittings. Standing Order 4: Electronic and Business Aids

(1) MPs are permitted to use electronic devices to work on HoC business only. (2) MPs are prohibited from using the Internet during HoC sittings. 4

(3) MPs shall be provided with notepads and pens to aid in HoC business. (4) MPs are encouraged to pass notes between themselves and to the Clerks, in a manner that does

not disrupt the HoC’s proceedings. (5) MPs may write a note to the Clerks of the House or to their Standing Committee chair for

information, who may respond as the MP’s parliamentary or constituency office.

2 Pursuant to the VMUN Delegate Agreement 3 Ibid. 4 This extends to Caucuses. MPs may, however, use the internet during breaks between Sittings.


Standing Order 5: General Powers of the Secretariat

The Secretary-General and other members of the Secretariat reserve the right to suspend or modify these Standing Orders at any time. Additionally, members of the Secretariat may also serve as a member of the HoC officers and may address the House or Standing Committees at any time.

Chapter II – Presiding Officers and General Procedure

Standing Order 6: Presiding Officers of the HoC

(1) In the House, the Presiding Officers are composed of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker, and the Clerks, as appointed by the VMUN Secretariat. They all have the authority to preside over debate in the House, grant the right to speak, and rule and enforce on matters concerning the Standing Orders.

(2) In Standing Committees, the Presiding Officer is the Chairperson of the Committee, who has 5

the authority to preside over committee debate, grant the right to speak, and rule and enforce on 6

matters concerning the Standing Orders. (3) When a Presiding Officer is presiding over debate in the House or a Standing Committee, he or

she is referred to as in the position of the ‘Chair.’ Standing Order 7: The Speaker and the Deputy Speaker

(1) The Speaker is the final authority on the Standing Orders in the House and in Standing 7

Committees – his or her ruling on HoC procedure is final. The Speaker also has the authority to suspend the Standing Orders at any time, and may do so to address the House or Standing Committees or to allow for a presentation or guest speaker to address the House or Standing Committees. He may also advise MPs on choices and debate.

(2) If the Speaker is unable to perform his or her duties, one of the Clerks shall assume all responsibilities of the Speaker until his return.

Standing Order 8: Decorum

(1) MPs shall respectfully come to order when called to order by the Chair. (2) All MPs are to be called to order and must sit down when the Chair rises. (3) No MP may address the House or a Committee without being first recognized by the Chair.

5 The Chairperson shall be either one of the Clerks or the Speaker 6 Functionally equivalent to a MUN dais, though Caucuses are typically informal and relaxed 7In his absence, the Deputy-Speaker then Clerks shall have authority to adjudicate disputes regarding the Rules of Order


(4) When an MP is speaking in the House or a Committee, no MP shall interrupt his or her speech except for a point of order.

(5) When a question is being put in the House, no MP may make any noise or disturbance, nor 8

enter nor leave the House. (6) Upon the declaration of recess or adjournment of the House, MPs shall keep their seats until the

Chair is vacated and the Mace is put underneath the Table. Standing Order 9: Addressing the House, Speeches

(1) MPs wishing to address the House will rise from his or her assigned seat and say “Mr. Speaker;” they may only address the House when recognized by the Chair (Standing Order 8.1).

(2) All speeches and motions in the House shall be addressed to the Chair, using the form of address ‘Mr./Madam Speaker.’ This applies to all Presiding Officers while occupying the Chair . 9

(3) The Chair may, to his or her discretion, impose time limits on speeches, but has the final decision on when to call an MP addressing the House to order.

(4) Speeches that refer to documents not yet introduced to the House are dilatory. 10

(5) Speeches that are not germane to the motion at hand are dilatory. Standing Order 10: Forms of Reference

(1) MPs may not address other MPs while addressing the House (Standing Order 9.2), but shall refer to them in the third person.

(2) MPs shall generally refer to other MPs as ‘the Honorable Member for [Constituency]’ or ‘Mr./ Ms. [Last Name]’ while addressing the House or a Standing Committee.

(3) The following forms of reference are also valid while addressing the House – Prime Minister as ‘Prime Minister’ – Leader of the Official Opposition as ‘Leader of the Opposition’ – Ministers of the Crown as ‘Minister of [Portfolio]’ 11

Standing Order 11: Disrespectful Treatment of MPs

(1) MPs who feel they have been treated disrespectfully by other MPs or delegates of VMUN are encouraged to discuss these concerns with any Presiding Officer or member of the Secretariat.

(2) MPs who feel that they have been treated unfairly or disrespectfully by any Presiding Officer are encouraged to discuss these concerns with the Speaker or any member of the Secretariat.

8 A question is the House of Commons equivalent of a vote. See standing order 14. 9 Ergo: “Mr. Speaker, the NDP House Leader feels that the Prime Minister’s policy agenda is not well suited to secure the future of Canada.” 10 MPs are not allowed to refer directly to the Bill until Third Reading. 11 Though not technically correct, we will allow MPs to refer to the Party Whips, as “The Honorable [Party] Whip”


Standing Order 12: Parliamentary Discipline

(1) MPs who have acted with indecorum will receive a warning from the Speaker. (2) MPs who repeatedly act with indecorum and are impeding HoC business with unruly behaviour

will be named by the Speaker and prohibited from speaking and voting for the remainder of the sitting.

Standing Order 13: Crossing the Floor

(1) An MP may apply to cross the floor, or change parties, if s/he can demonstrate that the views of his/her constituents no longer align with those of his/her party. All applications for party change must be approved by the Speaker and the destination Party’s leader. 12

Standing Order 14: Oral Questions (Question Period)

(1) Oral Questions will be conducted for a maximum of 20 minutes during the first available sitting in the House each day, per the Order Paper.

(2) During Oral Questions, MPs wishing to ask a question to a Government minister may rise and be called upon by the Chair to state their question. 13

(3) The Chair will then call upon the appropriate Government minister to answer the question. Government ministers must answer all questions directed to them.

Chapter III – Opening of Sittings

Standing Order 15: The Mace and the Entrance of the Presiding Officers

(1) HoC is officially begun when the Presiding Officers take the Chair and the Mace enters the House. The House begins each sitting in a similar fashion.

(2) When the House is in session and the Chair is present, the Mace shall be set upon the Table to represent the authority of the House and the Speaker.

(3) The Mace shall be set under the Table when the Chair is vacated, such as when the House is in recess or a Committee of the Whole House is established.

Standing Order 16: Order Paper

(1) Before the beginning of the HoC, the Speaker shall provide MPs with an Order Paper, which is the agenda of the HoC for the entire duration of VMUN.

12 Frivolous requests to cross the floor will be denied by the Speaker. 13 During question time, delegates are encouraged to make their feelings of partisan rivalry known - IN A PROFESSIONAL MANNER.


(2) House Leaders are responsible for ensuring that the Order Paper is followed by the HoC. 14

(3) In the beginning of the first sitting of the day, an updated Order Paper reflecting progress made will be made available to MPs.

Standing Order 17: Quorum and Roll Call

(1) A quorum of 20 MPs will be required for the opening of debate in the House. (2) A quorum of 7 MPs will be required for the opening of debate in any Standing Committee. (3) Roll call will be called at the beginning of each sitting of the House or any Standing Committee.

MPs will stand until their name is called and recorded by the Clerk. (4) Any MPs who arrive late after Roll Call has been taken must send a note to the Clerk in writing,

notifying the Chair of their attendance.

Chapter IV – Standard Motions in the House

Debatable, and thus substantive (decision-making, not procedural), motions are marked by an asterisk. Standing Order 18: Motions

(1) When the Chair calls for motions from the House, any MP may rise on a motion, saying: “Mr./ Madam Speaker, a motion.” The Chair will recognize MPs to state their motions. 15

(2) A motion must be seconded by another MP to be debated in the House. An MP may second a motion by saying: “Hear, hear!”

Standing Order 19: Motion to Put the Question

(1) The House will not vote on a substantive motion until the question is put, the HoC equivalent of opening voting procedure. The Speaker will put the question automatically if no more MPs rise to debate a substantive motion.

(2) An MP may choose to move to put the question, by saying:” I move to put the previous question.” A vote will then ensue to determine if the motion to put the question passes. 16

Standing Order 20: Multiple Motions and Subsidiary Motions

(1) If multiple motions are recognized by the Chair, the Chair will call for a vote on these motions in their order of introduction to consider one of them for debate.

14 A List of the motions and approximate schedule for the day 15 Stand and say “Mr. Speaker, a motion” 16 This seems complex, but is functionally the same as a Motion to Enter Voting Procedure.


(2) When the vote for debate on one of these motions is carried, the House will continue with the motion carried.

(3) These motions are allowed while a substantive motion is being debated in the House: (a) Motion to Put the Question (b) Motion to Caucus (c) Motion to Recess (d) Motion to Defer Reading

Standing Order 21: Government House Leader and Motions

(1) The Government House Leader has the primary responsibility of introducing these motions, pursuant to his/her responsibility to direct the flow of Government business:

(b) Motion to Accept the Standing Orders (c) Motion to Call the Orders of the Day (d) Motion to Recess (e) Motion to Adjourn (f) When concerning Government Bills

(i) Motions for Second Reading (ii) Motion for Third Reading

Standing Order 22: Motion to Accept the Standing Orders

(1) The motion, “I move to adopt the Standing Orders as the authority by which this House is governed,” opens debate for HoC when passed. No other motions or speeches are permitted 17

before this motion is passed. The question is immediately put. Standing Order 23: Motion to Call the Orders of the Day

(1) The motion, “I move to call the Orders of the Day,” charges the Clerk to read out the Order Paper with progress reflected. This motion is carried without debate or vote.

Standing Order 24: Motion for First Reading

(1) The motion, “I move that Bill ____ be read a first time now and be printed,” introduces a Bill into the HoC for consideration when passed. The question is immediately put.

(2) For Set Topic Bills, this motion is carried immediately at the discretion of the Chair.

17 This is the first motion that is introduced in committee


(3) When put, the MP who motioned for First Reading will read out the Bill in question to the House, and may also summarize the Bill’s intent. S/he will be known as the sponsor of this Bill.

18

Standing Order 25: Motion for Second Reading and Referral to Standing Committees*

(1) The motion, “I move that Bill ____ be read a second time now and be referred to Standing Committees,” begins debate on the general principles and scope of the Bill.

(2) When passed, the Bill in question passes the stage of Second Reading and is sent to Standing Committees. The House is automatically set in recess, until Standing Committees are adjourned. MPs then split into their Standing Committees.

Standing Order 26: Motion for Second Reading and Committee of the Whole House*

(1) The motion, “I move that Bill ____ be read a second time now and be referred to a Committee of the Whole House,” begins debate on the general principles and scope of the Bill.

(2) When passed, the Bill in question passes the stage of Second Reading and creates a Committee of the Whole House, with the House automatically set in recess until the Committee of the Whole House is dissolved. 19

Standing Order 27: Motion to Introduce Standing Committee Reports

(1) The motion, “I move to present the Standing Committee on ______’s Report on Bill ____,” allows, when passed, the person motioning to present the amendments made to the Bill in question by said Standing Committee. The question is immediately put.

(2) The amendments proposed in the report will automatically be added on the Report Stage of the Order Paper for debate. 20

Standing Order 28: Motion to Amend a Clause*

(1) A motion to amend a clause of the Bill in question must be submitted in writing to the Clerk during the Caucus session before Report Stage. Templates will be provided by House staff.

(2) The amendments submitted will be added on the Report Stage of the Order Paper for debate.

18 These procedures are relatively insignificant for the Set Topic, where only one bill will be considered. Obviously, the intent of the bill cannot be summarized for the Set Topic bill. 19 A Committee of the Whole House is functionally the same as a regular sitting of the House; it just follows Second Reading. The purpose of the Second Reading is to discuss the ideological principles of the bill. 20 This means that the House will discuss the changes made by the Standing Committees.


Standing Order 29: Motion to Concur in the Amended Bill in Question*

(1) The motion, “I move that Bill _____, as amended, be concurred in,” ends Report Stage for the Bill when passed. All amendments passed during Report Stage will be locked in. No more amendments may be considered after this point.

Standing Order 30: Motion for Third Reading*

(1) The motion, “I move that Bill _____, be read a third time now and do pass,” begins debate on the final version of the Bill, including all passed amendments.

(2) When passed, the Bill in question passes and is sent to the Governor General for Royal Assent into law. If rejected, the Bill in question returns to the Caucus session before Report Stage.

Standing Order 31: Motion to Adjourn and Recess

(1) The motion, “I move that the House do adjourn,” ends the HoC session indefinitely when passed. This will only be in order during the last HoC sitting, and is subject to the Speaker’s 21

discretion. The question is immediately put. (2) he motion, “I move that the House do recess,” ends an HoC sitting when passed until the next

scheduled or emergency sitting. It is subject to the Speaker’s discretion. The question is immediately put.

Standing Order 32: Motion to Caucus

(1) The motion, “I move to caucus for _____ minutes,” suspends the Standing Orders and allows MPs to informally discuss and caucus with other MPs when passed for the defined amount of time. This is the HoC equivalent to an unmoderated caucus. The question is immediately put.

Standing Order 33: Motion to Defer Reading

(1) While a motion for Second Reading or Third Reading for an Open Agenda Bill is being debated in the House, the motion, “I move to defer the reading of the Bill in question,” when passed, moves the debate and vote for Second Reading or Third Reading of the Bill to the end of the Order Paper. The question is immediately put.

21 The Leader of the Government in the House of Commons is the only person allowed to make this motion.


Chapter V – Points

Standing Order 34: Point of Order

(2) An MP may rise on a Point of Order to indicate an instance of improper parliamentary procedure. S/he may be asked to refer to the appropriate Standing Order to justify the point.

(3) The Chair will then rule on the Point. In extraordinary circumstances, the Chair may allow brief debate on the point before making his/her ruling, subject to his/her discretion.

(4) Points of Order may interrupt another MP’s speech, but should wait until after the end of a sentence out of courtesy.

Standing Order 35: Point of Personal Privilege

(1) An MP may rise on a Point of Personal Privilege if s/he is experiencing a personal discomfort or danger that impairs his/her ability to participate in the proceedings. The House staff will then correct the problem.

(2) Points of Personal Privilege may only interrupt speeches for instances of dire danger. Standing Order 36: Point of Parliamentary Inquiry

(1) An MP may rise on a Point of Parliamentary Inquiry to ask a question regarding the Standing Orders and parliamentary procedure.

(2) Points of Parliamentary Inquiry cannot interrupt speeches. 22

Chapter VI – Voting

Standing Order 37: Procedural and Substantive Votes

(1) Procedural votes may only be decided by unanimous adoption or vocal vote. (2) Substantive votes may be decided by unanimous adoption, vocal and recorded vote. (3) All votes require a simple majority (50% + 1) to pass. (4) MPs who do not vote are considered to have abstained. Standing Order 38: Unanimous Adoption (Acclamation)

(1) Upon voting on a motion, the Chair asks, “Is it the pleasure of the House/committee to adopt this motion?” If there are no dissenting voices, the motion is carried without vote.

(2) (2) If there are dissenting voices, the Chair moves to the voice vote in the House, or the recorded vote in Standing Committees.

22 THERE IS NO “POINT OF INQUIRY.” MPs are not allowed to use Points to ask questions of other MPs.


Standing Order 39: Voice Vote

(1) The Chair will call for those in favour of the motion to say ‘yea,’ and all those opposed to say ‘nay.’ S/he will then decide whether the yeas or the nays were the majority opinion of the House and announce the decision to the House.

(2) If five or more MPs rise to object to the decision of the Chair, a recorded vote will take place (only for substantive motions).

Standing Order 40: Recorded Vote

(1) The Chair will call for a two-minute caucus before a recorded vote. During this time, parties may discuss voting strategy and Whips may perform their duties.

(2) After this two-minute period, the Chair will call for those in favour of the motion to rise, and have the Clerk record their names. They may sit down after the Clerk calls their name. The Chair will then call for those opposed to rise and sit in a similar fashion.

(3) The Clerk will then tally the votes and announce the vote. (4) In Standing Committees, placards are raised instead of rising. Standing Order 41: Tied Votes

(1) If the votes are tied for a recorded vote, the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker will cast their votes to break the tie in order to allow the continuation of debate, or to maintain the status quo.

Standing Order 42: Whipping the Vote

(1) All procedural votes are considered free votes; whipping procedural votes is not allowed. (2) Party Whips may remove a member from the respective party caucus if they demonstrate to the

Speaker that the member in question went against party vote during a proven whipped vote. 23

The member then becomes an independent, and can seek approval to join another Party from that Party’s leader and the Speaker.

Chapter VII – Committee Procedure

Standing Order 43: Standing Committees

(1) There are three standing committees at HoC:

23 The procedure of this is simple; when the Party Whip says “Whip” you must vote as they command. If you do not, you will be ejected from the party - in real life this would be tantamount to electoral suicide. The Speaker takes a dim view of MPs frivolously ignoring whips and leaving their parties. See Crossing the Floor.


- Political and Military; Economic and Financial; Social and Environmental (2) Assignments to Standing Committees are made and released before the HoC session. 24

Standing Order 44: Rules of Procedure in Committees

(1) All Standing Orders except those in Chapter IV apply in Standing Committees and Committees of the Whole House.

(2) Committee procedure is more informal than in the House – the Committee Chair, with recommendations from Committee members, has the right to change the Standing Orders within Chapter VII to better and more efficiently produce an amendment report for the Bill in question.

(3) In Standing Committees and in a Committee of the Whole House, these motions only apply: (a) Motion to Amend a Clause (written) – using the same template as in the House. (b) Motion to Summon a Witness (“I move to summon _____ as a witness to this Committee”)

charges the Chair to summon an MP from another committee to speak to the committee (only in Standing Committees).

(i) The MP has the right to refuse the summoning. (c) Motion to Instruct a Member to Present the Committee’s Report (“I move that the

Committee instruct ______ to present the Committee’s report”) charges a member of the committee with presenting the Committee’s amendment report to the House (only in Standing Committees).

(d) Motion to Adjourn (“I move that the Committee do adjourn”) finalizes the Committee’s amendment report and adjourns the committee. MPs return to the House.

(4) There are no seconds nor motions to put the question; once a motion in committee is made, it is immediately voted upon.

(5) Any other decisions (e.g. setting a topic for discussion, ending debate on a clause, ending clauseby- clause debate, caucus and recess) can be made informally with an informal vote.

Standing Order 45: Clause-by-Clause Debate

(1) The Chair will lead the Committee in debating each clause by numerical order (i.e. clause 1, then clause 2, etc.)

(2) Debate on clauses not germane to the Committee’s mandate is not allowed. (3) If the committee so desires, line-by-line debate and preambulatory clause debate may also occur

after enacting clauses are debated. Standing Order 46: Witnesses in Standing Committees

(1) If a witness attends to speak to a Standing Committee, s/he must take an oath of honesty that the Chair will conduct.

24 The Secretariat will typically email this information to MPs prior to the conference.


(2) Witnesses are allowed to make a brief opening statement, and then committee members will be able to ask the witness questions. The witness is not obligated to answer any questions.

Standing Order 47: Amendments in Committees

(1) Motions to amend a clause will be accepted by the Chair in writing throughout the entire Committee session.

(2) After clause-by-clause debate is exhausted, or the Committee decides to end clause-by-clause debate, the Chair will allow voting on submitted amendments by numerical order of the clause affected, and may group amendments if appropriate. On the Committee’s discretion, brief debate may be permitted on amendments.

Standing Order 48: Committees of the Whole House

(1) When a Committee of the Whole House is established, the Speaker leaves the Chair of the House and the Deputy Speaker takes the Chair of the Committee. The Mace is put under the table.

(2) Amendment reports approved by Committees of the Whole House are automatically amended to the Bill in the House.

Chapter VIII – Amendments

Standing Order 49: Admissibility of Amendments

(1) An amendment motion can add or remove a single clause, or alter a single clause. (2) Amendments that contradict the general purpose or scope of the Bill in question, render the Bill

powerless, or introduce irrelevant material to the Bill are inadmissible. Standing Order 50: Order of Amendments at Report Stage

(3) The Government House Leader sets the order of amendments at Report Stage and may group certain amendments together into amendment packages. These decisions will be reflected in the Order Paper when the Government House Leader submits the order to the Clerk.

(a) This must be done during the recess between the Report Stage Caucus and Report Stage. (b) Groupings must be approved in writing by the sponsors of affected amendments.

(2) The Government and Opposition House Leaders should discuss and agree upon this order and grouping of amendments before their submission.

(3) Opposition parties may retaliate against unfair ordering or grouping of amendments by immediately putting the question and rejecting amendments.


Standing Order 51: Amendments at Report Stage

(1) During Report Stage, the Chair will call on sponsors of amendments to present their amendments per the Order Paper.

(2) For amendment packages, sponsors will present their respective clauses within the package. (3) The Chair will permit brief debate for a specific time period subject to his/her discretion, after

which the question will be automatically put and the amendment or amendment package voted upon.

Chapter IX – Open Agenda and Emergency Situations

Standing Order 52: Order of Open Agenda Bills

(1) The Government House Leader sets the order of Open Agenda Bills on the Order Paper. These decisions will be reflected in the Order Paper when the Government House Leader submits the order to the Clerk.

(2) This must be done before the House moves from the Set Topic to the Open Agenda Bills. (3) The Government and Opposition House Leaders should discuss and agree upon this order of

Open Agenda Bills before its submission. (4) Opposition parties may retaliate against unfair ordering of Open Agenda Bills by rejecting First

Reading of Open Agenda Bills. Standing Order 53: Emergency Debate

(1) In the case of an domestic or international emergency, the Speaker may temporarily suspend the Order Paper to begin an emergency debate. The Speaker will continue to suspend the Order Paper at his/her discretion, or until a resolution for the crisis has been achieved.

(2) Members may motion for an emergency Committee of the Whole House (“I move for an emergency Committee of the Whole House”) to discuss the emergency and entertain expert witnesses to learn more about the emergency.

Standing Order 54: Crisis Motions

(1) Written crisis motions that authorize government agencies to take actions must be made to resolve an emergency (e.g. “I move: that the Armed Forces...; that Health Canada...; that the Coast Guard...”). This is the HoC equivalent to a crisis directive or resolution.

(a) In order to be considered for debate, they must be submitted in writing to the Clerk. The Chair is responsible for ordering the motions for debate. As with all motions, they are debated upon when made and are voted upon when the question is put.

(b) These motions cannot be made in an emergency Committee of the Whole House.


Cheat sheet: Motions and Points

Standard Motions in the House

Points

Motions in Standing Committees

Specific Motions


Int roduc t i on - Vancouver Model United NationsInt roduc t i on Greetings! My name is Arun Solanky, and I am serving as the Speaker for the House of Commons at VMUN 2018. The House

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