Prayers

4-1. The Speaker shall proceed to Prayers as soon as a quorum is seen.

Senators' Statements and Tributes

4-2. (1) Except as otherwise provided, after Prayers the Speaker shall call for Senators’ Statements.

EXCEPTIONS
Rule 4-4(1): Emergency debate request instead of Senators’ Statements
Rule 8-3(1): Order of debate

4-2. (2) Except as provided in paragraph (8)(a) and elsewhere in these Rules, the period for Senators’ Statements shall not extend beyond 18 minutes.

EXCEPTIONS
Rule 4-3(1): Tributes
Rule 4-3(4): Acknowledgements of tributes

4-2. (3) A Senator making a statement shall be limited to one intervention, of no more than three minutes.

4-2. (4) A Senator who has provided written notice to the Clerk of a question of privilege, and who intends to proceed with that question later in the sitting, has priority to give oral notice of the question during Senators’ Statements.

4-2. (5)(a) During Senators’ Statements, Senators may, without notice, raise matters that they believe should be brought to the immediate attention of the Senate.

4-2. (5)(b) Statements should not relate to an order of the day but should relate to matters of public interest that could not otherwise be brought to the immediate attention of the Senate under its Rules and practices.

4-2. (6) Matters raised during Senators’ Statements shall not be subject to debate. Senators who are making statements are bound by the usual rules governing the propriety of debates.

4-2. (7) During Senators’ Statements, no motions shall be received.

4-2. (8)(a) At the request of a whip, liaison, or the designated representative of a recognized party or recognized parliamentary group, the Speaker shall, at an appropriate time during Senators’ Statements, seek leave of the Senate to extend Statements. If leave is granted, Senators’ Statements shall be extended by no more than 30 minutes.

4-2. (8)(b) If, as a consequence of this extension, the Senate has not concluded its consideration of the Orders of the Day by 7 p.m., the beginning of the evening suspension shall be delayed for a time equal to the additional time provided for Senators’ Statements.

4-3. (1) At the request of the Leader or Representative of the Government, the Leader of the Opposition, or the leader or facilitator of any other recognized party or recognized parliamentary group, the period for Senators’ Statements shall be extended by no more than 15 minutes for the purpose of paying tribute to a current or former Senator.

4-3. (2) The Speaker shall remind the Senate that each Senator offering a tribute shall speak only once and for no more than three minutes.

4-3. (3) No Senator shall seek leave of the Senate to extend Tributes after the 15 minutes have expired.

4-3. (4) After tributes are given to a current Senator, that Senator may speak, and the time for this acknowledgement shall not be counted in the time provided for Tributes.

4-3. (5) Tributes, including any acknowledgement, shall appear under the heading “Tributes” in the Journals of the Senate and the Debates of the Senate.

4-3. (6) Nothing in this rule prevents tributes being offered to a current or former Senator, or any other person, by other means than through the period designated for Tributes.

4-4. (1) Except as provided in subsection (2), Senators’ Statements shall not take place when the Clerk receives notice of a request for an emergency debate. The Speaker shall instead proceed immediately after Prayers to consider the request for an emergency debate, and once that request has been decided, the Speaker shall call Routine Proceedings.

4-4. (2) When the Clerk receives notice of a request for an emergency debate, Senators’ Statements shall be called immediately after Prayers if necessary for either Tributes or oral notice of a question of privilege under the provisions of chapter 13 of these Rules. After the Tributes or the oral notice the Speaker shall immediately proceed to consider the request for an emergency debate.

Routine Proceedings

4-5. After Senators’ Statements, or after dealing with any requests for an emergency debate, the Speaker shall call Routine Proceedings in the following order:

(a) Tabling of Documents;
(b) Presenting or Tabling Reports from Committees;
(c) Government Notices of Motions;
(d) Government Notices of Inquiries;
(e) Introduction and First Reading of Government Bills;
(f) Introduction and First Reading of Senate Public Bills;
(g) First Reading of Commons Public Bills;
(h) Reading of Petitions for Private Bills;
(i) Introduction and First Reading of Private Bills;
(j) Tabling of Reports from Interparliamentary Delegations;
(k) Notices of Motions;
(l) Notices of Inquiries; and
(m) Tabling of Petitions.

4-6. (1) Except as provided in subsection (2), any standing vote requested during Routine Proceedings shall be deferred until 5:30 p.m. the same day.

4-6. (2) Dilatory and procedural motions may be moved without notice and must be decided without debate. Any standing vote requested on such motions during Routine Proceedings shall be taken in accordance with the ordinary procedure for determining the duration of bells. The time taken for a vote on such motions shall not count as part of Routine Proceedings.

Question Period

4-7. Except as otherwise provided, Question Period shall begin no later than 30 minutes after the Speaker calls the first item of Routine Proceedings. The time provided for Question Period shall not exceed 30 minutes.

EXCEPTION
Rule 4-6(2): Dilatory and procedural motions during Routine Proceedings

4-8. (1) During Question Period, a Senator may, without notice, ask a question of:

(a) the Leader or Representative of the Government, on a matter relating to public affairs;
(b) a Senator who is a minister, on a matter relating to that Senator’s ministerial responsibility; or
(c) a committee chair, on a matter relating to the activities of the committee.

4-8. (2) There is no debate during Question Period, and only brief comments or explanatory remarks shall be allowed.

4-8. (3) Supplementary questions may be asked.

Delayed Answers and Written Questions

4-9. (1) When responding to an oral question during Question Period, a Senator may indicate that a delayed answer will be provided in writing pursuant to the terms of this rule.

4-9. (2) Subject to subsection (5), a Senator may submit a written question to the Government relating to public affairs by sending it in writing to the Clerk if either:

(a) a written answer is requested; or
(b) the question seeks statistical information or other information not readily available.

4-9. (3) Upon receipt of a written question, the Clerk shall have it published in the Order Paper and Notice Paper on the day following receipt and subsequently on the first sitting day of each week until the earlier of the following:

(a) an answer is tabled;
(b) a written explanation why an answer has not been provided is tabled;
(c) the question is withdrawn; or
(d) the expiration of the 60-day period provided for in this rule for an answer or explanation.

4-9. (4) The Senator who submitted a written question may subsequently withdraw it by writing to the Clerk, who shall have a note to that effect included in the Order Paper and Notice Paper the next time the question would have been published there.

4-9. (5) A Senator shall not submit a written question if they already have four such questions that are to be published in the Order Paper and Notice Paper under the provisions of subsection (3).

4-9. (6) Within 60 calendar days of the Leader or Representative of the Government, or a Senator who is a minister, indicating that a delayed answer will be provided to an oral question pursuant to the terms of this rule, or of a written question first appearing in the Order Paper and Notice Paper, the Leader or Representative of the Government, or the Deputy Leader or Legislative Deputy of the Government, shall table either the Government’s answer to the question or a written explanation why an answer has not been provided.

4-9. (7) An answer or explanation to be provided under this rule may be tabled either during Delayed Answers, which shall be called at the end of Question Period, or by being deposited with the Clerk. A copy of any such tabled document shall be provided to the Senator who asked the question, and the delayed answer to an oral question shall be printed in the Debates of the Senate of the date the tabling is recorded in the Journals of the Senate.

4-9. (8) If the Government has tabled neither an answer nor an explanation of why an answer has not been provided within the 60-day period provided for under this rule, the absence of an answer shall be deemed referred to the Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament for consideration and report, with this referral being recorded in the Journals of the Senate as soon as possible thereafter.

Points of Order and Questions of Privilege

4-10. (1) A point of order relating to:

(a) a bill that was introduced during Routine Proceedings shall be raised after the second reading of the bill has been moved;
(b) an item for which notice was given during Routine Proceedings shall be raised after the item has been moved for adoption or, in the case of an inquiry, once debate has begun; or
(c) any other matter arising during Routine Proceedings or Question Period shall be raised at the beginning of the Orders of the Day.

4-10. (2) A Senator may raise a question of privilege relating to:

(a) a notice given during Routine Proceedings only at the time the order is first called for consideration; or
(b) other matters arising during Routine Proceedings or Question Period under the provisions of chapter 13 of these Rules.

4-10. (3) During Routine Proceedings and Question Period, it shall not be in order to raise any point of order or question of privilege.

Orders of the Day and Notices

4-11. At the end of Question Period and the tabling of any delayed answers, the Speaker shall proceed to call, in the following order:

(a) Orders of the Day; and
(b) Motions and inquiries on the Notice Paper.

4-12. (1) Except as otherwise provided, Government Business shall have priority over all other business before the Senate.

EXCEPTIONS
Rule 8-4(1): Adjournment motion for emergency debate
Rule 13-5(1): Consideration of question of privilege
Rule 13-5(2): When question of privilege without notice considered
Rule 13-6(2): Debate on motion on case of privilege

4-12. (2) Except as provided in subsection (3), Government Business, including items on notice, shall be called in the following order, with Senate bills preceding Commons bills within their categories; bills, motions and inquiries being called in numerical order within their categories; and all other items being called in their categories in the order in which they were placed on the Orders of the Day:

(a) Bills – Messages from the House of Commons;
(b) Bills – Third Reading;
(c) Bills – Reports of Committees;
(d) Bills – Second Reading;
(e) Reports of Committees – Other;
(f) Motions;
(g) Inquiries; and
(h) Other.

4-12. (3) Government Business shall be called in such sequence as the Leader or Representative of the Government, or the Deputy Leader or Legislative Deputy of the Government shall determine.

4-13. Except as otherwise ordered by the Senate, Other Business shall be called in the following order, with bills, motions and inquiries called in numerical order within their categories, and any other items within their categories in the order in which they were placed on the Orders of the Day:

(a) Bills – Messages from the House of Commons (with Senate bills preceding Commons bills);
(b) Senate Public Bills – Third Reading;
(c) Commons Public Bills – Third Reading;
(d) Private Bills – Third Reading;
(e) Senate Public Bills – Reports of Committees;
(f) Commons Public Bills – Reports of Committees;
(g) Private Bills – Reports of Committees;
(h) Senate Public Bills – Second Reading;
(i) Commons Public Bills – Second Reading;
(j) Private Bills – Second Reading;
(k) Reports of Committees – Other;
(l) Motions;
(m) Inquiries; and
(n) Other.

4-14. (1) Any item not called when the Senate adjourns, except a motion to adjourn the Senate for an emergency debate, shall be carried over to the next sitting.

4-14. (2) Except as otherwise ordered by the Senate, any item of Other Business on the Order Paper and any motion or inquiry on the Notice Paper that have not been proceeded with during 15 sitting days shall be dropped from the Order Paper and Notice Paper.

4-14. (3) If a Senator has started to speak on an item of Other Business on the Order Paper or on any motion or inquiry on the Notice Paper, that debate can be adjourned only once in that Senator's name for the balance of time remaining.

4-15. (1) The Speaker shall call the Orders of the Day no later than 8 p.m., or noon on Fridays.

4-15. (2) When the Orders of the Day are only first called at 8 p.m., or noon on a Friday, they shall be immediately interrupted, if required, for the purpose of dealing with any of the following in this order:

(a) a motion moved earlier in the sitting relating to a case of privilege;
(b) an emergency debate; or
(c) presentation of a question of privilege.