Tuesday, November 25, 2025

The Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament has the honour to present its

FIRST REPORT

Your committee, which was authorized by the Senate on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 to examine and report on the inclusion of provisions relating to Question Period with a minister into the Rules of the Senate, including recommendations for amendments, now presents its final report.

INTRODUCTION

On June 4, 2025, the Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament (the committee) was authorized to examine and report on the inclusion of provisions relating to Question Period with a minister into the Rules of the Senate of Canada (the Rules) and to submit a final report no later than December 18, 2025.

Over three meetings, held between October 7 and 28, 2025, the committee heard from six witnesses, including three current leaders, facilitators and deputy leaders from three recognized parliamentary groups, as well as the former Government Representative in the Senate. The committee also received written briefs from the current Government Representative in the Senate and from the Conservative Caucus. Additionally, the committee invited all senators to share their views on this matter through a written submission.

After careful consideration of all evidence, the committee agreed by majority to recommend to the Senate amendments to the Rules to include provisions for Question Period with a minister; the procedural and logistical details of which would be determined by a sessional order supported by the leaders and facilitators of all recognized parties and parliamentary groups.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

For much of its history, the Senate of Canada permitted oral questions without any formal written rules, until the practice was added to the Rules in 1968.

In December 2015, the Senate adopted a new practice through a sessional order, whereby ministers from the House of Commons were invited to appear at Question Period. The newly elected government did not have a government leader in the Senate at the time, and it was therefore desired to have ministers from that government appear at Question Period to hold the government to account. To identify which ministers were to be invited to Question Period at this time, the Leader of the Opposition, in consultation with the Office of the Leader of the Senate Liberals, prepared a shortlist of preferred ministers. The list was then submitted to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.

The practice evolved with the establishment of the Government Representative’s Office in 2016 and the formal recognition of parliamentary groups into the Rules in 2017. During this period, the Government Representative consulted with the leaders and facilitators of recognized parliamentary groups, the Opposition, and non-affiliated senators to determine which ministers should be invited to Question Period.

Subsequent sessional orders reaffirming this practice were adopted on December 7, 2021, and June 4, 2025. Ministers appeared regularly throughout the Forty-second Parliament, with a pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, and resumed appearances in the Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth Parliaments.

GUIDANCE FOR FUTURE SESSIONAL ORDERS

A clear majority of members of the committee (12-2) support the amendments provided in this report, to promote consistency and ensure the long-term continuity of the practice. Some members of the committee believe that maintaining the current approach — where the practice is authorized and implemented through a sessional order — is preferable to embedding it in the Rules, as it allows for greater flexibility.

The committee agrees that the procedural details and logistics of Question Period with a minister should not be codified in the Rules but determined by sessional order. The committee believes that this approach allows the Senate to adjust its practices in response to evolving parliamentary contexts. The committee recognizes that codifying procedural details and logistics could create unnecessary rigidity in a process that has traditionally relied on dialogue and consensus among recognized parties and groups.

While building on the practices developed in previous parliaments, the committee resolved to present the following considerations as guidance for the preparation of future sessional orders governing Question Period with a minister.

Role of the Opposition

The committee acknowledges that, although all parliamentary groups and caucuses have the duty to hold the government to account, the Opposition in the Senate has a special role in Question Period.

The committee also recognizes that questioning the government on its policies and the conduct of the administration is a fundamental role of all senators.

Determination of Ministers to be Invited

The committee agrees that the Government Leader or Representative in the Senate, in consultation with the Leader of the Opposition, and the leaders and facilitators of all recognized parties and parliamentary groups, should establish and regularly update a list of ministers to invite. The Government Leader or Representative in the Senate should then liaise with ministers’ offices to coordinate and schedule their appearances. The committee also agrees that the Office of the Government Leader or Representative should continue to engage with non-affiliated senators to consider their views. Moreover, the committee recognizes that the Senate cannot compel a minister to appear.

The committee discussed the participation of Ministers of State, currently styled as “Secretaries of State.” Given that their portfolios are narrower than those of full ministers, the committee notes that a Minister of State may be limited in the scope of responses they can provide during Question Period. The committee agrees that Ministers of State should be able to appear at Question Period.

Notice

The committee agrees that the Senate should be notified as soon as practicable — and no later than the sitting day preceding the scheduled Question Period — of both the time of the appearance and the identity of the Minister.

Frequency

The committee agrees that Question Period with a minister should occur every second sitting week, as agreed by leaders.

Duration

The committee agrees that the existing 64-minute duration for Question Period with a minister is sufficient.

Distribution of Questioning

The committee agrees that the special role of the Opposition in Question Period with a minister should be considered when allocating questions. The committee also concurs that questions should be distributed proportionally among all recognized parties and groups and non-affiliated senators. Additionally, the details of the distribution of questions should be determined by the leaders and facilitators of all recognized parties and groups.

Decorum

The committee agrees that senators should rise when asking questions, and that ministers should likewise stand when responding. The committee considers it important to adopt a consistent approach that differs from the practice followed during a Committee of the Whole, where neither senators nor ministers addressing the chair are required to stand.

Seating of the Minister

The committee is divided on where the minister should sit during Question Period.

The committee considered two seating arrangements for the minister during Question Period: beside the Government Leader or Representative or at the desk of the Usher of the Black Rod.

During the first four years of this practice, ministers were seated beside the Government Representative. Since the Forty-fourth Parliament, ministers have been seated at the desk of the Usher of the Black Rod.

The committee acknowledges that, historically, the bar of the Senate at the entrance of the chamber symbolizes the independence of the Senate from the House of Commons. As part of its privilege to control its own proceedings, the Rules provide for the withdrawal of strangers — that is, any person who is not a senator or an official of the Senate — from the chamber. The Rules were amended in 1947 to permit a minister from the House of Commons to enter beyond the bar when the Senate resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole.

Some members of the committee prefer that the minister be seated beside the Government Leader or Representative, noting that this arrangement aligns with the established practice of Question Period and reinforces the principle of holding the government to account. Other advantages of this seating arrangement are that it provides clear visibility of the minister standing within the Chamber and it distinguishes between Question Period with a minister and a Committee of the Whole, where ministers sit at the Usher of the Black Rod’s desk and are usually accompanied by officials.

Other members of the committee favour seating the minister at the Usher of the Black Rod’s desk, as they believe it is not appropriate for an invited minister — who is not a member of the Senate — to sit among senators. Some members also view this option as better reflecting parliamentary history and the Senate’s distinctive culture. From a practical standpoint, this placement allows the minister to address senators on both sides of the Chamber.

RECOMMENDATION

Pursuant to rule 12-7(2)(a), and to the order of reference adopted by the Senate on June 4, 2025, your committee recommends that the Rules of the Senate be amended by:

1.replacing rule 4-8(1) with the following:

“Subject to subsections (2) and (3), 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.”;

2.adding the following new rules immediately after rule 4-8(1):

“Question Period with a minister

4-8. (2) The Senate may receive any minister who is not a member of the Senate, subject to subsection (3), during Question Period to respond to questions relating to their ministerial responsibilities.

Conditions for Question Period with a minister

4-8. (3) As soon as practicable at the beginning of each session, the Leader or Representative of the Government shall move a motion, seconded by the Leader of the Opposition, and the leader or facilitator of any other recognized party or recognized parliamentary group, setting the frequency and procedural and logistical conditions for Question Period with a minister who is not a member of the Senate for the remainder of the session, including any adjustments from normal procedure and practice that may be required in the circumstances. This motion shall be deemed adopted without debate or vote.”;

3.renumbering current rules 4-8(2) and 4-8(3) as 4-8(4) and 4-8(5);

4.replacing rule 4-9(1) with the following:

“When responding to an oral question during Question Period, a Senator or a minister who is not a member of the Senate may indicate that a delayed answer will be provided in writing pursuant to the terms of this rule.”;

5.replacing rule 4-9(6) with the following:

“Within 60 calendar days of the Leader or Representative of the Government, a Senator who is a minister or a minister who is not a member of the Senate, 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.”; and

6.updating all cross references in the Rules, including the lists of exceptions, accordingly.

Your committee recommends that these amendments come into effect on the last day of the First Session of the Forty-fifth Parliament.

Respectfully submitted,