Honourable senators, as the Deputy Chair of the Rules Committee, I’m presenting what the Chair of the Rules Committee, Senator Bellemare, called a friendly amendment to the fourth report of the Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament. Senator Bellemare is unable to present this amendment because she has already spoken on this matter, but she is in full agreement with this.

The fourth report of the Senate Rules Committee added the following new rule:

1. adding the following new rule immediately after current rule 1-1(2):

“Accessibility

1-1. (3) If a provision of these Rules or a practice of the Senate constitutes a barrier to a senator’s full and equal participation in proceedings solely due to a disability, as defined in the Accessible Canada Act, the Speaker, or the chair of a committee, may authorize reasonable adjustments to the application of the rule or practice.”;

The amendment that we are proposing today clarifies that adjustments to allow full participation for a senator in proceedings of the Senate Chamber or a committee only applies to proceedings here in Ottawa.