Honourable senators, with leave of the Senate and notwithstanding rule 5-5(j), I move:

That, notwithstanding any provision of the Rules, previous order or usual practice, proceedings relating to Bill C-7, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying), at third reading be governed by the following provisions:

1.on Monday, February 8, 2021, no amendment or other motion, except to adjourn debate or that a certain senator be now heard, shall be received;

2.proceedings on the bill between Tuesday, February 9, 2021, and the start of the final general debate provided for in paragraph 3 shall be subject to the following provisions:

2.1except as provided in subparagraph 2.8, the Senate shall deal with the bill according to the following themes in the indicated order, so that, once debate on one theme ends, the Senate shall proceed to debate on the next theme, without reverting to an earlier theme, and with speeches, amendments and subamendments not generally relating to the theme then before the Senate being out of order:

(a)mental illness and degenerative illness;

(b)safeguards and advance requests;

(c)vulnerable and minority groups, healthcare (including palliative care) and access to medical assistance in dying;

(d)conscience rights; and

(e)review process and coming into force of the act;

2.2the sitting of Wednesday, February 10, 2021, shall continue after 4 p.m. if debate on the bill is still underway at that time, until the earlier of the conclusion of those proceedings or 9 p.m., as if that earlier time were the ordinary time of adjournment on that day;

2.3the sitting of Monday, February 15, 2021, shall start at 2 p.m.;

2.4a senator:

(a)may speak once to the motion for third reading of the bill during the debate on each theme, for a maximum of 10 minutes, provided that a senator who sent the text of an amendment pursuant to subparagraph 2.7 and intends to move it may speak for a maximum of 15 minutes instead of the 10 minutes otherwise allowed; and

(b)may also speak once, for a maximum of 6 minutes, to any amendment and subamendment, unless that senator moved the amendment or subamendment;

2.5if a standing vote is requested on any motion relating to the bill, that vote shall not be deferred, and the bells to call in the senators shall ring for only 15 minutes;

2.6no motion, except that a certain senator be now heard, to adjourn debate or for a subamendment, shall be received while the Senate is considering an amendment to the bill, and no motion, except that a certain senator be now heard or to adjourn debate, shall be received while the Senate is considering a subamendment;

2.7if a senator wishes to move an amendment to the bill, the amendment must be sent to the Clerk of the Senate or his delegate, in both English and French, by 5 p.m. on the day before it is moved, and the Clerk or his delegate will provide it to the leaders and facilitators as soon as possible;

2.8if a point of order is raised in relation:

(a)to an amendment, the Speaker may direct that proceedings on the bill continue as if the amendment were not before the Senate pending his decision, and debate on the amendment shall resume after the ruling, if the item is in order, whether the ruling is given at that sitting or at a future sitting; or

(b)to a subamendment, the Speaker may give a similar direction, in which case debate on the amendment shall continue as if the subamendment were not before the Senate, provided that if debate on the amendment concludes before a ruling on the subamendment, the provisions of point (a) shall generally apply, with debate on the subamendment and the amendment resuming later that sitting or at a future sitting, if appropriate; and

2.9notwithstanding any other provision of this order, if technical reasons require a suspension of the sitting during debate on Bill C-7, or if, under the provisions of subparagraph 2.8, debate on an item from an earlier sitting resumes at a subsequent sitting, the time provided for the adjournment of the Senate on that day shall, until debate on the bill has finished for the day, be delayed by a period of time equivalent to both the length of any suspensions and the time taken to dispose of the amendment or subamendment, with this delayed time being considered the ordinary time of adjournment on that day;

3.once the thematic debate provided for in subparagraph 2.1 has concluded, the Senate shall begin a final general debate on the bill, and, once this debate starts, the Rules, orders and practices that would apply if this order had not been adopted — including, in particular, normal provisions relating to speaking times — apply in relation to proceedings on Bill C-7, except as follows:

3.1any prior speech relating to the bill shall not be counted as a speech for the purposes of rule 6-2(1);

3.2no amendment or other motion, except that a certain senator be now heard, shall be received until the bill has been decided upon at third reading;

3.3if a standing vote is requested on any motion relating to the bill, that vote shall not be deferred, and the bells to call in the senators shall only ring for:

(a)15 minutes for any vote other than the vote on the motion for third reading of the bill; and

(b)30 minutes in the case of a standing vote requested on the motion for third reading of the bill;

3.4on Wednesday, February 17, 2021, the sitting shall not be adjourned before the Senate has decided upon the bill at third reading, but it shall continue as required until that decision; and

3.5if, under the provisions of subparagraph 2.8, debate on an amendment or subamendment resumes during the final general debate, proceedings on that amendment or subamendment shall be governed by the relevant provisions of paragraph 2;

4.for greater certainty, all times in this order are Ottawa times;

5.when any provision of this order provides for a 15‑minute bell, any whip or liaison may require that, notwithstanding that provision, the bells instead ring for 30 minutes, except that in the case of the bells for a vote on the motion for third reading of the bill, any whip or liaison may require that the bells ring for 60 minutes, rather than the 30 provided for in point 3.3(b);

6.on any day that the bill is before the Senate, including a Monday, there shall be an evening suspension of one hour, to normally start at 6 p.m., provided that if, at that time, a senator is speaking in debate on the bill, the start of the evening suspension shall be delayed so as not to interrupt the senator’s intervention; and

7.the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel is authorized to make any necessary technical, editorial, grammatical, or other required, non-substantive changes to or as a result of amendments adopted by the Senate, including the updating of cross-references and the renumbering of provisions; and

That, notwithstanding any provision of the Rules, previous order or usual practice, on Wednesday, February 17, 2021, the sitting continue, if proceedings on Bill C-7 are concluded, until the end of Government Business or 9 p.m., whichever comes first, provided that if proceedings on Bill C-7 conclude after 9 p.m., the Senate adjourn once those proceedings have concluded.

The Hon. the Speaker pro tempore: Is leave granted, honourable senators?

Hon. Senators: Agreed.