and ranges over the whole fi eld of the nation?s
45 minutes, and is a most important part of the
business.
process of keeping the government responsible
and responsive.
A Working Day in the Commons
Most of the rest of the day is taken up with bills,
At the beginning of each sitting of the House,
which are in fact proposed laws. Any member
the Speaker takes the chair, the Sergeant-
can introduce a bill, but most of the time is
at-Arms lays the Mace (a gold-plated war
reserved for bills introduced by the government.
club, symbol of the House?s authority) on the
long table in front of the Speaker, and the
One hour of each day is reserved for the
Speaker reads the daily prayer. Government
consideration of any business sponsored by a
supporters sit to the Speaker?s right, members
private member, that is, by any member who is
of opposition parties to the left. The fi rst few
not part of the cabinet.
rows of desks on the government side, near the
centre, are occupied by the prime minister and
the cabinet. Opposite them sit the leader of the
A cabinet minister or backbench member
offi
cial Opposition and the chief members of
proposing a bill fi rst moves for the House?s ?leave?
his or her party. In the rest of the House, the
to introduce it. This is given automatically and
actual seating arrangements depend on the
without debate or vote. Next comes the motion
number of members elected from each political
that the bill be read a fi rst time and printed. This
party. The leaders of the other major opposition
also is automatic and without debate or vote.
parties sit in the front row farther down the
On a later day comes the motion for second
chamber, at the opposite end from the Speaker.
reading (although sometimes a bill is sent
At the long table sit the clerk of the House,
directly to a committee before second reading).
the deputy clerk, and the other ?table offi
cers,?
This is the stage at which members debate the
who keep the offi
cial record of decisions of the
principle of the bill. If it passes second reading,
House. At desks in the wide space between
it goes to a committee of the House, usually a
government and Opposition sit the proceedings
standing committee. Each such committee may
monitors, English and French, who identify
hear witnesses, and considers the bill, clause
each speaker and the person being addressed.
by clause, before reporting it (with or without
This information complements the electronic
amendments) back to the House. The size of
recording of proceedings, which are published
these committees varies from Parliament to
the next day. There is simultaneous translation,
Parliament, but the parties are represented in
English and French, for all speeches, and all the
proportion to their strength in the House itself.
proceedings are televised and recorded.
Some bills, such as appropriation bills (based
on the Estimates), which seek to withdraw
money from the Consolidated Revenue Fund,
After certain routine proceedings, the House
are dealt with by the whole House acting as a
considers Government Orders on most days.
committee.
Every day the House sits there is a question
