3. ADDRESS IN REPLY TO THE SPEECH FROM THE THRONE

When the House returns from the Senate after the Speech from the Throne, its business includes a routine motion by the Prime Minister that the Throne Speech be considered either that day or on some future day. On the specified day, the proceedings which result in the House of Commons' response to the Throne Speech --the Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne --begin when a government Member not of the Ministry moves that an Address be presented to the Governor General (or more rarely, the Sovereign) "to offer our humble thanks... for the gracious speech which Your Excellency has addressed...". Following the speech of another government private Member who seconds the motion, the House normally adjourns to the first of six (not necessarily consecutive) days for resuming debate on the motion and on any amendments. 

As the motion itself is relatively unspecific, debate is very wide-ranging, providing one of the few opportunities for private Members to speak on topics of their choice. The normal rules of debate apply. All Members except the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition are restricted to 20-minute speeches, followed by a 10-minute questions and comments period after each speech.  

The calling of the Order on a particular day for resuming debate on the motion is at the discretion of the Government. When debate is resumed, the Order takes precedence over all other business including Private Members' Business, except the Daily Routine of Business. On the first of the six days of formal debate (so-called Leaders' Day), the first speaker is the Leader of the Opposition, who may conclude by proposing an amendment to add words to the original motion. The Prime Minister speaks next, followed by the leader of the second largest party in opposition, who may offer a subamendment. 

Opposition amendments and subamendments entail direct questions of confidence in the Government. Again, given the unspecific nature of the main motion, the rule of relevance is not strictly applied to such "no-confidence" amendments. A procedurally acceptable amendment will add some specific element of its own; a subamendment may propose an addition to or deletion from the words of the amendment, and must be relevant to it. 

Only one amendment and one subamendment can be before the House at any one time. The opportunity to present amendments and subamendments is restricted by Standing Orders that require all of them to be disposed of well before the main motion is put to the House. Specifically, on the second day of resumed debate, the Speaker interrupts the proceedings 15 minutes before the ordinary adjournment hour to put the question on any subamendment under consideration; on the fourth day of resumed debate, the Speaker interrupts the proceedings 30 minutes before the ordinary adjournment hour to put the question on all amendments and subamendments; on or after the fifth day of resumed debate, the main motion is not subject to amendment; and finally, on the sixth day of resumed debate (unless the debate has previously concluded) the Speaker interrupts the proceedings 15 minutes before the ordinary adjournment hour to put every question necessary to dispose of the main motion. 

Immediately following the adoption of the main motion, the House agrees to a motion that the Address be engrossed and presented to the Governor General in person by the Speaker. 

Any of the six days of resumed debate not used up by the debate on the Address in Reply may be added to the number of allotted days in the current supply period.