PART III
ORDER AND DECORUM


18. (1)  The Speaker shall preserve order and decorum in the Senate.  In doing so the Speaker may act without a want of order or decorum being brought to his or her attention.  Furthermore, the Speaker shall be authorized to act on his or her own initiative to interrupt any debate to restore order or to enforce the Rules of the Senate. In the case of grave disorder, the Speaker may suspend the sitting of the Senate for a period not to exceed three hours.

    (2) The Speaker shall decide points of order and when so doing shall state the reasons for the decision together with references to the rule or other written authority applicable to the case.

    (3) When the Speaker has been asked to decide any question of privilege or point of order he or she shall determine when sufficient argument has been adduced to decide the matter, whereupon the Speaker shall so indicate to the Senate, and continue with the item of business which had been interrupted or proceed to the next item of business, as the case may be.

    (4) Except in accordance with the provisions of rule 37(5), all decisions of the Speaker shall be subject to appeal to the Senate, and such an appeal shall be decided forthwith, without debate.

    (5) When the Speaker rises, all other Senators shall remain seated or shall resume their seats.

19. During any sitting of the Senate,

     (1) Neither Senators nor any person authorized to be on the floor of the Senate Chamber while the Senate is sitting shall pass between the Chair and the Table, nor between a Senator who has the floor and eh Chair;

     (2) When entering, leaving or crossing the Senate Chamber, Senators shall bow to the Chair, symbol of the authority of the Senate;

     (3) If Senators have occasion to have private conversations in the Senate Chamber, they shall go below the Bar, otherwise the Speaker shall order them so to do;

     (4) No person, nor any Senator, shall bring any electronic device which produces any sound, whether for personal communication or other use into the Senate Chamber, whether on the floor, inside the Bar, outside the Bar or in the galleries; and

     (5) The provisions of paragraph (4) above shall not apply in the case of sound amplification devices cannot be heard by other Senators.

20. (1) If at any sitting of the Senate, or in Committee of the Whole, a Senator shall take notice that strangers are present, the Speaker or the Chairman (as the case may be) shell forhwith put the question  That strangers be ordered to withdraw , without permitting any debate or amentment.

     (2) When the Speaker or the Chairman shall think fit, either of them may order the withdrawal of strangers form any part of the Senate, without a prior order of the Senate to that effect.

     (3) When the Senate orders the withdrawal of strangers, the galleries shall be cleared, buth those authorized to enter the Senate Chamber and to be on the floor of the Senate while it is in session shall continue to have free access to the Senate.

21. When a bill or other matter relating to any subject administered by a department of the Government of Canada is being considered by the Senate or in committtee of the Whole, a minister, not being a member of the Senate, may on invitation from the Senate enter the Senate Chamber and, subject to the rules, orders, usages, forms and proceedings of the Senate, may take part in the debate.


PART IV
ROUTINE OF BUSINESS


22. (1) At each daily sitting of the Senate, at the times provided in rule 5(1) and immediately after prayers, as provided in rule 5(4), except as provided in section (2) below, the Speaker shall call for  Senators' Statements .

    (2) During any sitting, when an application for leave pursuant to rule 60 has been received and disposed of, the Speaker shall not call for  Senators'   Statements but shall forthwith proceed with the Routine of Business laid out in rule 23(6) below.

    (3) When the Senate is considering Senators' Statements any senator, who has previously given notice to the Clerk of the Senate in accordance with the provisions of rule 43(3) or (4), may give oral notice of a question of privilege he or she intends to raise later in the sitting. Priority shall be given to senators who have given such notice, in accordance with the provisions of rule 43(10).

     (4) When  Senators' Statements has been called, Senators may, without notice, raise matters they consider need to be brought to the urgent attention of the Senate.  In particular, Senators' statements should relate to matters which are of public consequence and for which the rules and practices of the senate provide no immediate means of bringing the matters to the attention of the Senate.  In making such statements, a Senator shall not anticipate consideration of any Order of the Day land shall be bound by the usual rules governing the propriety of debate.  Matters raised during this period shall not be subject to debate.

     (5) Senators wishing to draw the attention of the Senate to thepresence in the gallery of a distinguished visitor shall do so by prior written notice to the Speaker.  The Speaker shall, when the visitor is in the gallery, rise and draw the attention of the Senate to the presence in the gallery of the visitor.

     (6) Senators making interventions during this time shall be limited to speaking once for no more than three minutes; however, a Senator may seek leave to extend his or her remarks.

     (7)  If a Senator has asked leave to extend his or her remarks, the Speaker shall ask whether such leave is granted, the Senator may continue his or her remarks until not later than the end of the time provided for  Senators' Statements .

     (8) At any time during the time provided for consideration of  Senators' Statements either Whip may approach the Speaker and request that the time provided for the item be extended.  If such a request is received, the Speaker shall so inform the Senate at the next opportunity and shall, at the end of the time provided for the item, ask if the Senate grants leave to extend the time provided for the item and, if such leave is granted, the time provided for the item will be extended for a period not to exceed thirty minutes.

     (9) If the time provided for the item is extended pursuant to section (8) above, and the Senate has not completed its business prior to 6:00 o'clock p.m. on that day, the Speaker shall not leave the Chair as provided by rule 13 but shall remain for a period equal to the time taken for the extended consideration of  Senators' Statements , whereupon the Speaker shall leave the Chair in accordance with the provisions of rule 13.

    (10) During the time provided for  Senators' Statements  no standing vote shall be permitted and the provisions of rule 33 shall not apply.

23. (1) During the time provided for the consideration of the daily Routine of Business and the daily Question Period, it shall not be in order to raise any question of privilege or point of order.  Any question of privilege or point of order to be raised in relation to any notice given during this time can only be raised at the time the Order is first called for consideration by the Senate.

     (2) The Introduction and First Reading of Government, Public and Private Bills are pro forma stages of consideration and shall be decided without debate or standing votes.  In such cases the provisions of rule 65(3) shall not apply.

     (3) Except as provided in section (4) below, any standing vote requested during the consideration of the daily Routine of Business shall stand deferred until 5:30 o'clock in the same afternoon.

     (4) The provisions of section (3) above shall not apply to dilatory or procedural motions, which can be moved without notice and must be decided without debate.  In such cases, the provisions of rule 66(1) shall apply and the time required for the taking of the standing vote shall not be considered as part of the time provided for the daily Routine of Business in section (6) below.

    (5) Except as otherwise provided by order of the Senate, or as provided elsewhere in these rules, when the Senate is sitting:

     (a) at 8:00 o'clock p.m. if the Speaker has not called the Orders of the Day, he shall do so.  If the usual order of business is interrupted for the consideration of a motion moved in accordance with the provisions of rule 44(10 or 61(1) or for consideration of a question of privilege in accordance with the provisions of rule 43, at 8:00 o'clock p.m., the Orders of the Day shall be deemed to have been called and been interrupted for the consideration of the said question or motion;

    (b) at 12:00 o'clock noon on a Friday if the Speaker has not called the Orders of the Day, he shall do so. If the usual order of business is interrupted for the consideration of a motion moved in accordance with the provisions of rule 44(1) or 61(1) or for consideration of a question of privilege in accordance with the provisions of rule 43, at 12:00 o'clock noon on a Friday, the Orders of the Day shall be deemed to have been called and been interrupted for the consideration of the said question or motion.

     (6) Except pursuant to rules 22(2) and (7), not later than fifteen minutes after the Speaker has called for  Senators' Statements  regardless of the item then before the Senate, the Speaker shall interrupt the business then before the Senate and shall call the daily Routine of Business in the following order:

 Tabling of Documents

 Presenting Reports form Standing or Special Committees

 Government Notices of Motions

 Introduction and First Reading of Government Bills

 Introduction and First Reading of Senate Public Bills

 First Reading of Commons Public Bills

 Reading of petitions for Private Bills

 Introduction and First Reading of Private Bills

 Tabling Reports form Interparliamenatary delegations

 Notices of Motions

 Notices of Inquiries

 Presenting Petitions

     (7) Not later than 30 minutes after the first item is called in accordance with section (6) above, regardless of the progress then made on the items listed therein, the Speaker shall interrupt any proceedings then before the Senate and shall forthwith the following:

 Question Period

    (8) Not more than 30 minutes after the Speaker calls for  Question Period , regardless of the progress made on the items listed in sections (6) and (7) the Speaker shall call for:

 Delayed Answers

 Orders of the Day

 Inquiries

 Motions.

24. (1) When the Speaker calls the Question Period, a Senator may, without notice, address an oral question to:

    (a) the Leader of the Government in the Senate, if it is a question relating to public affairs,

    (b) a Senator who is a Minister of the Crown, if it is a question relating to his ministerial responsibility, or

    (c)  the Chairman of a committee, if it is a question relating to the activities of that committee.

    (2) Supplementary questions may be asked.

    (3) If an oral question cannot be answered immediately, the Senator to whom it is addressed may take the question as notice.

     (4) A debate is out of order on an oral question, but brief explanatory remarks may be made by the Senator who asks the question and by the Senator who answers it.

25. (1) A question described in paragraph 24(1)(a) or (b),

    (a) that seeks statistical or other information not readily available, or

    (b) to which an answer in writing is desired,

shall be sent in writing to the Clerk of the Senate to be placed on the Order Paper until answered.

    (2) The reply to a question on the Order Paper shall be tabled in the Senate, and a copy given to the Senator asking the question.

26. Unless otherwise ordered by the Senate and except as provided elsewhere in these rules, the Orders of the Day shall take precedence over all other business according to the following order of priority:

   (1) Government Business:

    (a) Orders of the Day for the third reading of government bills;

    (b) Orders of the Day for the consideration of reports from committees in relation to government bills;

    (c) Orders of the Day for the second reading of government bills;

    (d) Orders of the Day for the consideration of government motions; and

    (e) Orders of the Day for the consideration of other government business.

   (2) Other business shall be considered after government business has been disposed of the that sitting in the following order of priority, except as provided in rule 6(4):

    (a) Orders of the Day for third reading of Senate public bills;

    (b) Orders of the third reading of Commons public bills;

    (c)  Orders of the Day for the third reading of private bills;

    (d) Orders of the Day for the consideration of reports from committees in relation to Senate public bills;

    (e) Orders of the Day for consideration of reports from committees in relation to Commons public bills;

    (f) Orders of the Day for the consideration of reports from committees in relation to private bills;

    (g) Orders of the Day for the second reading of Senate public bills;

    (h) Orders of the Day for the second reading of Commons Public bills;

    (i) Orders of the Day for the second reading of private bills;

    (j) Orders of the Day for the consideration of adjourned debates on substantive motions other than government motions:

    (k) Orders of the Day for continuing adjourned debates on inquiries;

    (l) Orders of the Day called and not proceeded with; and

   (m) Orders of the Day not called when the Senate adjourned.