Rules of the Legislative Assembly

RULES OF DEBATE

22 Member Speaking

Every Member recognized to speak shall stand in his or her place and address the Speaker.

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23 Time limit

Except where otherwise expressly provided by the Rules, or by unanimous consent, no Member shall speak in the House for more than twenty minutes at a time.

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24 Member called to order

In debate a Member will be called to order by the Speaker if the Member:

 

a) speaks twice to a question, except in the case of a mover concluding debate on a motion, or in explanation of comments made previously by the Member which may have been misquoted or misunderstood. The Member is not to introduce any new matter and no debate shall be allowed upon any explanation;

 

b) speaks to matters other than

 

     i) the question under discussion;

     ii) a motion or amendment the Member intends to move; or

     iii) a question of privilege or a point of order under discussion;

 

c) persists in irrelevance or tedious repetition or raises matters which have been decided during the current Session;

 

d) refers at length to debates of the current Session or reads unnecessarily from Hansard or any other document not before the House. The Member may quote relevant passages which are necessary to comment on something said or to reply to an alleged misrepresentation;

 

e) interrupts another Member except to raise a point of order or privilege;

 

f) reflects upon any previous vote of the Assembly except for the purpose of moving that it be rescinded;

 

g) refers to any matter

 

     i) that is pending in a court or before a judge; or

     ii) that is before any quasi-judicial, administrative or investigative body either constituted by the Assembly or                 under the authority of a territorial statute where any person may be prejudiced in such matter by the                           reference;

 

h) makes allegations against another Member, a House officer, a witness, or a member of the public;

 

i) imputes false or hidden motives to another Member;

 

j) charges another Member with uttering a deliberate falsehood;

 

k) uses abusive or insulting language of a nature likely to create disorder;

 

l) speaks disrespectfully of the monarch, any member of the Royal Family, the Governor General of Canada, the Commissioner, the Assembly, or any of its Members or officers;

 

m) introduces any matter in debate that offends the practices and precedents of the Assembly;

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(n) uses any display, prop, demonstration, or exhibit of any kind to illustrate his or her remarks; or

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(o) alludes to matters discussed during a confidential meeting of a Committee or of the Executive Council.