Proceedings of the House

Behind closed doors - only Members, Officers, and Pages present - Not broadcast

1. Prayers - The Speaker reads a prayer for the Queen’s Majesty, a prayer for the Legislature, and the Lord’s Prayer.
2. Consideration of the daily journal for the penultimate sitting day - The Journal of the Legislative Assembly is the official record of all House business. Errors or omissions in the Journal are to be brought to the attention of the House. Each sitting day, the Journal for two days prior is considered and approved.

Doors open - Public and Media may enter Chamber - Broadcast begins

3. Matters of privilege and recognition of guests - Matters of privilege is the opportunity for members to raise questions of privilege. Privilege is the collective and individual rights and immunities necessary for the House and its members to function. A matter of privilege is serious, but rare; the House attaches great importance to these questions. Matters of Privilege should be raised at the first opportunity possible, except during Oral Question Period. More information on privileges attached to the House and individual members is available under Conduct and Rules of Debate and in Chapter 11 in the Rules. Following any matters of privilege raised, members have the opportunity to recognize guests in the public gallery. It is tradition that the Premier is first to recognize guests, followed by the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Third Party. Other members may welcome guests after being recognized by the Speaker.
4. Statements by members - Five minutes are provided for private members to make statements. A statement should not exceed 90 seconds. Statements can be made on a variety of topics: an anniversary, an event, a particular accomplishment, the death of a notable figure, an aspect of government policy, or matters of local, provincial, national and international concern. If using a script, a Page will collect it for the official record of the House.
5. Questions by members, commencing with ministerial responses to questions taken as notice - “Question Period” lasts 40 minutes, and provides private members the opportunity to ask questions to ministers regarding their respective departments. Its primary purpose is to seek information from the government and to hold government to account for its actions. This period of the day usually attracts considerable public and media attention. For additional information on this item, please consult Chapter 13 of the Rules.
6. Statements by ministers - Ministers may address the House on matters related to their departments. Statements must be factual; the purpose is to convey information, not to encourage debate. One member of the Official Opposition may respond to ministerial statements, for a time equal in length to the statement. One member of other recognized opposition parties may respond for a time equal to one-half of the length of the statement. If using a script, a Page will collect for the official record of the House.
7. Presenting and receiving petitions - A petition is a way for the public to participate in the proceedings of the House.
   A petition outlines a problem or issue and includes ideas on how to solve the problem or issue. The petition includes signatures of Prince Edward Island citizens. Any member may present a petition, and it may be a petition with which he or she may not agree; however, members are not compelled to present a petition.
8. Tabling of documents, including responses to written questions - “Tabling” a document means placing a document before the House for information or consideration. Doing so makes the document part of the public record and available for everyone. There are two types of tabled documents: Command documents are required to be presented to the House by statute or regulation. They are tabled by ministers. Leave documents are all other documents tabled in the House and they may be tabled by any member with permission of the House. Only documents may be tabled; other objects may not be tabled. Documents that are already in the public domain, such as newspaper articles or excerpts from Hansard, should not be tabled. Private members may table written questions to Government during tabling of documents, and ministers may table answers.
9. Reports by committees - Standing and special committees are required to report from time to time their observations and opinions to the House. Reports are usually presented to the House by the Chair of the committee. Each report is decided by a majority of the committee; no minority report is included. Two motions are made by the presenter of the report. The first is that the report be received; this makes the report public. On the next sitting day, the presenter moves that the report be adopted. All members may then debate the report, and ultimately vote on whether the House shall adopt it. The House may also amend, reject or refer a report back to the committee for further study. Government must provide a written response
10. Introduction of government bills - The daily opportunity for ministers to introduce proposed legislation.

At the conclusion of the Ordinary Daily Routine the House proceeds to the Order of Business. The Order of Business provides time for the House to debate motions and orders that originate from Government members, and motions and orders that originate from members other than government, i.e. private members. “Other than government” business is sometimes referred to as “Opposition time” but it is for business originating from any private member, whether he or she is a member of the Official Opposition, a non-ministerial member of the governing party, a member of an additional party in the House, or an independent member.

The House follows a rotating schedule in terms of which type of business comes first (Rule 22):

Tuesday and Thursday:

1. Government motions
2. Orders of the day (government)
3. At 4:00 pm, motions other than government
4. Orders other than government
5. Government motions
6. Orders of the day (government)

Wednesday:

1. Motions other than government
2. Orders other than government
3. At 4:00 pm, government motions
4. Orders of the day (government)

Friday:

1. Government motions
2. Orders of the day (government)

Though the Rules provide for motions and orders of Government and private members to be debated in a specified order on every sitting day, this does not mean that each of these four items must be debated each day. The Order of Business begins at the conclusion of the Ordinary Daily Routine, rather than at a specified hour. There is often enough business within the first or second set of motions or orders that the House does not have time to move on to the third and fourth sets.

Government decides which of its motions and orders to call for debate within Government motions and orders. Private members must negotiate the shared use of time within Motions and orders other than Government. However, if an agreement cannot be reached, the Speaker will decide an allocation of time in order to ensure all members have the opportunity to put forward business.

Terminology

• government motions:  government may move that debate begin or continue on motions that have been tabled by the Premier or a minister. Motions that are available for debate are shown in the Notice of Motion section of the daily Order Paper. A motion cannot be debated until it has been on the Order Paper for one clear sitting day.
• government orders of the day: government may begin or continue with: debate on the Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne; the next stage of passage for a bill; or Committee of the Whole House review of estimates of revenue and expenditure, capital estimates or supplementary estimates.
• motions other than government: During this item, private members may move that debate begin or continue on motions that have been tabled by a private member. The same rule on notice of one clear sitting day applies.
• orders other than government: During this item, private members may introduce a private members’ bill or private bill, or move that the House begin or continue with the next stage of passage for a private member’s bill or a private bill.