House of Commons Procedure and Practice · 加拿大众议院程序与惯例

Written by Elaine Liu

A bilingual study guide based on the House of Commons' Procedure and Practice, 4th edition (2025), by Alliance of Chinese Conservatives.

本资料由加拿大华裔保守联盟AOCC整理自众议院《程序与惯例》第四版（2025）。

Contents · 目录

1. Parliamentary Institutions and Confidence (Ch. 1, 2) · 议会制度与信任惯例（第 1、2 章）

The system in brief · 制度概览

Canada is a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy built on the Westminster model. The Constitution decides which body exercises legislative, executive and judicial power, and divides powers between the federal and provincial governments.

加拿大是君主立宪制和议会民主制国家，沿用英国的威斯敏斯特模式。宪法规定立法、行政、司法三种权力由哪些机构行使，并在联邦与各省之间划分权力。

Parliament has three parts: the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General), the appointed Senate of 105 members, and the elected House of Commons of 343 members. A bill becomes law only after both Houses pass it in identical form and it receives royal assent. Bills that spend public money or impose taxes must start in the House of Commons.

议会由三部分组成：君主（由总督代表）、105 名任命产生的参议员组成的参议院，以及 343 名民选议员组成的众议院。法案须经两院以完全相同的文本通过并获御准，才成为法律。涉及公共开支或征税的法案必须由众议院首先提出。

The Governor General acts on the advice of the Prime Minister and cabinet: summoning, proroguing and dissolving Parliament, giving the royal recommendation for spending and royal assent to bills, and appointing office holders. The Governor General is appointed by the Sovereign on the Prime Minister's recommendation, normally for about five years.

总督根据总理和内阁的建议行事：召集、闭会和解散议会，对开支给予王室推荐，对法案给予御准，以及任命各类官员。总督由君主根据总理推荐任命，任期一般约五年。

Responsible government · 责任政府

The Prime Minister chooses ministers, usually from the party's caucus, to form the Ministry (cabinet). Two principles bind them. Under individual ministerial responsibility, each minister answers to the House for their department. Under cabinet solidarity, all ministers share collective responsibility for cabinet decisions and defend them in public.

总理挑选部长（通常来自本党议员）组成内阁。两条原则约束内阁：一是部长个人责任，每位部长就其部门的工作向众议院负责；二是内阁团结，全体部长对内阁决定承担集体责任，并在公开场合共同维护。

Most MPs belong to a registered party, and MPs of the same party form a caucus that meets weekly in private. A party needs at least 12 seats to be a recognized party in the House, which brings extra funding, research staff and guaranteed speaking roles. Members outside any party sit as independents.

大多数议员属于注册政党，同党议员组成党团（caucus），每周闭门开会。政党须至少拥有 12 个席位，才能成为众议院「认可政党」，从而获得额外经费、研究人员和固定的发言机会。不属于任何政党的议员以独立议员身份就座。

The confidence convention · 信任惯例

To stay in office, a government must keep the confidence, that is, the majority support, of the House of Commons. This rule is a convention: it is not written in any statute or Standing Order. A party that wins more than half the seats forms a majority government. Otherwise the government must rely on formal or informal support from other parties.

政府要继续执政，必须保有众议院的「信任」，即多数议员的支持。这是一条宪政惯例，并未写入任何法律或议事规则。赢得过半席位的政党组成多数政府；否则，政府必须依靠其他政党的正式或非正式支持。

Confidence is tested through votes. Some motions say so explicitly ("That this House has lost confidence in the government"). Others are treated as confidence matters by long practice, notably the budget and the main supply votes, and the government can also declare any vote to be a question of confidence. The Speaker never rules on what counts as confidence, because it is a political question, not a procedural one. The Standing Orders do say that electing the Speaker is not a confidence vote.

信任通过表决来检验。有的动议明确写明（如「本院对政府失去信任」）；有的按长期惯例被视为信任事项，最典型的是预算和主要拨款表决；政府也可以宣布任何一项表决为信任问题。什么算信任问题，议长从不裁定，因为这是政治问题而非程序问题。议事规则明确规定，议长选举不属于信任表决。

A government that loses confidence must either resign or ask the Governor General to dissolve Parliament for an election. Examples: Joe Clark's government fell on a budget vote in December 1979; Paul Martin's government was defeated on a non-confidence motion in November 2005; and Stephen Harper's government fell in March 2011 on a motion finding it in contempt of Parliament. Each led to a general election.

失去信任的政府必须辞职，或请总督解散议会举行大选。例如：1979 年 12 月，克拉克政府在预算表决中失败；2005 年 11 月，马丁政府被不信任动议击败；2011 年 3 月，哈珀政府因一项认定其藐视议会的动议而倒台。三次都随即举行了大选。

How long a Parliament lasts · 一届议会的期限

A Parliament runs from the return of the election writs until dissolution. The Constitution sets a maximum of five years. The Canada Elections Act adds a fixed date: a general election on the third Monday of October in the fourth calendar year after the last one. That law does not remove the Governor General's power to dissolve Parliament earlier, so early elections still happen.

一届议会从选举令状交回之日开始，到解散为止。宪法规定最长五年。《加拿大选举法》另设固定选举日：上次大选后第四个日历年的十月第三个周一。但这条法律并未取消总督提前解散议会的权力，所以提前大选仍会发生。

A Ministry is different from a Parliament. A Ministry begins when a Prime Minister takes office and ends when that Prime Minister leaves, whether by resignation, defeat or death. The end of a Ministry does not end the Parliament: when Sir John A. Macdonald died in office in 1891, a new Prime Minister was appointed and the same Parliament continued.

「内阁任期」（Ministry）与「一届议会」不同。内阁任期从总理就职开始，到该总理离任为止，无论是辞职、落败还是去世。内阁更替并不终止议会：1891 年麦克唐纳爵士在任内去世后，新总理获任命，同一届议会继续运作。

2. Parliamentary Privilege (Ch. 3) · 议会特权（第 3 章）

What privilege is · 什么是议会特权

Parliamentary privilege is the set of rights, powers and immunities that protect the House and its Members from undue interference, so they can legislate, debate and hold the government to account. Privilege is part of the Constitution and is reaffirmed in the Parliament of Canada Act. Courts may decide whether a claimed privilege exists and how far it reaches, but once it does, they cannot review how the House uses it.

议会特权是保护众议院及其议员不受不当干扰的一组权利、权力和豁免，使他们能够立法、辩论并问责政府。特权是宪法的一部分，并在《加拿大议会法》中再次确认。法院可以判定某项特权是否存在、范围多大，但一旦确认存在，就不能审查议院如何行使它。

Rights of the House as a whole · 议院的集体权利

The House has exclusive control of its internal affairs and its precinct. It can discipline Members and outsiders for breaches of privilege or contempt, launch inquiries, summon witnesses, order the production of documents and administer oaths. Papers it publishes are protected from lawsuits. In serious cases it can reprimand a person or summon them to the Bar of the House, the brass rail at the chamber's entrance.

议院独立管理内部事务和议会区域。它可以对侵犯特权或藐视议会的议员和外部人士加以惩戒，可以展开调查、传唤证人、调取文件并举行宣誓。议院发布的文件不受诉讼追究。情节严重时，议院可以谴责当事人，或传唤其到「议院栏杆」（议事厅入口处的铜栏）前应讯。

Rights of individual Members · 议员个人的权利

Freedom of speech is the most important: Members cannot be sued or prosecuted for what they say in parliamentary proceedings. Members are also protected from obstruction, intimidation and harassment in their work, are exempt from jury duty and from being subpoenaed as witnesses while Parliament sits, and are free from arrest in civil (not criminal) matters. These individual rights rank below the rights of the House as a whole, which can discipline its own Members.

言论自由最为重要：议员在议会程序中的发言不受起诉或刑事追究。议员在工作中还受保护，不受阻挠、恐吓和骚扰；议会开会期间可免除陪审义务和出庭作证的传票；在民事（非刑事）案件中不受逮捕。这些个人权利从属于议院的集体权利，议院可以惩戒自己的议员。

Breach of privilege and contempt · 侵犯特权与藐视议会

A breach of privilege is any attack on a specific right of the House or a Member. Contempt is wider: any conduct that obstructs the House, a Member or an officer in their duties, or offends the House's authority or dignity, even if no specific privilege is breached. Deliberately misleading the House is a classic example of possible contempt.

侵犯特权是指侵害议院或议员某项具体权利的行为。藐视议会的范围更广：凡是妨碍议院、议员或议会官员履行职责，或冒犯议院权威与尊严的行为，即使没有侵犯具体特权，也可构成藐视。故意误导议院就是可能构成藐视的典型例子。

Raising a question of privilege · 如何提出特权问题

A Member must raise the matter at the earliest opportunity. If it arises from events outside the chamber, the Member gives the Speaker one hour's written notice, with the substance of the complaint and the motion they would move. It cannot be raised during Statements by Members, Question Period, votes or Adjournment Proceedings. A matter that arises in a committee can be dealt with only after the committee reports it to the House.

议员必须在最早的机会提出。如果事件发生在议事厅之外，议员须提前一小时以书面形式通知议长，说明投诉要点和拟提出的动议。议员声明、质询时间、表决和散会辩论期间不得提出。委员会内发生的事项，须等委员会向议院提交报告后才能处理。

The Speaker decides only whether there is a prima facie case, meaning that on its face the matter deserves priority. The House itself decides whether privilege was actually breached. If the Speaker finds a prima facie case, the Member moves a motion, usually to refer the matter to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, and that debate takes priority over other business.

议长只判断是否「初步成立」（prima facie），即表面上值得优先处理。特权是否真的受到侵犯，由议院自己决定。议长认定初步成立后，该议员提出动议，通常是将此事交由程序与议院事务常设委员会审查，这项辩论优先于其他议程。

3. The House and Its Members (Ch. 4) · 众议院与议员（第 4 章）

Seats and representation · 席位与代表性

The House has 343 seats, one for each electoral district (riding). Each of the three territories has one seat. Seats among the provinces follow population, with two guarantees: no province may have fewer MPs than senators (the "senatorial clause"), and no province may have fewer seats than it had in the 43rd Parliament (2019).

众议院共有 343 个席位，每个选区一席。三个北方地区（territories）——育空、西北地区和努纳武特——各有一席。各省席位按人口分配，但有两项保障：一省的众议员人数不得少于其参议员人数（「参议院条款」）；一省的席位不得少于其在第 43 届议会（2019 年）中的席位。

After every ten-year census, the number of seats per province is recalculated. An independent electoral boundaries commission in each province then redraws the ridings. MPs may file objections to the proposed maps, which the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs considers before the commissions finalize them.

每次十年一度的人口普查后，各省席位数重新计算，然后由各省独立的选区边界委员会重划选区。议员可以对拟议地图提出异议，由程序与议院事务常设委员会审议后，委员会再定稿。

Elections and taking a seat · 选举与就任

With few exceptions, any Canadian citizen aged 18 or over who is qualified to vote can run. The candidate with the most votes in a riding wins, even without a majority ("first past the post"). Elections are run by the Chief Electoral Officer, an Officer of Parliament appointed for a single, non-renewable ten-year term.

除少数例外，年满 18 岁、具有投票资格的加拿大公民都可以参选。选区内得票最多者当选，即使未过半数（即「简单多数制」）。选举由首席选举官主持，这是一位议会官员，任期十年且不得连任。

Before taking part in any proceedings, a newly elected MP must take the oath or solemn affirmation of allegiance to the Sovereign. Seats in the chamber are assigned by the Speaker together with the party whips. An MP who leaves one party for another ("crossing the floor") keeps the seat; no by-election is required.

新当选议员在参加任何议会程序之前，必须向君主宣誓或郑重声明效忠。议事厅座位由议长与各党党鞭共同安排。议员从一个政党转到另一个政党（crossing the floor，即「转投他党」）时，保留席位，无需重新选举。

Conduct and ethics · 行为与道德规范

The Conflict of Interest Code for Members, an appendix to the Standing Orders, requires MPs and their families to disclose private interests. An MP with a private interest in a matter may not debate or vote on it. The Code is administered by the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, appointed for a renewable seven-year term. A separate code deals with sexual harassment between Members.

《议员利益冲突守则》是议事规则的附录，要求议员及其家属申报私人利益。议员对某事项有私人利益时，不得就该事项发言或投票。守则由利益冲突与道德专员执行，专员任期七年，可连任。另有一部守则专门处理议员之间的性骚扰问题。

MPs receive a salary that varies with their role, plus pensions, insurance and parental leave. Each MP gets an office budget, travel resources and an office on Parliament Hill, and acts as the employer of their own staff.

议员的薪酬因职务而异，另有养老金、保险和育儿假等福利。每位议员有办公预算、差旅资源和国会山上的办公室，并作为雇主自行聘用工作人员。

Vacancies · 席位出缺

A seat becomes vacant on an MP's death or resignation, or when the MP accepts certain offices, such as a Senate seat, a judgeship or a seat in a provincial legislature. Only the House itself can expel a Member. The Speaker then sends a warrant to the Chief Electoral Officer, and the government must issue the writ for a by-election between the 11th and 180th day after that warrant is received. Voting day must be at least 36 days after the writ, but there is no upper limit on how far off it can be set.

议员去世、辞职，或接受某些职位（如参议员、法官或省议员）时，席位即告出缺。只有众议院自己可以开除议员。席位出缺后，议长向首席选举官发出令状，政府须在首席选举官收到令状后第 11 至 180 天内发出补选令状。投票日须在令状发出至少 36 天之后，但最晚可以定在何时，并无上限。

4. Where the Rules Come From (Ch. 5) · 程序规则的来源（第 5 章）

House procedure has four main sources. The Constitution and statutes fix some rules that the House cannot change on its own, such as the quorum and the requirement that money bills start in the Commons. The Standing Orders are the House's own written rules: more than 150 of them, plus two appendices on Members' conduct. Speakers' rulings apply the rules to real cases and become precedents. Practice covers the customs and usages that grow up over time.

众议院程序有四个主要来源。宪法和法律规定了一些议院不能自行更改的规则，如法定人数，以及财政法案必须由众议院提出。议事规则（Standing Orders）是议院自己制定的成文规则，共 150 多条，另有两个关于议员行为的附录。议长裁决将规则适用于具体情形，并成为先例。惯例则是长期形成的习惯做法。

The House can amend its Standing Orders at any time by a simple decision, either permanently or for a limited period, and they carry over from one Parliament to the next. Between the 60th and 90th sitting days of each new Parliament, the House holds a debate on the Standing Orders, after which the subject is referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.

议院可随时以普通决议修改议事规则，可以永久修改，也可以临时修改，并且规则在各届议会之间继续有效。每届新议会的第 60 至 90 个开会日之间，议院要就议事规则举行一次辩论，然后把这个议题交给程序与议院事务常设委员会。

When no rule covers a situation, Standing Order 1 tells the Speaker to decide by looking at the House's own usages and precedents and, where relevant, the practice of other parliaments. Where the rules are clear, the Speaker's authority is strong; where they are silent, the Speaker moves carefully and may leave it to the House to set a new precedent.

遇到规则没有规定的情况，议事规则第 1 条要求议长参照本院的惯例和先例，必要时参照其他议会的做法作出决定。规则明确时，议长的权威很强；规则未规定时，议长会谨慎行事，也可能交由议院自己确立新的先例。

Procedural reference books, called authorities, help interpret the rules. Older ones include Bourinot and Beauchesne in Canada and Erskine May in the United Kingdom. House of Commons Procedure and Practice, first published in 2000 under editors Robert Marleau and Camille Montpetit, is now the House's main reference; this guide is based on its fourth edition (2025).

程序参考著作（称为「权威著作」）帮助解释规则。较早的有加拿大的 Bourinot 和 Beauchesne，以及英国的 Erskine May。《众议院程序与惯例》于 2000 年首次出版，由 Robert Marleau 和 Camille Montpetit 主编，现在是众议院最主要的参考书。本资料依据其第四版（2025）整理。

5. The Speaker and the Chamber (Ch. 6, 7) · 议长与议事厅（第 6、7 章）

The physical setting · 议会场所

Centre Block closed in 2018 for a long rehabilitation. Since then, the House has met in an interim chamber built in the courtyard of West Block, and the Senate in the former Government Conference Centre. The renovation is part of a long-term plan for the parliamentary precinct spanning 25 to 30 years.

中央大楼于 2018 年关闭，进行长期修缮。此后，众议院在西楼内院改建的临时议事厅开会，参议院则在原政府会议中心开会。这项修缮属于议会区域为期 25 至 30 年的长期规划。

The government sits to the Speaker's right and the opposition to the left, with the Prime Minister and cabinet in the front rows facing the Leader of the Opposition. At the far end is the Bar of the House, a brass rail that non-Members may not cross uninvited. The Mace, carried in by the Sergeant-at-Arms and placed on the Table, symbolizes the Speaker's authority; the House does not sit without it.

政府议员坐在议长右侧，反对党坐在左侧，总理和内阁坐在前排，与反对党领袖相对。议事厅另一端是「议院栏杆」，非议员未经邀请不得越过。权杖由警卫长持入并置于书记台上，象征议长的权威；没有权杖，议院不开会。

The House Administration supports Members. The Board of Internal Economy, chaired by the Speaker and with all recognized parties represented, makes its financial and administrative decisions. The Clerk of the House is the senior permanent official and the chief adviser on procedure to the Speaker, the House and its committees.

众议院行政部门为议员提供服务。内部经济委员会由议长主持，所有认可政党都有代表，负责财务和行政决策。众议院书记官是最高常任官员，也是议长、议院及其委员会在程序上的首席顾问。

Electing the Speaker · 议长选举

Electing a Speaker is a constitutional requirement. MPs elect the Speaker by secret ballot at the opening of each new Parliament, for the life of that Parliament, and again at once if the office falls vacant. At the start of a Parliament, the vote is presided over by the Dean of the House: the Member with the longest unbroken service who is neither a minister nor holds an office in the House. There is no debate, and no other business can be done until a Speaker is chosen.

选举议长是宪法要求。每届新议会开幕时，议员以无记名投票选出议长，任期为本届议会；议长职位一旦出缺，立即重新选举。每届议会开始时，选举由「议院资深议员」（Dean of the House）主持，即连续任职时间最长、既非部长也不担任议院职务的议员。选举不进行辩论，选出议长之前也不得处理其他事务。

Ministers and party leaders cannot stand. Every other MP is automatically a candidate unless they withdraw in writing by 6 p.m. the day before the vote. Secret ballots were adopted in 1985, and since 2015 MPs have ranked the candidates on a single preferential ballot: if no one wins a majority of first preferences, the last-placed candidate is eliminated and those ballots move to their next preference, until one candidate has a majority.

部长和政党领袖不得参选。其他议员自动成为候选人，除非在投票前一天下午 6 点前书面声明退出。无记名投票于 1985 年确立；自 2015 年起，议员在一张选票上对候选人排序：若无人获得过半数的第一选择，就淘汰最后一名，将其选票转给下一选择，直到有人过半为止。

The Speaker's role · 议长的职责

The Speaker is the guardian of the rights and privileges of the House and its Members, and also its servant, with only the powers the House gives them. The Speaker presides over debate, interprets and enforces the rules, keeps order, decides whether to grant emergency debates, tables certain documents and appears before committees.

议长是议院及其议员权利与特权的守护者，同时也是议院的仆人，只拥有议院赋予的权力。议长主持辩论、解释并执行规则、维持秩序，决定是否批准紧急辩论，提交指定文件，并出席委员会会议。

As chair of the Board of Internal Economy, the Speaker leads the House administration. The Speaker also has ceremonial and diplomatic duties: representing the House at royal assent and the Speech from the Throne, meeting provincial Speakers, ambassadors and foreign dignitaries, representing Canada at international meetings, and recognizing distinguished visitors in the galleries.

议长担任内部经济委员会主席，领导众议院的行政工作。议长还有礼仪和外交职责：在御准仪式和御座演说时代表众议院，会见各省议长、大使和外国贵宾，在双边和国际会议中代表加拿大，并在议事厅介绍旁听席上的贵宾。

To protect the impartiality of the office, the Speaker stays out of partisan politics: no caucus meetings and no part in debate. Since 1979, the Speaker has not even had a desk in the chamber. The Speaker still serves their constituents and runs for re-election. Speakers have almost always come from the governing party; Peter Milliken, who presided over four Parliaments, is the longest-serving. The Speaker's decisions are final: the rule allowing Members to appeal them to the House was abolished in 1965.

为保持这一职位的公正，议长远离党派政治：不参加党团会议，不参与辩论。自 1979 年起，议长在议事厅里甚至没有自己的议席。不过，议长仍为本选区选民服务，也参加连任竞选。议长几乎都出自执政党；主持过四届议会的 Peter Milliken 是任期最长的一位。议长的决定为最终决定：允许议员向议院上诉的规则已于 1965 年废止。

The Speaker votes only to break a tie, the "casting vote" set out in the Constitution Act, 1867. By convention the Speaker votes to keep the status quo: where possible, to leave the matter open for further discussion; where not, to keep it possible for the House to return to it later; and to leave a bill in its existing form rather than amend it.

议长只在票数相等时投票，即《1867 年宪法法案》规定的「决定票」。按照惯例，议长投票维持现状：能继续讨论的，就让问题保持开放、留待继续讨论；不能继续讨论的，就保留议院日后重新处理的可能；对法案，则保持其现有文本，不作修改。

Other presiding officers · 其他主持人

Three other chair occupants assist the Speaker: the Deputy Speaker and Chair of Committees of the Whole, the Assistant Deputy Speaker and Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole, and the Assistant Deputy Speaker and Assistant Deputy Chair of Committees of the Whole. Since 2004, the Speaker proposes all three after consulting the leaders of the recognized parties, and the House approves them without debate.

另有三位主持人协助议长：副议长兼全院委员会主席、助理副议长兼全院委员会副主席、助理副议长兼全院委员会助理副主席。自 2004 年起，这三人都由议长在征询各认可政党领袖后提名，经议院不经辩论批准。

They take the chair when the Speaker is unavailable, preside when the House sits as a committee of the whole, and occasionally chair legislative committees. Anything they do in the Speaker's place has the same effect as if the Speaker had done it. The Deputy Speaker serves until the end of the Parliament; the two Assistant Deputy Speakers serve until the end of the session.

议长不在时由他们代为主持，议院以全院委员会形式开会时也由他们主持，有时还主持立法委员会。他们代行议长职务时所做的一切，与议长本人所做具有同等效力。副议长任期到本届议会结束，两位助理副议长任期到本会期结束。

6. The Parliamentary Cycle and the Daily Program (Ch. 8, 9, 10) · 议会周期与每日议程（第 8、9、10 章）

Parliaments, sessions and sittings · 届、会期与会议

A Parliament runs from one general election to the next. It is divided into one or more sessions, and each session into many sittings, which usually means days on which the House meets. A session opens with the Speech from the Throne, read by the Governor General in the Senate chamber, and ends with prorogation or dissolution.

一届议会从一次大选延续到下一次大选。每届议会分为一个或多个会期，每个会期又包含许多次会议（sitting），通常就是议院开会的日子。会期以总督在参议院议事厅宣读御座演说开始，以闭会或解散结束。

At the first session of a new Parliament, MPs are sworn in, elect a Speaker, and the Speaker claims the House's traditional privileges from the Crown. Only after the Throne Speech is read can either House begin its work. Back in its chamber, the House first gives a pro forma bill a first reading, to assert its right to act before considering the Crown's agenda.

新一届议会的第一个会期开始时，议员宣誓就职、选出议长，由议长向王室主张众议院的传统特权。御座演说宣读后，两院才能开始工作。回到本院后，众议院先对一项形式性法案进行一读，以表明它有权先于王室议程自行开展工作。

The calendar · 开会日历

The Standing Orders fix the calendar: the House sits Monday to Friday from mid-September to late June, with week-long breaks around Thanksgiving, Remembrance Day and the spring, about six weeks at Christmas, two weeks around Easter and twelve weeks in summer. The Speaker tables the next year's calendar by September 30. During an adjournment, the Speaker can recall the House on 48 hours' notice at the government's request, if satisfied that the public interest requires it.

议事规则固定了开会日历：众议院从 9 月中旬到 6 月下旬，每周一至周五开会；感恩节、阵亡将士纪念日前后和春季各有一周休会，圣诞约休六周，复活节前后休两周，夏季休十二周。议长须在 9 月 30 日前公布下一年的日历。休会期间，应政府要求、且议长认为符合公共利益时，议长可提前 48 小时召回议院。

Prorogation and dissolution · 闭会与解散

Prorogation ends a session. Almost all business dies, including government bills and committee work, though the House can later reinstate bills. A few items survive: Private Members' Business, petitions, orders for papers, and the government's duty to respond to petitions and committee reports. Dissolution ends the Parliament itself, wipes out all business and starts a general election. In both cases the Speaker stays in office for administrative purposes.

闭会（prorogation）结束一个会期。几乎所有议程都随之终止，包括政府法案和委员会工作，但议院事后可以恢复法案。少数事项不受影响：私人议员事务、请愿书、调取文件的命令，以及政府回应请愿和委员会报告的义务。解散（dissolution）则结束整届议会，所有议程全部终止，并启动大选。两种情况下，议长都继续留任处理行政事务。

A sitting day · 每日会议

A sitting begins when the Speaker takes the chair, sees a quorum and calls the House to order, after a prayer. Quorum is 20 Members including the Speaker, and Members taking part remotely count. If a Member points out that there is no quorum, the bells ring for up to 15 minutes; if 20 Members still are not present, the Speaker adjourns the House to the next sitting day.

议长就座、确认达到法定人数并宣布开会后，会议即告开始，开会前先行祈祷。法定人数为 20 人（含议长），远程参会的议员也计入。若有议员指出不足法定人数，就响铃召集，最长 15 分钟；仍不足 20 人时，议长宣布休会至下一个开会日。

Day · 星期Sitting begins · 开始Sitting ends · 结束Question Period · 质询
Monday · 周一11:0018:3014:15
Tuesday · 周二10:0018:3014:15
Wednesday · 周三14:0018:3014:15
Thursday · 周四10:0018:3014:15
Friday · 周五10:0014:3011:15

The House can extend a sitting to finish a specific item, sit late in the last weeks of June, or end early by unanimous consent. It can also sit on a weekend if it adopts a special order.

议院可以延长会议以完成某项议程，在 6 月最后几周延长开会时间，也可以经一致同意提前散会。通过特别命令后，议院也可以在周末开会。

The order of business · 每日议程

Each day has four parts. Daily proceedings come first in the early afternoon: 15 minutes of Statements by Members, in which non-ministers speak for up to one minute on any subject, followed by about 45 minutes of Question Period. Routine Proceedings cover tabling documents, introducing bills, ministerial statements, committee reports and presenting petitions.

每天的议程分为四部分。日常程序在下午较早时进行：先是 15 分钟的议员声明，非部长议员可就任何议题发言，每人最多一分钟；接着是约 45 分钟的质询时间。例行程序包括提交文件、提出法案、部长声明、委员会报告和提交请愿书。

Orders of the Day take up most of the time. These are mainly Government Orders, the business the government alone chooses, such as bills, budgets and spending, plus one hour a day of Private Members' Business. Adjournment Proceedings, a 30-minute period from Monday to Thursday nicknamed the "late show", let Members follow up on Question Period answers they found unsatisfactory. Each Thursday, the Opposition House Leader asks the Government House Leader about next week's business, and the answer is known as the weekly business statement.

当日议程占用大部分时间，主要是政府议程，即由政府单独决定的事务，如法案、预算和拨款，另有每天一小时的私人议员事务。散会辩论是周一至周四的 30 分钟，俗称「late show」（借用电视「晚间秀」的说法，指正式议程结束后的「加场」），让对质询答复不满意的议员继续追问。每周四，反对党议院领袖会询问政府议院领袖下周的议程安排，其答复称为「每周议程声明」。

7. Questions (Ch. 11) · 质询（第 11 章）

Oral Questions (Question Period) · 口头质询

Question Period is the best-known part of the day: 45 minutes, starting at 2:15 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 11:15 a.m. on Friday. Members may ask the government about anything within its responsibilities, without notice. By practice, each question and each answer is limited to about 35 seconds.

质询时间是每天最受关注的环节：共 45 分钟，周一至周四下午 2:15 开始，周五上午 11:15 开始。议员可就政府职责范围内的任何事项提问，无需事先通知。按惯例，每个问题和每个回答各限约 35 秒。

The Speaker gives the first question to the Leader of the Opposition or that party's lead questioner. After that, questions generally follow lists agreed among the recognized parties, roughly in proportion to their seats. Ministers, parliamentary secretaries and the Speaker do not ask questions.

议长把第一个提问机会给反对党领袖或该党的首席提问人。此后，提问顺序一般按各认可政党商定的名单进行，大致与席位比例相当。部长、议会秘书和议长不提问。

Questions must concern the government's administrative responsibilities, not party affairs or personal matters. The Speaker enforces the rules but does not judge the quality of questions or answers: a minister may answer briefly, decline to answer, or let a colleague respond. Members may also ask committee chairs about committee schedules and agendas, and a Board of Internal Economy representative about House administration.

问题必须关乎政府的行政职责，不得涉及政党内部事务或个人私事。议长执行规则，但不评判问题或回答的质量：部长可以简短作答、拒绝回答，或由同僚代答。议员也可以向委员会主席询问委员会的日程和议程，或向内部经济委员会的代表询问众议院行政事务。

Written questions · 书面质询

For detailed or technical information, Members use written questions. A question appears on the Order Paper after 48 hours' notice, and each Member may have no more than four on it at a time. A Member can ask for an answer within 45 calendar days. Written questions must seek information, not documents.

需要详细或技术性信息时，议员使用书面质询。问题在 48 小时通知期后列入议程表，每位议员同时最多只能有四个问题待答。议员可要求政府在 45 个日历日内答复。书面质询只能索取信息，不能要求提供文件。

If the government misses the 45-day deadline, the Member can have the failure referred to a standing committee of their choice, which may examine why the answer is late.

如果政府未在 45 天期限内答复，议员可以将此事交给自己选定的常设委员会，由委员会审查政府未能按时答复的原因。

8. Debate (Ch. 12, 13, 14, 15) · 辩论（第 12、13、14、15 章）

Motions · 动议

Every decision of the House starts as a motion. A motion begins with "That", is worded in the affirmative, has no preamble, must be seconded and is handed to the Chair in writing. Only one motion can be debated at a time.

议院的每一项决定都始于一项动议。动议以「That」开头，用肯定句表述，不加序言，须有人附议，并以书面形式交给主持人。一次只能辩论一项动议。

There are three kinds. Substantive motions are independent proposals and need 48 hours' written notice. Subsidiary motions, such as the motion for second reading of a bill, move business already ordered by the House forward and need no notice. Privileged motions arise from the debate itself, such as amendments or a motion to adjourn, and need no notice either.

动议分三类。实质性动议是独立的提案，需提前 48 小时书面通知。附属动议（如法案二读动议）用于推进议院已经安排的事务，无需通知。优先动议由辩论本身引出，如修正案或休会动议，也无需通知。

An amendment deletes words from a motion and adds others; it must be relevant. A subamendment amends the amendment, and no further layer is allowed. Dilatory motions, such as "That the debate be now adjourned", can be neither debated nor amended.

修正案删去动议中的某些字词并加入其他字词，必须与原动议相关。修正案的修正称为「次修正案」，不能再往下修正。拖延性动议（如「现在休会辩论」）既不能辩论，也不能修正。

Speaking time and voting · 发言时限与表决

A speech of 20 minutes is followed by 10 minutes of questions and comments; a speech of 10 or 15 minutes by 5 minutes. A Member normally speaks only once to the same question, except the mover, who may have a right of reply.

20 分钟的发言之后有 10 分钟的提问与评论；10 或 15 分钟的发言之后有 5 分钟。议员对同一问题通常只能发言一次，提动议者可能有答辩权。

When debate ends, the Speaker puts the question. Most decisions are taken by voice. If five or more Members rise to demand it, a recorded division is held: the bells ring for up to 30 minutes (15 for a deferred vote), and Members vote in person or through the House's electronic voting system within 10 minutes. Many recorded votes are deferred to a set time. With unanimous consent, the House can set aside almost any rule for a moment, but never the Constitution or a statute.

辩论结束后，议长提交表决。大多数决定以口头表决作出。如有五名或以上议员起立要求，就进行记名表决：响铃最长 30 分钟（推迟表决为 15 分钟），议员现场投票或在 10 分钟内通过众议院电子投票系统投票。许多记名表决会推迟到指定时间进行。经一致同意，议院几乎可以暂时搞置任何规则，但不能违反宪法或法律。

Order and decorum · 秩序与礼仪

Members address the Chair, not each other, and refer to colleagues by title or riding, never by name. They may not mention whether another Member is present. Speeches must be relevant and not repetitive. Members may not refer to cases before the courts (the sub judice convention), speak disrespectfully of the Sovereign, the Governor General, the Senate or other Members, or criticize the Speaker except by a formal motion.

议员向主持人发言，而不是直接对其他议员说话；提到同事时用其职务或选区名称，不得直呼其名，也不得提及其他议员是否在场。发言须切题，不得重复。不得谈论法院待决的案件（「待审惯例」，sub judice），不得对君主、总督、参议院或其他议员出言不敬，除非通过正式动议，否则不得批评议长。

There is no fixed list of unparliamentary words. The Speaker weighs the tone, the intent, the target and whether disorder followed, and usually asks the Member to withdraw the remark. Props are not allowed, nor is eating, drinking anything but water, or taking photos or video in the chamber. To be recognized, Members must wear contemporary business attire; those taking part remotely must be in Canada with their camera on.

所谓「非议会用语」没有固定清单。议长会综合考虑语气、用意、针对对象，以及是否引起混乱，通常要求议员收回该言论。议事厅内不得使用道具，不得进食或饮用水以外的饮料，不得拍照或录像。议员须穿着现代商务服装才能获准发言；远程参会者必须身在加拿大，并打开摄像头。

A Member raises a point of order as soon as a rule seems to be broken. The Speaker decides when enough has been heard, and that ruling is final. To enforce order, the Speaker may refuse to recognize a Member, skip their party's question in Question Period, or, as a last resort, "name" the Member, which removes them from the chamber for the rest of the day.

议员认为有人违反规则时，应立即提出「程序问题」（point of order）。议长决定何时已听取足够意见，其裁决为最终决定。为维持秩序，议长可以拒绝让某议员发言、取消该党在质询时间的提问，开不得已时还可以「点名」该议员，令其当天剩余时间离开议事厅。

Limiting debate · 限制辩论

The opposition can try to delay business by speaking at length. The government has four main tools to bring debate to an end.

反对党可以通过长时间发言来拖延议程。政府有四种主要手段结束辩论。

Tool · 手段How it works · 运作方式
Previous question · 先决问题Motion "That this question be now put". Blocks amendments, but is itself debatable. · 动议「现在就此问题表决」，可阻止修正，但本身可以辩论。
Closure · 终止辩论A minister gives notice, then moves "That the debate be not further adjourned". After a question period of up to 30 minutes and a vote, all questions are put at about 8 p.m. that day. · 部长先发出通知，再动议「辩论不再延期」；经最长 30 分钟的问答和表决后，当天晚上 8 点左右对所有问题表决。
Time allocation · 时间分配A minister sets a number of days or hours for one or more stages of a bill. Not debatable; 30 minutes of questions, then a vote. · 部长为法案的一个或多个阶段规定天数或小时数。不可辩论，先有 30 分钟问答，然后表决。
Programming motion · 日程动议A substantive motion, with notice, setting out a timetable for an item in the House or in committee. Debatable and amendable. · 需通知的实质性动议，为某项议程在议院或委员会中的审议定出时间表，可以辩论和修正。

In an urgent situation, a minister may also move to suspend the rules on notice and sitting hours for a specific matter. After at most one hour of debate, the Speaker asks objectors to rise: if fewer than 10 Members stand, the motion passes.

遇到紧急情况，部长还可以动议就某一特定事项暂停有关通知和开会时间的规则。经最长一小时的辩论后，议长请反对者起立：如果起立者不足 10 人，动议即告通过。

Special debates · 特别辩论

The Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne is a wide-ranging debate on the government's program, lasting up to six sitting days. An emergency debate can be granted by the Speaker, at a Member's request, on a specific and important matter needing urgent attention that cannot be raised soon by other means; the Speaker does not have to give reasons.

答谢御座演说是就政府施政纲领进行的广泛辩论，最长六个开会日。紧急辩论由议员申请、议长批准，适用于需要紧急讨论、又无法通过其他途径尽快提出的重要具体事项；议长无需说明理由。

Take-note debates let Members express views on a policy question without a decision, often in the evening in a committee of the whole. Statutory debates are required by particular laws, for example to confirm or revoke certain regulations or review how an act is working.

注意性辩论（take-note debate）让议员就某项政策发表意见，不作决定，通常在晚上以全院委员会形式进行。法定辩论由特定法律规定必须举行，例如确认或撤销某些法规，或审查某部法律的实施情况。

9. The Legislative Process (Ch. 16, 17) · 立法程序（第 16、17 章）

Kinds of bills · 法案的类别

Public bills deal with matters of public policy. Government bills are introduced by ministers and numbered C-1 to C-200; private members' bills are introduced by MPs who are not ministers and numbered from C-201 up. Private bills, now rare, grant a special benefit to a particular person or body, such as a company. Most bills start in the House, but some begin in the Senate (numbered S-).

公共法案涉及公共政策。政府法案由部长提出，编号 C-1 至 C-200；私人议员法案由非部长议员提出，编号从 C-201 开始。私人法案为特定个人或机构（如某家公司）赋予特定权益，如今已很少见。大多数法案由众议院提出，也有一些始于参议院（编号以 S- 开头）。

Two financial rules shape every bill. A bill that spends public money needs a royal recommendation from the Governor General, which only a minister can obtain, and must start in the House. A bill that creates or raises a tax must be preceded by a ways and means motion. An omnibus bill amends or enacts several unrelated laws at once; the Speaker can divide its motions for voting purposes.

两条财政规则影响每一项法案。涉及公共开支的法案需要总督的王室推荐，只有部长能取得，而且必须由众议院提出。设立或提高税收的法案，之前必须先有筹款动议。综合法案（omnibus bill）一次修改或制定多部互不相干的法律；议长可以将其动议拆分表决。

The stages · 立法各阶段

A bill must be read three times, on different days, in each House, unless the House agrees otherwise.

法案须在每个议院分别于不同日子经过三读，除非议院另有决定。

A bill passes three readings in each House before royal assent法案在两院各经三读，再获御准First reading一读：提出并印发Second reading二读：辩论原则Committee stage委员会：逐条审查Report stage报告阶段：再修正Third reading三读：最后表决Senate参议院：同样程序Royal assent御准：成为法令
Stages of a bill · 法案各阶段

  1. Notice and first reading · After 48 hours' notice, the bill is introduced, printed, made public and numbered. There is no debate. · 通知与一读：提前 48 小时通知后提出法案，印发、公开并编号，不进行辩论。

  2. Second reading · Debate on the bill's principle and purpose. The bill's text cannot be amended here, but the motion can be, for example to delay it or refer the subject to committee. · 二读：就法案的原则和目的进行辩论。此时不能修改法案文本，但可以修正二读动议，例如延后审议或将议题交给委员会。

  3. Committee stage · A committee hears witnesses and studies the bill clause by clause, adopting amendments within the principle approved at second reading. · 委员会审查：委员会听取证人意见，逐条审查法案，并在二读批准的原则范围内采纳修正。

  4. Report stage · All MPs, including those not on the committee, may propose further amendments. If none is proposed, there is no debate. · 报告阶段：所有议员（包括非委员会成员）都可以提出进一步修正。如无人提出修正，则不进行辩论。

  5. Third reading · Final debate and vote on the bill as amended. · 三读：就修正后的法案进行最后辩论和表决。

  6. The other House · The Senate follows a similar process. If it amends the bill, the Houses exchange messages until they agree on one text. · 另一议院：参议院按类似程序审议。如参议院修改法案，两院互发咨文，直至就同一文本达成一致。

  7. Royal assent · Given in a traditional ceremony in the Senate chamber or by written declaration. The bill becomes an Act, which comes into force on assent, on a date it names, or on a date set by the government. · 御准：在参议院议事厅以传统仪式或书面声明的方式给予。法案成为法令，在御准时、法令指定的日期或政府确定的日期生效。

The government can also send a bill to committee before second reading. This gives the committee more freedom to change it, since the House has not yet approved its principle.

政府也可以在二读之前就把法案交给委员会。由于议院尚未批准其原则，委员会修改法案的空间更大。

Delegated legislation · 授权立法

Many Acts let the government or an agency make regulations that fill in details. This is called delegated legislation. The Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations, made up of MPs and senators, reviews regulations only for legality and proper procedure, not for policy.

许多法律授权政府或某个机构制定法规来补充细节，这就是「授权立法」。法规审查联合常设委员会由众议员和参议员组成，只审查法规是否合法、程序是否恰当，不审查政策。

The committee can recommend that a regulation be revoked. Unless a minister files a notice opposing this within the deadline, the House is deemed to have agreed and the regulation is disallowed. If a minister objects, there is a one-hour debate and a vote. When both Houses disallow a regulation, the authority that made it has 30 days to repeal it.

委员会可以建议撤销某项法规。除非有部长在期限内提出反对通知，否则视为议院同意，该法规即被否决。如有部长反对，则进行一小时辩论并表决。若两院都否决了某项法规，制定机关须在 30 天内将其废止。

10. Financial Procedures (Ch. 18) · 财政程序（第 18 章）

The basic principle · 基本原则

No tax may be imposed and no money spent without the consent of Parliament. Only the Crown, meaning the government, can propose spending or taxes; the House can approve, reduce or reject them, but cannot increase them. Financial business therefore follows two tracks: supply, approving spending, and ways and means, raising the money.

未经议会同意，不得征税，也不得花钱。只有王室（即政府）可以提出开支或税收；众议院可以批准、削减或否决，但不能增加。因此，财政事务分两条轨道：拨款（supply），即批准开支；筹款（ways and means），即筹集资金。

Supply: approving spending · 拨款：批准开支

The fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31. The government tables the Main Estimates, its spending plans department by department, and later Supplementary Estimates for additional needs. Estimates are sent to the standing committees for review, and the House approves them through appropriation bills, normally passed through all stages in one sitting on the last allotted day of each period.

财政年度从 4 月 1 日至次年 3 月 31 日。政府提交按部门列出的开支计划，即主预算估算（Main Estimates），之后再为额外需要提交补充估算。估算交给各常设委员会审查，众议院通过拨款法案予以批准；拨款法案通常在每个周期的最后一个反对党日，在同一次会议中完成所有阶段。

The year is divided into three supply periods, ending on December 10, March 26 and June 23. Following the old rule that the House presents its grievances before granting money, each period includes allotted days, better known as opposition days: 22 a year, shared among the opposition parties in proportion to their seats. On these days the opposition chooses the motion debated, which makes them a key tool for setting the agenda and testing the government.

一年分为三个拨款周期，分别于 12 月 10 日、3 月 26 日和 6 月 23 日结束。按照「先申诉、后拨款」的古老原则，每个周期都有分配日，即人们熟知的反对党日：每年 22 天，按席位比例在各反对党之间分配。这些日子由反对党选定辩论的动议，是反对党设定议程、检验政府的重要工具。

If Parliament is dissolved and money is urgently needed, the government can use Governor General's special warrants under the Financial Administration Act, which must later be reported to Parliament. When spending exceeds revenue, the government needs Parliament's approval to borrow; the Borrowing Authority Act sets the maximum amount of federal debt.

如果议会已解散而又急需用钱，政府可以依据《财政管理法》使用总督特别令状，事后须向议会报告。支出超过收入时，政府须经议会批准才能借款；《借款授权法》规定了联邦债务的上限。

Ways and means: raising money · 筹款：筹集资金

The budget sets out the government's economic and fiscal policy. The Minister of Finance presents it in a speech and moves a ways and means motion; the Standing Orders allow four days of debate on it, and a vote on the budget is a classic confidence vote. Before any bill that creates, raises, continues or extends a tax, a minister must move a ways and means motion, and its adoption orders the bill to be brought in.

预算阐明政府的经济和财政政策。财政部长发表预算演说并提出筹款动议；议事规则为此安排四天辩论，预算表决是典型的信任表决。任何设立、提高、延续或扩大税收的法案，之前都必须由部长提出筹款动议；动议通过后，才能据此提出法案。

Checking the accounts · 审查公共账目

After the year ends, the government tables the Public Accounts of Canada. The Standing Committee on Public Accounts, by practice chaired by an opposition MP, examines them along with the Auditor General's reports, to check that money was spent as Parliament authorized.

财政年度结束后，政府提交《加拿大公共账目》。公共账目常设委员会按惯例由反对党议员担任主席，它审查公共账目和审计长报告，检查公款是否按议会授权使用。

11. Committees (Ch. 19, 20) · 委员会（第 19、20 章）

Committee of the Whole · 全院委员会

A committee of the whole is the entire House sitting as a committee in the chamber, chaired by the Deputy Speaker or another presiding officer rather than the Speaker. Debate is freer: motions need no seconder, and Members may speak more than once. It is used for appropriation (supply) bills, sometimes for other bills by special order, for take-note debates, and for questioning ministers on the Estimates. Individual votes are not recorded.

全院委员会就是全体议员在议事厅内以委员会形式开会，由副议长或其他主持人（而非议长）主持。辩论更加自由：动议无需附议，议员可以多次发言。它用于审议拨款法案，有时按特别命令审议其他法案，也用于注意性辩论和就预算估算质询部长。表决时不记录议员个人的投票。

Types of committees · 委员会的类型

Type · 类型What it is · 说明
Standing · 常设委员会Set up by the Standing Orders and renewed each session; most shadow one or more departments, such as Finance or Health. · 由议事规则设立，每个会期自动重建；大多对应一个或多个部门，如财政、卫生。
Special · 特别委员会Created to study one subject, and ends when it reports. · 为研究某一课题而设，提交报告后即告结束。
Legislative · 立法委员会Created to study a particular bill. · 为审查某一项法案而设。
Joint · 联合委员会Standing or special committees of MPs and senators together, such as Scrutiny of Regulations or the Library of Parliament. · 由众议员和参议员共同组成的常设或特别委员会，如法规审查委员会、议会图书馆委员会。
Subcommittee · 小组委员会Created by a committee to handle part of its work, such as planning its agenda. · 由委员会设立，分担部分工作，如安排议程。

Membership and chairs · 成员与主席

Committees include members of every recognized party, in proportion to party standings in the House. Each committee elects its chair and two vice-chairs at its first meeting, with the committee clerk presiding. For most standing committees, the chair must be a government MP, the first vice-chair from the Official Opposition and the second vice-chair from another opposition party. For four standing committees and one standing joint committee, including Public Accounts and Government Operations and Estimates, the roles are reversed: the chair comes from the Official Opposition and the first vice-chair from the government party. The chair runs meetings, rules on procedure and votes only to break a tie.

委员会由各认可政党的议员组成，比例与各党在众议院的席位相当。每个委员会在第一次会议上选举主席和两名副主席，由委员会书记官主持。大多数常设委员会的主席须是政府党议员，第一副主席来自官方反对党，第二副主席来自其他反对党。而在四个常设委员会和一个常设联合委员会（包括公共账目委员会、政府运作与估算委员会）中，角色对调：主席来自官方反对党，第一副主席来自政府党。主席主持会议、裁决程序问题，只在票数相等时投票。

Powers and studies · 权力与研究

Committees can compel witnesses to appear and order people and organizations to produce documents. They study what the House refers to them, called orders of reference, such as bills, the Estimates and appointments, and standing committees can also choose their own studies within their mandate.

委员会可以强制证人出席，并命令个人和机构提交文件。它们审查议院交付的事项（称为「交付令」），如法案、预算估算和任命；常设委员会还可以在职权范围内自行选定研究课题。

If four members of a standing committee, from at least two recognized parties, ask in writing for a meeting and give their reasons, the chair must convene one within five calendar days. This lets the opposition force a meeting on a topic even when the government side would prefer not to.

如果常设委员会中来自至少两个认可政党的四名成员书面要求开会并说明理由，主席必须在五个日历日内召开会议。这使反对党即使在政府一方不愿意时，也能就某一议题促成会议。

Meetings and reports · 会议与报告

Most meetings are public, webcast and transcribed; the public can submit written briefs or ask to appear as witnesses. Committees may meet in camera (in private), for example to draft reports. Members may take part remotely from within Canada, but the chair must attend in person.

大多数会议公开、网络直播并有文字记录；公众可以提交书面意见或申请出席作证。委员会可以闭门开会（in camera），例如起草报告时。成员可在加拿大境内远程参会，但主席必须亲自出席。

A report reflects the majority view; other parties may append dissenting or supplementary opinions. A standing or special committee can ask the government for a comprehensive response, which must be tabled within 120 calendar days. When the House is prorogued or dissolved, all committee work stops and studies must be restarted in the next session.

报告反映多数意见，其他政党可以附上异议或补充意见。委员会可要求政府作出全面回应，政府须在 120 天内提交。议会闭会或解散时，委员会的全部工作停止，研究须在下一个会期重新启动。

12. Private Members, Petitions and the Record (Ch. 21, 22, 23, 24) · 私人议员事务、请愿与议会记录（第 21、22、23、24 章）

Private Members' Business · 私人议员事务

MPs who are not ministers or parliamentary secretaries can put forward their own bills, motions (either resolutions expressing an opinion, or orders instructing a committee or regulating House business) and motions for the production of papers, which ask the government for documents. A private member's bill that spends public money needs a royal recommendation, and it cannot impose a tax, since only the government can propose taxes.

非部长、非议会秘书的议员可以提出自己的法案、动议（既可以是表达意见的决议，也可以是指示委员会或规范议院事务的命令），以及要求政府提供文件的调取文件动议。涉及公共开支的私人议员法案须有王室推荐，而且不能征税，因为只有政府可以提出征税。

Because there is time for only a few, a random draw at the start of each Parliament ranks all eligible Members. On the 20th sitting day after the draw, the first 30 enter the order of precedence, the queue for debate; when about 15 remain, the next 15 are added. The list and the order of precedence carry over from session to session within a Parliament. Members may not trade places on the list; only those already in the order of precedence may exchange, and only under certain conditions.

由于时间有限，每届议会开始时以随机抽签为所有符合资格的议员排序。抽签后第 20 个开会日，前 30 名进入「优先序列」，即等待辩论的队列；剩下约 15 名时，再补入后 15 名。同一届议会内，排序名单和优先序列在各会期之间延续。议员不得在名单上互换位置；只有已进入优先序列的议员在特定条件下才可以互换。

Items must be put on notice, and a bill must first be certified by the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel; its contents stay confidential until first reading. Up to 20 MPs can sign on as joint seconders. Items are votable by default. The Subcommittee on Private Members' Business can declare an item non-votable only if it is outside federal jurisdiction, clearly violates the Constitution Acts, 1867 to 1982, including the Charter, is substantially the same as a question already voted on this session or one ahead of it in the queue, or concerns a matter already on the agenda as government business. The sponsor can challenge this before the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs and, as a last resort, appeal to the House, or give up the appeal and substitute another item.

提案须先发出通知；法案还必须先经议会法律顾问办公室认证，其内容在一读之前保密。最多 20 名议员可以联名附议。提案默认可付表决。只有在以下情况下，私人议员事务小组委员会才能宣布某提案不付表决：不属联邦管辖范围；明显违反 1867 至 1982 年各部宪法法案（包括《权利与自由宪章》）；与本会期已表决、或在队列中排在其前的问题实质相同；或涉及已列入议程的政府事务。提案人可向程序与议院事务常设委员会提出异议，最后可向议院上诉；也可以放弃上诉，改换另一项提案。

The House spends one hour per sitting day on this business, one item a day. A bill gets two hours of debate at second reading and two hours for report stage and third reading combined; a votable motion or a motion for papers gets two hours. A committee must report a private member's bill within 60 sitting days, may ask once for a 30-sitting-day extension, or may recommend not proceeding, with reasons; if it does nothing, the bill is deemed reported without amendment. Recorded votes are deferred to the next Wednesday after Question Period.

议院每个开会日用一小时处理这类事务，每天一项。法案二读辩论两小时，报告阶段和三读合计两小时；可付表决的动议或调取文件动议辩论两小时。委员会须在 60 个开会日内就私人议员法案提交报告，可申请一次延长 30 个开会日，也可以建议不再继续审议（须说明理由）；如果委员会不作处理，法案视为未经修正已提交报告。记名表决推迟到下一个周三质询时间之后进行。

Unlike government business, prorogation has almost no effect here: items keep the stage and place they had reached and need not be reintroduced. Dissolution, however, ends them all.

与政府事务不同，闭会对私人议员事务几乎没有影响：提案保留已完成的阶段和所在位置，无需重新提出。但议会解散后，所有提案全部失效。

Public petitions · 公众请愿

Any Canadian citizen or resident, of any age, can sign a petition asking the House, the government or a minister to act on a federal matter. Petitions must be respectful and may not concern matters before the courts. Only an MP can present a petition, and presenting it does not mean the MP agrees with it.

任何加拿大公民或居民，不论年龄，都可以签署请愿书，要求众议院、政府或某位部长就联邦事务采取行动。请愿内容须有礼貌，不得涉及法院待决的事项。只有议员可以提交请愿，提交并不代表该议员赞同其内容。

Paper petition · 纸质请愿E-petition · 电子请愿
Signatures needed · 所需签名25, with addresses · 25 个，附地址500 · 500 个
Other rules · 其他要求No attachments, logos or alterations · 不得附件、标志或涂改Up to 250 words; 5 supporters; an MP must agree to sponsor · 不超过 250 字；须有 5 名支持者；须有议员同意担任保荐人
Open for signing · 开放签署时间—30, 60, 90 or 120 days · 30、60、90 或 120 天

The clerk of petitions, a non-partisan official, certifies each petition. Members present them in a 15-minute period during Routine Proceedings, and the government must respond within 45 days. Dissolution closes all e-petitions that have not yet been presented.

请愿书由无党派的请愿书记官认证。议员在例行程序中 15 分钟的时段内提交请愿，政府须在 45 天内作出回应。议会解散时，所有尚未提交的电子请愿都会关闭。

Private bills · 私人法案

A private bill gives a special power, benefit or exemption to a particular person or organization. It must include a preamble explaining why it is sought, the promoter pays fees and must give public notice, and the bill almost always starts in the Senate, numbered from S-1001. In the House it usually passes all stages in one sitting by unanimous consent.

私人法案赋予特定个人或机构某种特别权力、权益或豁免。它必须有序言说明申请理由，申请人需缴费并公开通告，而且几乎都始于参议院，编号从 S-1001 开始。在众议院，它通常经一致同意在一次会议中完成全部阶段。

The parliamentary record · 议会记录

All House publications are online in English and French. The Order Paper and Notice Paper list the business the House may take up; the Journals are the official record of what the House decided; and the Debates, known as Hansard, are the edited transcript of what was said. For committees, the Minutes record decisions and the Evidence is the transcript.

众议院所有出版物都以英法双语在网上公开。议程表和通知表列出议院可能处理的事务；议事录（Journals）是议院决定的正式记录；辩论实录（即 Hansard）是经编辑的发言文字记录。委员会方面，会议纪要记录决定，证据实录（Evidence）是文字记录。

House sittings are broadcast on CPAC and streamed on ParlVU, as are public committee meetings, and recordings are archived for at least ten years.

众议院会议在 CPAC 电视频道播出，并在 ParlVU 网站直播；公开的委员会会议也是如此。录像至少存档十年。

Sources · 资料来源

Elaine Liu
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The Standing Orders of the House of Commons · 众议院议事规则
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Understanding Parliament · 了解加拿大议会