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# System prepended metadata

title: Rules of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario

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# Rules of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario

## Chapter I - Regulations and Management of the House
### Sittings
#### 1(1) Sittings
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario shall meet at least twice in a session (once in a month). Each session lasts for two months.

It is the duty of the Speaker to fix the day and time of a meeting. Members of the Legislative Assembly shall be notified at least 24 hours prior to a meeting that a meeting is occurring. 

There shall be no more than 4 sittings each week.

#### 1(2) Recall of the House
The House can be recalled by the Speaker to meet at any time because of an emergency or extraordinary circumstances. The reason for the recall shall always be provided. Members of the Legislative Assembly shall be notified of a recall at least 12 hours prior.

### Quorum
#### 2(1) Quorum
The presence of at least 5 Members of the House, including the Speaker, is necessary to constitute a meeting of the House for the exercise of its powers. 

#### 2(2) Quorum bell
1. At the time of a fixed meeting, Members shall have 10 minutes to enter the Chamber;
2. once the 10 minutes is up, no further Members may enter the Chamber; 
3. the Clerk shall then count and announce the number of Members present in their seats, including the Speaker;
4. if a quorum of Members is not present, the Speaker must adjourn the House for the sitting day.

:::info
During a Discord meeting, Members are to call themselves "present" at the meeting. 
:::

### The Speaker 
#### 3(1) Election of the Speaker first order of business
At the opening of the first session of a Legislature, the election of a Speaker shall be the first order of business and shall not be interrupted by any other proceeding.

#### 3(2) Election of Speaker in case of vacancy
If the office of Speaker becomes vacant for any reason, the House must proceed to elect one of its Members as Speaker.

If the vacancy arises between sessions or while the House is adjourned, the Clerk must immediately notify all Members of the vacancy and inform them that the first order of business when the House next meets will be the election of a Speaker.

#### 3(3) Clerk to administer election of Speaker
For the purpose of electing a Speaker, the Clerk, or in the absence of the Clerk another Clerk at the Table, shall administer the election process and shall preside during the election of a Speaker.

#### 3(4) No debate or motions during election of Speaker
During the election of a Speaker there shall be no debate and no adjournment motion nor motion of any other kind shall be accepted for consideration.

#### 3(5) Election of Speaker by secret ballot
The election of a Speaker shall be conducted by secret ballot as follows:

#### Members wishing to stand for election to inform Clerk
1. After a general election, or at any other time when there is a vacancy in the Office of Speaker, any Member who wishes to stand for election to the Office of Speaker shall, in writing in the prescribed form, to inform the Clerk who shall prepare, in alphabetical order, a list of the given names of those Members who wish to stand as candidates for election to the Office of Speaker.

#### 3(6) Clerk to declare sole candidate as Speaker
If only one Member stands for election to the Office of Speaker, or at any stage a withdrawal leaves only one candidate remaining, the Clerk shall announce in the Chamber that candidate’s name and without any vote declare that Member to be elected Speaker.

#### 3(7) Clerk to declare candidate with majority
If one candidate receives a majority of the votes cast, the Clerk shall announce the name of that Member as the Speaker.

#### 3(8) Subsequent ballots
If no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast, the name of the candidate, or in the event of a tie the candidates, having the lowest number of votes cast, shall be excluded from subsequent ballots.

Subsequent ballots shall be conducted in the manner prescribed in sub-rules(3) through (7) and the balloting shall continue, in a like manner, until such times as a
candidate is elected Speaker upon having received a majority of the votes cast.

#### 3(9) The Speaker’s duties
The Speaker shall preserve order and decorum and enforce the Rules, and shall decide all questions of order without appeal.

#### 3(10) Ruling on Points of Order
In explaining a Point of Order, the Speaker shall state the rule or authority applicable to the case.

#### 3(11) Not to join in debate
The Speaker shall not take part in any debate before the House.

#### 3(12) Casting vote
The Speaker shall not take part in any vote before the House.

In the case of an equality of votes, the Speaker shall cast the deciding vote.

### Deputy Speaker, Chairperson of the Committee of the Whole House 

#### 4(1) Deputy Speaker, Chairperson of the Committee of the Whole House

A Deputy Speaker of the House, who shall also be the Chairperson of the Committee of the Whole House, shall be elected by way of motion from among the Members at the commencement of the first session of each Legislature. The Member so elected shall, if present, take the Chair of each Committee of the Whole House.

#### 4(2) When Speaker is absent
If the Speaker is absent from a meeting of the House, the Deputy Speaker must act in his or her place. 

### Divisions

#### 5(1) Termination of debate before division
After Members have been summoned to the Chamber for a division, no further debate shall be permitted.

#### 5(2) Entering and leaving during divisions
No Member shall enter or leave the Chamber during the stating of the question, or leave the Chamber after the final statement of the question until the division has been conducted and the result of the vote announced.

#### 5(3) Voting compulsory
Every sworn-in Member shall vote in the event of a division.

### Conduct of Members

#### 6(1) Attendance required 
Every Member shall attend the service of the House unless a leave of absence has been given to the Member by the Speaker. In the event that a Member fails to attend, without due reason, three consecutive sittings or meetings, they shall face automatic expulsion.

#### 6(2) Good manners
Every Member shall conduct themselves in a mature manner. During any meetings, it is expected that Members utilize full grammar and respect each other. 

#### 6(3) Withdrawal of Members
Where a question arises touching the conduct of any Member or any Member’s election, or the Member’s right to hold his or her seat, the Member may make a statement, and shall withdraw during the time the matter is in debate.

#### 6(4) Naming of a Member for an offence in the House
1. The Speaker shall be vested with the authority to maintain order by naming individual Members for disregarding the authority of the Chair and, without resorting to a motion, ordering a withdrawal for the remainder of the sitting. The decision of the Speaker is subject to appeal.
2. In the event of a Member disregarding an order of the Chair made pursuant to paragraph (1), the Speaker shall order the Sergeant-at-Arms to escort the Member out of the Chamber.

#### 6(5) Term of suspension
A suspension under sub-rule (3) shall be decided by the Speaker but shall not exceed two weeks.

### Conduct of Visitors 

#### 7(1) Visitors 
Visitors may be admitted to the gallery and to any other parts of the Chamber that are specified for that purpose by the Speaker.

#### 7(2) Conduct of visitors 
A visitor admitted to the Chamber or the gallery who creates a disturbance, or does not withdraw when directed, shall be ejected from the Chamber or the gallery by the Sergeant-at-Arms, as the Speaker may order. If necessary the visitor may be taken into custody by security staff or the Toronto Police Service.

## Chapter II - Business of the House
### Routine Business 
#### 8(1) Prayer
The Speaker shall read the prayer every day at the meeting of the House before any business is entered upon.

#### 8(2) Routine proceedings 

The order of the matters during routine proceedings is as follows:

> **Introduction of Bills
Committee Reports
Final Votes on Bills
Members’ Statements
Oral Questions
Petitions
Grievances**

### Process of Bills becoming Law

#### 9(1) Introduction
Through a motion, a Bill that is within the Assembly’s docket shall be introduced to the Legislative Assembly. The OLA who moved for the introduction of the bill shall be given the floor and briefly describe the contents of the bill. The bill is then to be forwarded to the Committee of the Whole House’s docket.

#### 9(2) Committee Report
The Committee of the Whole House (or Committee) shall, within one of its meetings, discuss any bills that may be within its docket. Within the Committee, the bill is to face debate, and all amendments to the bill are to be proposed and potentially implemented within this stage. In order for an amendment to be implemented into a bill, the amendment is to receive a simple majority vote (1⁄2 + 1) in affirmation. The Committee will then, without the requirement of a final vote, forward the Bill back to the House.

#### 9(3) Final Vote
The House will, within one of its sittings, hold a vote on any bills that they were forwarded by the Committee of the Whole House. No debate may take place in the Final Vote stage of a bill, and no more amendments may be proposed. Should the bill pass with a simple majority vote, it shall be forwarded to the Lieutenant Governor to receive royal assent.

#### 9(4) Bill Format
1. Any bills submitted to the legislative assembly in an official capacity
must be written in [this](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vUHwZhUmI0hT01656Tgmr9fBJdPWXECIZhJUeDaHDKM/edit?usp=sharing) format.
2. Any amendments to the house rules and/or procedures that are
submitted to the Committee of the Whole House must be written in
[this](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a1DObHN2l3DMYS_neqYi_I-PIi7MoADkkkIo_QGaHwc/edit?usp=sharing) format.

#### 9(5) House Rule Amendment Passing in the Committee
The standing house rules shall be able to be amended, though such amendments shall only be implemented in meetings of the Committee of the Whole House. House Rule Amendments shall, though a motion, be debated and subsequently voted upon. In order for an amendment to pass, it shall require a simple majority vote in affirmation.

### Member's Statements

#### 10(1) Limitations in Member's Statements
1. On each sitting day, up to five Members may be recognized to make a Members’ Statement on any matter;
2. Each statement shall be no more than two minutes in duration.

### Oral Questions

#### 11(1) Oral Questions
The time allowed for Oral Questions shall not exceed 40 minutes.

#### 11(2) Time limits on questions and answers
Questions and answers in Oral Questions shall not not exceed 60 seconds. 

### Grievances

#### 12(1) One Grievance per session
Each Member may raise one Grievance during a session of the Assembly.

#### 12(2) Speaking time
Members may speak for no longer than 10 minutes on a Grievance.

#### 12(3) No restriction on subject matter
There shall be no restriction on the subject matter raised in a Grievance.

#### 12(4) No restriction on number of Grievances daily
There shall be no restriction on the number of Grievances that may be raised on any given day.








