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Chapter 5 - Officers
of the Senate:
Parliamentary administration
Rulings of the Chair
The President,
Deputy President or senator in the chair may give a ruling on any question of
order, whether or not a point of order is raised by a senator. A ruling may be
an interpretation or application of a standing order or may be made in the
absence of provision in the standing orders. The early decision of the Senate
not to adopt a standing order providing for the usages of the House of Commons
to be observed in the absence of other provision, but rather to build up its
own rules, forms, and practices, has necessarily resulted in many President’s
rulings (see Chapter 1 under Rules and Orders). It is established Senate
practice that, where there may be doubt with respect to the interpretation of a
rule or order, the chair leans towards a ruling which preserves or strengthens
the powers of the Senate and the rights of senators rather than one which may
weaken or lessen those powers and rights.
A President’s ruling which has not been dissented from is equivalent to
a resolution of the Senate and must be complied with (ruling of President Baker, SD, 4/10/1906, pp 6089-90;
rulings of President Gould, SD, 9/8/1907, pp 1690-1; 18/10/1907, p. 4909).
It is the chair’s duty to see that the powers and immunities of the
Senate, as provided by the Constitution, are observed, but unless the conduct
of the business of the Senate is at issue the chair ought not to be called upon
to decide a question involving the interpretation of the Constitution (rulings
of President Baker, SD, 1/8/1901, p. 3375; 1/7/1903, p. 1595; 11/8/1904,
p. 4127; 15/12/1904, p. 8571; ruling of President Mattner, SD,
11/9/1952, p. 1265).
It is not the duty of the chair to determine the constitutionality of a
standing order, but to carry it out (ruling of President Gould, SD, 25/11/1908, p. 2158). Nor is
it the chair’s duty to adjudicate upon points of law (rulings of President
Kingsmill, SD, 26/3/1931, p. 630; 28/10/1931, p. 1258, 1273); to decide
technical legalities of interpretation in any bill; to compel the government to
table regulations; or to decide whether a regulation is null and void; to judge
the correctness or otherwise of statements made by senators (rulings of
President Givens, SD, 22/7/1915, p. 5230; 6/12/1916, p. 9390; 25/7/1917, p.
415); or to interpret the standing orders of, or the procedure on a bill in,
the House of Representatives (ruling of President Baker, SD, 8/12/1905, pp
6538-42).
See also Chapter 10, Debate, under Questions of order. For objection to
a ruling of the President, see Chapter 10, Debate, under that heading.
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