00:00Opposition Chief Whip Marvin Gonzalez's motion in the lower house today hit a procedural snag.
00:06No, your time's up. Have a seat.
00:09Have a seat.
00:14That's the point. We have a procedural issue here.
00:17Members have to be disciplined. We have a procedural issue, a serious one.
00:2145 minutes were up. I kept signaling the member and check the record.
00:26I'm not wrong in this regard. Check the record.
00:33No utterance of I beg to move within the 45 minutes. We have a procedural problem.
00:41House Speaker Jagdeo Singh suspended the house for 15 minutes to check with the standing orders.
00:47There was no motion move. That's the problem. Sorry?
00:52No, no, no. The question of allowing you or disallowing you doesn't arise. It's a different issue.
00:58No, no, no. Don't twist my words. Don't misrepresent what I am about to say.
01:07House Speaker Singh gave his ruling.
01:09The broad conceptual issue is does a motion which has failed, which has not been moved, survives?
01:19And the answer to that is a plain and obvious no.
01:24I didn't clear these rules, you know.
01:26While the entire sitting is being recorded in the Hansard, Singh repeated his rationale.
01:32I wish to repeat it, not for the benefit of members of this House, but for the benefit of members
01:38of the public looking on,
01:39so that I am not accused of suppressing a debate on a legitimate area of public concern.
01:49Water is something that touches all the lives of citizens.
01:53This was challenged by Gonzalez.
01:56Mr. Speaker, according to the standing orders, from our understanding,
01:59you have 45 minutes in which to make your contribution.
02:03I took my 45 minutes, came to an end.
02:07The 45 minutes, what you are saying is that you must say I beg to move within that 45 minutes.
02:12The I beg to move is not part of your contribution at the point I'm making.
02:16So you have 45 minutes in which, Mr. Speaker,
02:19I exhausted the 45 minutes in accordance with the standing orders,
02:23and I'm saying that the I beg to move...
02:26Mr. Speaker, why are you allowing the members...
02:28All right, members, I'll allow the member to make his point.
02:32Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.
02:34I beg to move formula, Mr. Speaker.
02:37The standing orders do not say that it has to form part of your 45-minute contribution.
02:43But the House Speaker gave the option to the members of the House
02:46to extend Gonzalez's speaking time during which he could move the motion.
02:51There can be a consensus as to the suspension of the standing orders
02:54pursuant to the standing order 122.
02:56If the House agrees, we will suspend the standing order, allow you to do it.
03:02If the House doesn't agree, members regulate themselves.
03:05I am giving a way out.
03:07Both sides can agree or disagree.
03:10Leader of government business,
03:12can I ask you very pointedly whether you are prepared...
03:15Mr. Speaker, the government will not engage in an infraction
03:20against the standing orders of this House.
03:22The House was then adjourned, but not before the opposition
03:26again challenged the tune of events.
03:29Well, that was anticlimactic.
03:31However, Mr. Speaker, I beg to move that is House to now adjourn
03:35to Wednesday.
03:40I have been called upon to adjourn the House, Mr. Speaker.
03:44I am on my legs to adjourn the House.
03:46Is it a point of order with regard to the adjournment?
03:50We move past that.
03:53We move past that.
03:54Have a seat.
03:55Police been out.
03:56Have a seat.
03:58Have a seat.
04:00We move beyond that.
04:03We move past that.
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