PRAYERS

DAILY ROUTINE OF BUSINESS

Tabling of Documents

Pursuant to Standing Order 32(2), Mr. Knutson (Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister) laid upon the Table, -- Government responses, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8), to the following petitions:

-- No. 362-0508 concerning the public pension system. -- Sessional Paper No. 8545-362-37-04;

-- No. 362-0589 concerning gasoline additives. -- Sessional Paper No. 8545-362-33-05;

-- No. 362-0659 concerning the mistreatment of animals. -- Sessional Paper No. 8545-362-36-04.

Motions

Mr. Knutson (Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister), seconded by Mr. Clouthier (Renfrew -- Nipissing -- Pembroke), moved, -- That the House do now proceed to the Orders of the Day.

INTERRUPTION

At 10:48 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 11:10 a.m., the sitting resumed.

Motions

By unanimous consent, it was ordered, -- That the motion moved by Mr. Knutson (Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister) earlier this day be withdrawn;

That the House proceed to Motion No. 59 (Routine Proceedings) in the name of Mr. Duceppe (Laurier -- Sainte-Marie);

That no later than 6:30 p.m. this day, all questions necessary to dispose of the motion shall be put and a recorded division or divisions be deemed to have been demanded, provided that the recorded division or divisions may not be deferred and that the division bells shall be rung for 15 minutes, and provided that Members' Statements and Oral Questions shall be held at the usual times; and

That the allotted day previously scheduled for this day be held on Friday, March 17, 2000, and that any recorded division requested on the allotted day be deferred until Tuesday, March 21, 2000, at the expiry of the time provided for Government Orders.

SPECIAL DEBATE

Pursuant to Order made earlier this day, Mr. Duceppe (Laurier -- Sainte-Marie), seconded by Mr. Bergeron (Verchères -- Les-Patriotes), moved, -- That this House resolve that it no longer has confidence in its Speaker, since it is of the opinion that he showed partiality in deciding that the question of privilege raised by the honourable Member for Rimouski -- Mitis on Wednesday, March 1, 2000, was unfounded and in rejecting the point of order raised by the honourable Member for Beauharnois -- Salaberry, to the detriment of the rights and privileges of all of the Members of this House.

Debate arose thereon.

Mr. Gauthier (Roberval), seconded by Mr. Canuel (Matapédia -- Matane), moved the following amendment, -- That the motion be amended by adding after the words ``Beauharnois -- Salaberry,'' the following:

``on Friday, March 3, 2000,''

Debate arose thereon.

STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Pursuant to Standing Order 31, Members made statements.

ORAL QUESTIONS

Pursuant to Standing Order 30(5), the House proceeded to Oral Questions.

SPECIAL DEBATE

The House resumed consideration of the motion of Mr. Duceppe (Laurier -- Sainte-Marie), seconded by Mr. Bergeron (Verchères -- Les-Patriotes), -- That this House resolve that it no longer has confidence in its Speaker, since it is of the opinion that he showed partiality in deciding that the question of privilege raised by the honourable Member for Rimouski -- Mitis on Wednesday, March 1, 2000, was unfounded and in rejecting the point of order raised by the honourable Member for Beauharnois -- Salaberry, to the detriment of the rights and privileges of all of the Members of this House;

And of the amendment of Mr. Gauthier (Roberval), seconded by Mr. Canuel (Matapédia -- Matane).

The debate continued.

INTERRUPTION

At 6:46 p.m., by unanimous consent, the sitting was suspended.

At 6:50 p.m., the sitting resumed.

SPECIAL DEBATE

By unanimous consent, Mr. Gauthier (Roberval), seconded by Ms. Tremblay (Rimouski -- Mitis), moved, -- That the motion be withdrawn and replaced by the following:

That the issue of the confidentiality of the work of the legislative counsel be examined by the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs; that the various possible solutions, namely

(a) the restructuring of the service to ensure confidentiality; or

(b) the reallocation of current resources to the various political parties to allow them to have their own legislative counsel services

be reviewed by the Committee, and that a report proposing concrete solutions be tabled in the House by June 1, 2000.

The question was put on the motion and it was agreed to.

ADJOURNMENT

At 6:56 p.m., the Speaker adjourned the House until tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., pursuant to Standing Order 24(1).