Anatomy of a Take-Note Debate

What is it we do in the House of Commons all day (and night)?

On the evening of Tuesday, November 25, the House of Commons held a “take-note debate” on the issue of softwood lumber.

I thought it presented a good opportunity to answer the question you never knew you had: “what the hell is a take-note debate”?

Most debate in the House of Commons is directed towards a vote. We debate bills, we debate motions, we debate government supply (spending money) – all of which end in us picking sides and casting yea or nay.

A take-note debate is a special type of debate the House of Commons holds when MPs want to discuss an issue that isn’t tied to a vote.

Below, you’ll find twenty minutes of that debate, and timestamps to explain what’s happening, why, and what it means.

Above is bilingual feed. Click here to watch all-English video.

[0:00] Recognized by the Chair at 8:53pm

Normally, the House of Commons begins adjournment proceedings at 6:30pm. But if a take-note debate has been called, the House instead reorganizes into “Committee of the Whole” format for the evening to discuss the issue at hand.

Why isn’t this usually done during normal sitting hours? Because it would delay House business, and push government bills and motions back. The drawback? A take-note debate can mean a very long day - this one ended at 11:20pm.

The House being in Committee of the Whole during a take-note debate means some of the rules are different. You can speak from anywhere (normally an MP is required to speak from their desk). You can speak more than once on a matter.

The different rules are also reflected in some modifications to the normal pageantry of the House. If you look closely, you can see that the mace is not in its usual place on the table, but below the table on a secondary stand. That symbolizes the House not sitting as the House.

[0:03] “Thank you, Mr. Speaker”

I referred to Deputy Speaker Tom Kmiec as “Mr. Speaker”, as did every other MP through the course of the night. This is technically incorrect! In Committee of the Whole, the Speaker is referred to as the Chair.

This is corrected in Hansard, which is a faithful but not literal transcription of discussion in the House. In addition to correcting errors like this, Hansard removes pause words, repetitions, corrects other unintentional errors and even usually omits the reflexive and unnecessary “Thank you, Mr. Speaker” that we begin our remarks with.

[0:04] “I will be using the entirety of the block.”

Normally in the House, debate happens in thirty-minute blocks: twenty-minute speeches with ten minutes of questions and comments from other members, or (more commonly) the time is split between two speakers from the same party, who each give ten-minute speeches with five minutes of questions and comments.

In the case of a take-note debate, debate happens in twenty-minute blocks: ten-minute speeches with ten minutes of questions and comments from other members. Again, it’s more common for it to be split between two speakers - who in this case give five-minute speeches with five minutes of questions and comments.

Debate blocks are rotated between the parties in a pre-set order based on standing and number of seats in the House.

During this speech, I am using the entire block. Each party will have different processes for allocating their time, but in the Liberal Party a full block is reserved for the relevant government representative - the Minister or Parliamentary Secretary responsible. The rest is allotted to other MPs who ask to speak, usually because of a personal or constituency interest in the issue.

[0:36] “…back to when Antoine Bouchard married Madeleine Simard in the Saguenay in the early 1700s…”

This quip about an ancestor of mine is a great example of some of the checks that exist in the Hansard process. Only about an hour after I said it, I got an email from the House of Commons editors saying they found records of Antoine Bouchard’s marriage in 1703 but that his wife’s proper name was Marie-Madeleine.

“Whenever names and specific details are read into the record, the editors require that the information be verified ahead of publication to ensure that the Hansard is as accurate as possible.”

Hansard as published reflects that research.

[1:06] “C’est un devoir moral, mais c’est aussi une décision judicieuse sur le plan économique et environnemental.”

At this point, I switch to French. Speeches in the House of Commons are often bilingual, and I switch between English and French regularly in this speech.

Generally, when representing the Government, as I am here, I will try to ensure my speeches are at least one-third French. When I am speaking on behalf of Calgary Confederation, my speech will usually be entirely in the common language of my constituents – English. Each member will have their own style and preference depending on their constituency, philosophy, and their second language proficiency.

Both languages have equal standing, and every member is free to use either in any circumstance.

Members have earpieces that provide simultaneous translation in either official language, should they wish. The earpieces are often necessary regardless - to hear what the speaker is saying. Especially during Question Period or other times the House is full, it is hard to hear your neighbour, let alone somebody across the aisle.

[8:00] The Chamber

You might notice that the House of Commons Chamber behind me is mostly empty. This is common, and not just during evening debates.

Members are quite busy – days start early and go very late – and it would be effectively impossible to attend to the stakeholder meetings, parliamentary committees and constituency work needed to do our jobs properly if we were all in the House of Commons during all sitting hours.

Instead, Members will attend debates they are passionate about, when they want to read something into the record, or when they are on “house duty”.

During the day, the government members need to maintain quorum of twenty members (including the speaker) in the House. To maintain quorum, the government ensures enough members are present at all times, with a healthy buffer – either in the Chamber or in the adjoining government lobby. Being the group required to be there to maintain quorum is referred to as being on “house duty”.

During a take-note debate, no quorum calls are permitted.

[9:12] “Questions and comments…”

Within the speaking blocks, after a speech there is the opportunity for questions and comments from other members. A member stands, asks their brief question, and the person who made the speech responds. This repeats – rotating through parties in a pre-set order – until there are no more questions or the time runs out.

[11:27] “Je remercie le député de sa question.”

While I’m happy to prepare remarks in French, it’s more difficult for me to organize my thoughts in French on the fly, so will often respond in English to questions and comments I receive in French.

However, when I can, I like to respond to questions in the language asked. This is an exception where I responded in French – facilitated by the fact I was sure this was something Mario Simard would ask.

[13:05] Gord Johns makes a proposal

During the debate, NDP MP Gord Johns proposed a working table to fast-track solutions in the forestry sector. The ability of MPs of all parties to have a discussion that can influence government policy without a vote is one of the real strengths of a take-note debate.

Gord Johns’ idea struck us as a good one, and the creation of such a group was announced the next day by the Prime Minister as part of increased supports for forestry.

[17:55] Watching the Chair

What the cameras don’t pick up is the Chair watches our time and when our short responses start to get overlong, they will give us signals to wrap it up or keep it moving. Here I went on a bit and the Chair Tom Kmiec started giving a hard to miss hand signal to conclude my remarks.

[19:37] “Resuming debate…”

When the time for questions and comments is up, the chair announces we are “resuming debate”, which means we are moving on to the next speaker. This process continues until the take-note debate has run for four hours or until nobody stands to speak.

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Take-note debates, like all debates in the House of Commons, are an opportunity to discuss the issues of the day and register the opinions of the government and of constituents. Take-note debates in particular tend to draw in people most passionate about the issues. They’re an opportunity for members of all parties to elevate issues and solutions for the government to consider.

Take-note debates don’t decide the future. But they help shape it. They offer a less zero-sum environment to debate important issues – like softwood lumber and supporting our forestry communities – and force every party to put their thinking on the table.