Point of Order

Definition

A device by which a member draws the attention of the Presiding Officer to a breach of the rules of procedure or of the Constitution during the proceedings of the House.

Key points

• It relates only to the interpretation or enforcement of the rules of the House or relevant constitutional articles.
• It can be raised at any time during the sitting, and it has the effect of suspending the proceedings until the chair gives a ruling.
• No debate is allowed on a point of order; the Presiding Officer decides it.
• It is an extraordinary device used to keep the House within the rules, not to raise a grievance or a policy issue.
• It is generally used by the opposition to check the government, but any member may raise it.

Why it matters for CAPF

The procedural, no-debate nature of a point of order and its contrast with substantive motions are precise parliamentary facts.

Common confusion

A point of order concerns the rules and gets an immediate ruling with no debate; it is not a way to raise a grievance, which would be done through a calling-attention motion or the concept zero hour.

Parent note

parliament