The Speaker of the House of Assembly, Honourable Corine George-Massicote, ruled that the Opposition’s motion of no confidence against Premier Dr. the Honourable Natalio Wheatley could not proceed due to a procedural breach of the House of Assembly’s rules.
The decision was made during Tuesday’s sitting, where the Speaker cited a violation of Standing Order 23 as the basis for her ruling.
The issue was brought to the Speaker’s attention by Premier Wheatley, who rose on a point of order, arguing that the no-confidence motion submitted by Leader of the Opposition, Honourable Ronnie Skelton, was not in compliance with the established parliamentary procedures.
According to Speaker George-Massicote, Standing Order 23 clearly states that any notice to move a motion or ask a question in the House of Assembly must be submitted to the Clerk of the House, not directly to the Speaker.
In her explanation, Speaker George-Massicote referred to Standing Order 24, which outlines the timeline for submitting motions or questions, noting that a submission should occur either during a previous sitting or at least seven days before the next sitting. However, she clarified that this was not the issue at hand.
In this instance, Skelton submitted the motion directly to the Speaker, which the Speaker confirmed was the main procedural error, directly in contravention of Standing Order 23.
The Speaker also acknowledged her own oversight in the matter, admitting that if she had been more thorough in reviewing the standing orders, she could have corrected the procedural mistake in time.
She expressed her commitment to ensuring that such errors do not recur and emphasized that there will be strict adherence to the rules and regulations governing the House of Assembly moving forward.
The ruling effectively removed the no-confidence motion from Tuesday’s Order Paper, however, a submission has already been made to have it included in the Order Paper of the next House of Assembly sitting.