Provision

in case of

47. Until the Parliament of Canada

absence of otherwise provides, in case of the Absence, Speaker. for any Reason, of the Speaker from the Chair of the House of Commons for a period of Forty-Eight Consecutive Hours, the House may elect another of its Members to act as Speaker, and the Member so elected shall, during the Continuance of such Absence of the Speaker, have and execute all the Powers, Privileges and Duties of Speaker.

Quorum of 48. The Presence of at least Twenty House of Commons. Members of the House of Commons shall be necessary to constitute a Meeting of the House for the Exercise of its Powers; and for that Purpose the Speaker shall be reckoned as a Member.

Voting in

Commons.

49. Questions arising in the House of House of Commons shall be decided by a Majority of Voices other than that of the Speaker, and when the Voices are equal, but not otherwise, the Speaker shall have a Vote.

Duration

of Com

mons.

50. Every House of Commons shall conof House tinue for Five Years from the day of the Return of the Writs for choosing the House (subject to be sooner dissolved by the Gov ernor-General), and no longer.

51. On the completion of the Census in the Year one thousand eight hundred and

seventy-one

ment of

seventy-one, and of each subsequent decen- Decennial nial Census, the Representation of the Four ReadjustProvinces shall be readjusted by such RepresenAuthority, in such a manner, and from tation. such Time as the Parliament of Canada from Time to Time provides, subject and according to the following Rules:

(1.) Quebec shall have the fixed Number
of Sixty-five Members:

(2.) There shall be assigned to each of
the other Provinces such a number
of Members as will bear the same
Proportion to the Number of its
Population (ascertained at such
Census) as the Number Sixty-five
bears to the Number of the Popula-
tion of Quebec (so ascertained):
(3.) In the Computation of the Number
of Members for a Province a frac-
tional Part not exceeding One half
of the whole number requisite for
entitling the Province to a Member
shall be disregarded; but a frac-
tional Part exceeding One half of
that number shall be equivalent to
the whole number :
(4.) On any such Re-adjustment the
Number of Members for a Province
shall not be reduced unless the Pro-
portion which the number of the
Population of the Province bore to

the

Increase

of number

of Com

the Number of the aggregate population of Canada at the then last preceding Readjustment of the Number of Members for the Province is ascertained at the then latest Census to be diminished by One Twentieth Part or upwards: (5.) Such Re-adjustment shall not take effect until the Termination of the then existing Parliament.

52. The Number of Members of the of House House of Commons may be from Time to Time increased by the Parliament of Canada, provided the proportionate Represen tation of the Province prescribed by this Act is not thereby disturbed.

mons.

Appropri

ation and

Money Votes; Royal Assent.

53. Bills for appropriating any part of Tax Bills. the Public Revenue, or for imposing any Tax or Impost, shall originate in the House of Commons.

Recom

of money votes.

54. It shall not be lawful for the House mendation of Commons to adopt or pass any Vote, Resolution, Address, or Bill for the Appropriation of any Part of the Public Revenue, or of any Tax or Impost, to any Purpose that has not been first recommended to that House by Message of the GovernorGeneral in the Session in which such

Vote, Resolution, Address, or Bill is proposed.

sent to

55. Where a Bill passed by the Houses Royal Asof the Parliament is presented to the Gov- Bills, &c. ernor-General for the Queen's Assent, he shall declare, according to his discretion, but subject to the Provisions of this Act and to Her Majesty's Instructions, either that he assents thereto in the Queen's Name, or that he withholds the Queen's Assent, or that he reserves the Bill for the Signification of the Queen's Pleasure.

ance by

Act as

nor-Gene

56. Where the Governor-General assents Disallowto a Bill in the Queen's Name, he shall by Order in the first convenient Opportunity send an Council of authentic Copy of the Act to One of Her sented to Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, by Goverand if the Queen in Council within Two or Years after receipt thereof by the Secretary of State thinks fit to disallow the Act, such Disallowance (with a certificate of the Secretary of State of the Day on which the Act was received by him) being signified by the Governor-General, by speech or Message to each of the Houses of the Parliament or by Proclamation, shall annul the Act from and after the Day of such Signification.

tion of

57. A Bill reserved for the Signification Significaof the Queen's Pleasure shall not have any Queen's

Force

on Bill reserved.

pleasure Force unless and until within Two Years from the day on which it was presented to the Governor-General for the Queen's Assent, the Governor-General signifies, by Speech or Message to each of the Houses of the Parliament or by Proclamation, that it has received the assent of the Queen in Council.

Appoint-
ment of
Lieut.-
Govern-

An Entry of every such Speech, Message, or Proclamation shall be made in the Journal of each House, and a Duplicate thereof duly attested shall be delivered to the proper officer to be kept among the Records of Canada.

V.—PROVINCIAL CONSTITUTIONS.

Executive Power.

58. For each Province there shall be an Officer, styled the Lieutenant-Governor, appointed by the Governor-General in ors of Pro- Council by Instrument under the Great Seal of Canada.

vinces.

Tenure of office of Lieuten

ernor.

59. A Lieutenant-Governor shall hold Office during the Pleasure of the Governorant Gov- General; but any Lieutenant-Governor appointed after the Commencement of the First Session of the Parliament of Canada shall not be removeable within Five Years, from his Appointment, except for cause as