Pair (parliamentary convention)
Encyclopedia
Pairing is a system whereby two members of parliament from opposing political parties may agree to abstain where one member is unable to vote, due to other commitments, illness, travel problems, etc. A party whip
will usually allow this only for non-critical votes, often referred to as two-line whips.
The 1926 Canadian Election
was called when Arthur Meighen
's three-day old Conservative government was defeated 96-95, when an opposition MP who was paired with an absent Tory voted against the government on a motion of confidence.
According to Professor Ned Franks, "Immediately after the vote, at the same sitting and while everyone was still reeling in shock, surprise, delight or whatever, depending on party, an opposition member asked if his vote could be withdrawn because he had forgotten that he was paired and he shouldn't have voted. The Speaker refused this request, saying that the vote had already been recorded and couldn't be changed. What was written was written."
Pairing in the British House of Commons
was ended by a decision of the Labour
and Liberal Democrat
Chief Whips
, Donald Dewar
and Archy Kirkwood
on 17 December 1996, following an incident when they claimed to find the Conservative
government cheating in a vote by pairing the same three Conservative MPs with three absent Labour MPs as well as three absent Liberal Democrat MPs. The decision came into effect on 13 January 1997. It has not resumed since.
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
will usually allow this only for non-critical votes, often referred to as two-line whips.
The 1926 Canadian Election
Canadian federal election, 1926
The Canadian federal election of 1926 was held on September 14 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 16th Parliament of Canada. The election was called following an event known as the King-Byng Affair...
was called when Arthur Meighen
Arthur Meighen
Arthur Meighen, PC, QC was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served two terms as the ninth Prime Minister of Canada: from July 10, 1920 to December 29, 1921; and from June 29 to September 25, 1926. He was the first Prime Minister born after Confederation, and the only one to represent a riding...
's three-day old Conservative government was defeated 96-95, when an opposition MP who was paired with an absent Tory voted against the government on a motion of confidence.
According to Professor Ned Franks, "Immediately after the vote, at the same sitting and while everyone was still reeling in shock, surprise, delight or whatever, depending on party, an opposition member asked if his vote could be withdrawn because he had forgotten that he was paired and he shouldn't have voted. The Speaker refused this request, saying that the vote had already been recorded and couldn't be changed. What was written was written."
Pairing in the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
was ended by a decision of the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
and Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
Chief Whips
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
, Donald Dewar
Donald Dewar
Donald Campbell Dewar was a British politician who served as a Labour Party Member of Parliament in Scotland from 1966-1970, and then again from 1978 until his death in 2000. He served in Tony Blair's cabinet as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1997-1999 and was instrumental in the creation...
and Archy Kirkwood
Archy Kirkwood, Baron Kirkwood of Kirkhope
Sir Archibald Johnstone Kirkwood, Baron Kirkwood of Kirkhope, PC is a politician in the United Kingdom.-Education:Lord Kirkwood was educated at Cranhill School in Cranhill, Glasgow and studied Pharmacy at Heriot-Watt University, gaining a BSc in 1971...
on 17 December 1996, following an incident when they claimed to find the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
government cheating in a vote by pairing the same three Conservative MPs with three absent Labour MPs as well as three absent Liberal Democrat MPs. The decision came into effect on 13 January 1997. It has not resumed since.