… there is nothing wrong in trying to improve the life style of
parliamentarians, many of whom are men and women with family
responsibilities… . The fact that Members of Parliament would
not have to sit in the evening will upgrade their role in the
sense that … they would be free to come and go as they please,
to look after the interests of their constituents, to sit on the
standing committees of the House, to participate actively in the
special caucuses of their respective parties, [and] to go and
address the Canadian people in many communities located within a
reasonable distance from Ottawa. Yvon Pinard, President of the
Privy Council (Debates, November 29, 1982, p. 21070) meeting, or
“sitting”, of the House begins when the Speaker takes the Chair
and, seeing that a quorum is present, calls the House to order.
A sitting ends upon the adjournment of the House. On days when
the House meets, it does so in accordance with a predetermined
daily schedule or timetable.  Within this context, the House
retains a la