House of Commons Calendar (shaded green days are House sitting days)

Parliamentary Calendar

The Standing Orders of the House of Commons provide that a parliamentary calendar shall be prepared for the following year and tabled by the Speaker no later than September 30 of the current year. In addition, tentative calendars for a further five years have been developed and are made available on this website for reference purposes.

The parliamentary calendar is based on the provisions of the Standing Orders. For example, Standing Order 24 provides that the House will not meet on Saturdays and Sundays, while Standing Orders 28(1) and 28(2) set out how the other sitting and non-sitting days during a calendar year are determined.

The calendar applies only when the House is in session. Each session begins with a Speech from the Throne and ends when the Governor General prorogues or dissolves Parliament. There is no set length for a session. The Government is in no way bound to hold sessions that correspond to the House of Commons’ calendar. A session may thus begin on what would be a non-sitting day according the calendar, or it may begin on a day later than what is shown on the calendar as the first sitting day following an adjournment.

Notwithstanding the calendar and the Standing Orders on which it is based, the House may alter its scheduled sitting days and adjournments by adopting a motion for that purpose. In addition, whenever the House stands adjourned, it may be recalled pursuant to Standing Order 28(3) to transact business prior to the date to which it was originally adjourned. It may also meet pursuant to Standing Order 28(4) for the sole purpose of participating in the ceremony of granting the Royal Assent to a bill or bills.

To view the 2007 Parliamentary Calendar please click on the following link :
2008 Parliamentary Calendar