Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne

On the amendment: defeated, 44 to 48

A motion thanking the Lieutenant Governor for the Speech from the Throne that opens a session, on which members may move amendments.

The Speech from the Throne is read by the Lieutenant Governor to open a session and sets out the government's plans for it. The Address in Reply is the House's formal answer: a motion, moved without notice, thanking the Lieutenant Governor for the speech. Debate on it, the Throne Speech Debate, is where members speak to the government's program, and an amendment to it needs two days' notice under Standing Order 48. By tradition the motion is a matter of confidence, an occasion for the House to show whether it supports the government.