A canon shall be made by a bill passed in accordance with the following procedure: —
27 A canon shall be made by a bill passed in accordance with the following procedure: —
The bill shall have been circulated to each diocese at least three months before the first day of the session of synod at which the bill is to be presented, provided that the standing committee may allow a shorter period of notice but not less than one month, and provided further that general synod by an affirmative vote in each house of at least three‑fourths of the members present may declare any bill to be a matter of urgency and permit it to be included in the agenda without previous notice.
(a) After the bill has been read and passed a first and second time, it shall be considered in committee and reported back with or without amendment;
The bill shall be read and passed a third time, provided, however, a special bill shall follow the procedure hereinafter appointed.
28. (1) A bill which deals with or concerns the ritual, ceremonial or discipline of this Church shall follow the procedure of this section as a special bill unless synod by a vote in each house of at least three‑fourths of the members present decides that it need not proceed as a special bill.
In the case of other bills, if not less than twenty‑five members of general synod petition the President that a bill should be treated as a special bill, the President shall put to general synod the motion that it be so treated, and if general synod so decides, the bill shall be dealt with as a special bill.
Special bills shall be dealt with as follows: —
A special bill, after the first and second readings and the committee stage have been concluded, shall be submitted for a provisional third reading, and if the bill is then approved by a vote of at least two‑thirds of the members of each of the three houses present it shall stand as a canon provisionally made.
The provisional canon shall then be referred to the synod of each diocese for its consideration and each diocesan synod shall submit to the President within a period specified by canon or by the provisional canon its assent to or dissent from the bill, together with such report and recommendations as it may think fit.
If every diocesan synod reports that it assents to the provisional canon, the President shall so declare and thereupon it shall be a canon duly passed, otherwise the reports and recommendations received from the diocesan synods shall be presented to general synod, which shall recommit the provisional canon as a bill to a further second reading and committee stage.
If on the subsequent third reading the bill is approved by at least two‑thirds of the members of each of the three houses present, it shall be a canon, unless general synod immediately before the vote is taken by a majority of the three houses voting together shall declare that such reading shall be provisional only, where‑upon the procedure given above shall again be followed.
29. If not less than one‑fourth of the members of general synod or one‑third of the members of the house of bishops or of the house of clergy or of the house of laity petition the President that a canon duly made is in whole or in part inconsistent with any part or parts of the Fundamental Declarations or Ruling Principles of the Constitution, or that a canon deals with or concerns ritual, ceremonial or discipline of this Church, and has not been passed in accordance with section 28(1) hereof, the President shall refer the question to the appellate tribunal, and in the meantime the canon shall not come into force. If the tribunal finds no inconsistency or no breach of section 28(1), as the case may be, the President shall thereupon declare the canon to be in force. If the tribunal finds inconsistency or breach of section 28(1), it shall report to general synod the nature of the inconsistency or breach, giving its reasons, and may, if it thinks fit, indicate what amendments, if any, would remove the inconsistency or avoid the breach; and unless and until such amendments are made by general synod, the canon shall not come into force.
30. Subject to the preceding section and unless the canon itself otherwise provides, a canon duly passed by general synod shall come into force on and from a date appointed by the President, being not later than one calendar month from the date upon which the canon was passed. The canon as on and from the appointed date shall apply to every diocese of this Church, and any ordinance of any diocesan synod inconsistent with the canon shall to the extent of the inconsistency have no effect.
Provided that —
any canon affecting the ritual, ceremonial or discipline of this Church shall be deemed to affect the order and good government of the Church within a diocese, and shall not come into force in any diocese unless and until the diocese by ordinance adopts the said canon;
if general synod declares that the provisions of any other canon affect the order and good government of the Church within, or the Church trust property of a diocese, such canon shall not come into force in any diocese unless and until the diocese by ordinance adopts the said canon;
if general synod should not so declare the synod of a diocese or the diocesan council may declare its opinion that the provisions of the said canon affect the order and good government of the Church within or the Church trust property of such diocese and notify the President within one month thereafter and then the following provisions shall apply: —
If the said diocesan synod or council declare its opinion as aforesaid within a period of two years from the date of the passing of the said canon and the standing committee advises the President that it agrees with the said opinion, the canon shall not and shall be deemed not to have come into force in such diocese unless and until it is adopted by ordinance of the diocesan synod.
If the said diocesan synod or council declare its opinion at any time after the expiration of the said period of two years and the standing committee advises the President that it agrees with the said opinion, the said canon shall cease to apply to the said diocese as from the date of the said declaration and shall not after such date again come into force in such diocese unless and until it is adopted by ordinance of the diocesan synod.
If the standing committee in either case should not so advise the President, he shall refer the question raised by the said opinion to the appellate tribunal for its determination, and unless the appellate tribunal determines the question in the negative the canon shall be deemed not to have come into force in the said diocese in the first case or to have force or effect in the said diocese after the date of the said declaration in the second case until the diocesan synod by ordinance adopts the said canon.
Any canon adopted as aforesaid by a diocesan synod may by ordinance be excluded at a subsequent date.
31. If any question shall be raised as to the inconsistency of any canon, rule, resolution or statement of general synod with the Fundamental Declarations or the Ruling Principles, the Primate may, and at the written request of twenty‑five members of general synod shall, refer the question to the appellate tribunal hereinafter constituted, whose opinion thereon shall be final.
32. (1) Synod shall not make any canon or rule imposing any financial liability on any diocese except in accordance with this section.
Synod may by canon or rule provide for the costs, charges and expenses in or in connection with —
the carrying into effect of this Constitution;
the holding of synod and the conduct of its business;
the meetings of the standing committee and of any other committee, board or commission appointed by synod;
the sittings of the appellate tribunal to hear and determine any appeal, question or matter made or referred to it, and the sittings of the special tribunal to hear and determine any charge brought before it;
the maintenance of the registry of the Primate, and primatial travelling expenses;
the election or appointment of the corporate trustees and the administration of the affairs of the body corporate.
Provided that synod may make any canon or rule imposing a financial liability on any diocese which by ordinance assents to the same, including the costs, charges and expenses in or in connection with the conduct of the affairs of any board, institution or body set up by synod, and provided also that any financial liability accepted by a diocese under any determination, rule or regulation continued in operation under section 71 hereof shall remain unless or until it is replaced by or under the provisions of this Constitution.
33. (1) General synod may make rules prescribing anything necessary or convenient for carrying out and giving effect to any canon or for controlling and regulating the administration of its affairs, and in particular may make rules prescribing —
the procedure for any election or appointment to be made by or under the authority of synod to any office;
the authorities, powers, rights and duties of any officer, committee, board or commission of synod.
A rule shall be made by resolution after notice has been duly given in accordance with the standing orders.
General synod may regulate the conduct of its business under standing orders or otherwise, as it may deem proper.
The statute text is free to read above. View Pro plans to unlock the case-law research tools for each provision.