OTTAWA – A New Democrat MP has successfully appealed a ruling on her bill that will see members of Parliament participate in a historic secret ballot vote.

NDP MP Sheila Malcolmson’s private member’s bill was deemed “non-votable” by a committee, essentially leaving it dead in the water.

But she decided to pursue a never-before-used procedural tool to bring it back to life, and House Speaker Geoff Regan ruled in favour of her bid Thursday.

MPs will now vote in Parliament’s first-ever secret ballot of its kind. The vote will take place next Tuesday and Wednesday.

Until now, secret balloting is only used in the House to elect a Speaker.

The secret ballot will let each MP vote, privately, outside the confines of a whipped vote. Typically the government requires its MPs vote with the party line on major policy and platform commitments.

It's the first time in Canada’s history that the secret ballot method will be used to have MPs weigh in on a committee ruling on legislation.

"We look forward to this new procedure going forward," Regan said in the House.

Malcolmson thanked the Speaker for ruling in her favour. “I look forward and encourage all members to participate in this act of democracy,” said Malcolmson in the House.

On Nov. 9, the Liberal majority on the House Affairs committee deemed her bill "non-votable" because it deals with the same topic as a government bill that was introduced after hers. While the two bills deal with the same topic, they do not cover the exact same issues.

Malcolmson's bill, Bill C-352 on the abandonment of vessels was introduced in April.

The government bill, Bill C-64, the Wrecked, Abandoned or Hazardous Vessels Act, was tabled by Transport Minister Marc Garneau in October.

Malcolmson believes her bill fills gaps left by the government’s legislation and thinks they could coexist to better address the issue of shipwrecked boats on Canadian shores.

"This is about MPs' right to present legislation in Parliament," said NDP House Leader Peter Julian in a statement.

How the vote will work:

In a memo, Regan told MPs they will be able to vote during sitting hours on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. Ballots will be available from the table officers—the House of Commons staff who sit at the table on the floor of the House of Commons and provide procedural advice, take the votes, and keep track of the minutes.

MPs will take their ballot and initial their name on a voting list, then they will proceed to one of two polling booths behind the Speaker's chair. Once they’ve marked their ballots, MPs will deposit them in a box at the end of the central table in the House of Commons.

The table officers will count the ballots after voting ends on Wednesday, with the result being revealed the next day.

The motion members will be voting on reads: "Bill C-352, An Act to amend the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 and to provide for the development of a national strategy (abandonment of vessels), be declared votable."