Speaker Urges MPs to ‘Raise the Quality’ of Question Period

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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As soon as the daily question period began on Wednesday, Speaker Andrew Scheer urged all Members of Parliament to “raise the quality of both questions and answers,” i.e. a remark prompted by the Opposition Leader’s challenge to his neutrality in the House.

The question period was opened with a rare statement by the Speaker, who ought to address the allegations laid by the NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair that he should be intervening to ensure the content of answers matches the nature of the questions. Scheer highlighted a previous ruling issued in January, when he alleged that he does not have the authority to intervene to ensure the quality or relevance of answers provided by the government. He mentioned that “I also ask all members to heed my request of last January 28 when I asked members ‘to consider how the House can improve things so that observers can at least agree that question period presents an exchange of views and provides at least some information.’” Scheer added that “’the onus is on all members to raise the quality of both questions and answers.’”

These comments were made by Scheer a day after an intense question period on Tuesday, when Mulcair asked a series of questions about Canada’s advisory mission in Iraq. Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Paul Calandra, replied each question by another question regarding whether an NDP fundraiser’s criticism of the Israeli Defence Forces reflected the NDP’s position on Israel.

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