Questions / Questions In Committee

Right of Parliamentary Secretary to question his Minister

Journals pp. 1183-4

Debates pp. 12508-11

Background

On a point of order, Mr. McGrath (Saint John's East) sought to obtain the Speaker's ruling on the practice whereby a Parliamentary Secretary is allowed, as a member of a committee, to ask questions of his Minister. According to Mr. McGrath, this practice conflicts with the Chair's decision to prohibit this in the House during Question Period. Parliamentary Secretaries should be restrained from asking questions of their Ministers in committees as well because, as Standing Order 55 states, the rules of the House also apply in committees.

Issue

Does a Parliamentary Secretary have the right to question his own Minister during a committee sitting?

Decision

The Speaker does not have the authority to consider appeals made on procedural decisions of a committee.

Reasons given by the Speaker

"Standing committees are and must remain the masters of their own procedure".

For many years in this House the Chair has refrained from sitting in appeal on procedural decisions taken in standing committees.

References

Debates, April 6, 1976, p. 12507.