Questions / Oral Questions

Parliamentary Secretaries

Debates pp. 1932-3

Background

During Oral Questions, after Mr. Cafik (Ontario) addressed a question to Mr. Davis (Minister of the Environment), Mr. Nielsen (Yukon) rose on a point of order. He objected to the fact that Mr. Cafik, a Parliamentary Secretary, had asked a Minister a question, which, he claimed, abused the procedures of the House. Before ruling, the Speaker reminded Mr. Nielsen that the issue had already been debated and that the Chair had at that time expressed certain reservations.

Issue

Have Parliamentary Secretaries the right to ask questions during Oral Questions?

Decision

Yes. Parliamentary Secretaries have the same right as other Members to ask questions.

Reasons given by the Speaker

No distinction should be made between government back-benchers and backbenchers of other parties; the former have the same right as the latter to ask questions. The Chair has reservations related more to propriety than to procedure, given that Parliamentary Secretaries might be placed "in the position of both answering and asking questions, to the extent where we might have a Parliamentary Secretary asking a question of another Parliamentary Secretary". Until now they have not abused this right.

Sources cited

Debates, February 26, 1973, pp. 1644-5; March 6, 1973, p. 1932.