Questions

Introduction

Lamoureux's speakership saw a constant evolution in the treatment of questions, particularly oral questions. In his first years, oral questions were still considered items addressed to the Ministry during Orders of the Day, and the Speaker frequently intervened to judge the acceptability or appropriateness of a question or reply. By 1974, however, the character of Oral Questions had changed and greater latitude was allowed to both Members and Ministers. Nonetheless, certain practices relating to written as well as oral questions remained fundamental throughout the period. Questions, for example, had to pertain to a subject-matter within the area of responsibility of the Minister but should not raise business, particularly legislation, currently before the House. Dissatisfaction with any answer, or with the delay in providing an answer to a written question, could not be considered as a question of privilege. While questions were normally addressed to the Ministry, some could be put to a committee chairman, but only to elicit information about the committee's schedule of business. Although Lamoureux allowed Parliamentary Secretaries to ask questions as well as to answer them, he recognized that this could lead to problems. In 1975, Speaker Jerome ruled that Parliamentary Secretaries should not be permitted to ask questions and this has since become the accepted practice.