Questions / Oral Questions

Length of answers

Debates pp. 2084-5

Background

Immediately following Question Period, Mr. Baker (Nepean—Carleton) rose on a point of order to protest the "abusive" length of questions and answers during Question Period, and to ask the Chair to intervene if an answer went on so long that it lost all claim to concision. After hearing Members' comments, the Speaker ruled.

Issue

Should the Speaker determine the length of answers given during Question Period?

Decision

No. It is not the Speaker's responsibility to determine the length of answers.

Reasons given by the Speaker

The rule the Chair follows is that all questions are legitimate unless they require very lengthy statistics. In that case they should be put on the Order Paper. It is not for the Chair "to judge whether a question is properly answered with a Yes or a No." However, the Chair is prepared to keep an eye on the length of responses and to allow fewer supplementaries, especially towards the end of Question Period, in order to allow a larger number of Members to speak.

References

Debates, June 13, 1980, pp. 2079-83.