Point of order concerning the relevance of answers during question period

[ Table of Contents ] The Speaker : I am now prepared to rule on the point of order raised on December 4 by the member for Saint‑Jean concerning the relevance of answers during oral questions. In her point of order, the member for Saint‑Jean argued that some recent answers from the government were not only off topic but completely unrelated to the business of Parliament. She asked the Chair to clarify whether, like questions, the answers given during question period must also pertain to the business of the House. The member for Mégantic—L'Érable—Lotbinière raised a related point about the questions from the member for Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles , during a previous sitting, that the Chair had interrupted before he could finish asking them. I will address these two points in turn. Regarding the answers provided by the government, House of Commons Procedure and Practice , fourth edition, states, in section 11.12: The Speaker ensures that replies adhere to the standards of order, decorum and parliamentary language, but is not responsible for the quality or content of replies to questions. It is not, and has never been, up to the Chair to determine whether an answer is appropriate. Multiple rulings by my predecessors have underscored the Chair's limited authority over the content of answers. In a decision delivered by one of them, the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle , on January 28, 2014, which appears on page 2204 of the Debates, he said the following: Successive Speakers in our House have maintained our tradition of not intervening in respect of answers to questions, and I do not intend to change that. With respect to the slightly different concern raised by the member for Mégantic—L'Érable—Lotbinière about questions, House of Commons Procedure and Practice , fourth edition, in section 11.7, states clearly that questions should be “within the administrative responsibility of the government or of the individual minister addressed.” (1515) [ English ] It follows that the Chair then has a role to play in assessing the admissibility of questions. My immediate predecessor made clear what the Chair's expectations are when a member rose to ask a question. On December 10, 2024, at page 28755 of the debates, he stated: If members want to ensure their questions are in order and to get an answer from the government, they need to phrase them clearly and to quickly make a direct connection to the government’s administrative responsibility. This is advice that I also endorse without reservation. When such a connection is not made, members risk being interrupted by the Chair. [ Translation ] More generally, until the House changes its practices regarding the admissibility of both questions and answers during oral questions, the powers of the Chair to address their content will remain unchanged. That being said, the Chair understands some of the dissatisfaction expressed by the member for Saint-Jean. The Chair is in full agreement with an assertion made by my predecessor from Regina—Qu'Appelle in the decision referenced earlier: The onus is on all Members to raise the quality of both questions and answers. The Chair hopes that this sensible reminder will continue to guide members on both sides of the House in the days ahead. I thank all members for their attention.