Mr. Chairperson, not to test your patience or anything of that nature, I'm going to first address it in the form of a point of order, before we go on to the clause, because I think this is a very important point.
In procedures—and I've had some experience in dealing with procedures in the past—the Standing Orders are very important. They supersede such things as Beauchesne's. These are rules.
Having been here for just under two years, I've had the opportunity to participate with other standing committees. On those other standing committees, I believe, if my memory serves me correctly, I have seen other members address the committee, even though they weren't necessarily committee members and didn't get consent of other members.
When I look on page 90, at Standing Order 119, and read it, I think the reading of the Standing Order is fairly clear. I quote from it:
Any Member of the House
—and I am one—
who is not a member of a standing, special or legislative committee, may, unless the House or the committee concerned otherwise orders, take part in the public proceedings of the committee, but may not vote or move any motion, nor be part of any quorum.
As a common courtesy, Mr. Chairperson, what has happened in the past is that individuals have been afforded the opportunity, and it's just to save time more than anything else, because at the end of the day there are only five minutes for any given clause. Whether it's member X or member Y who poses the question, I suspect that it's much more advantageous to allow members to contribute, even if they're not necessarily members of the committee.
