As you know, Mr. Chairman, this is a motion about decorum that the NDP put forward. We take this matter very seriously: something must be done.
When he appeared before the committee, Speaker Milliken practically told us that he didn't have the authority to take a question away from a party, because he had to follow the list drawn up all the parties. In addition, he said that if he imposed a penalty, this could give a party publicity, and that it was therefore in one way counter-productive.
I have to say in all sincerity that I simply do not agree with him. I think the Speaker of the House has the authority, in the context of his responsibilities, to remove the ability to ask a question from a political party or from a member of Parliament. In the past, he has taken away a privilege of this type for one month for less offensive behaviour, in my view. However, he is not prepared to do anything to stop the inappropriate behaviour of MPs in the House of Commons.
I hear from teachers in my area, and I'm sure you hear the same things in your regions, who came to the House of Commons and said they would never bring their students back to the House, because it is certainly no place to learn good habits.
I remember one of our colleagues once said that in the House we are not at school and we are not at church and that we are all adults. It is true that we are not at school or at church, and that we are all adults, but we do not behave like adults. We are here to pass legislation and to ensure that rules are respected, and so on, but we are not even able to behave ourselves properly.
That is why I would move that the committee include the following recommendations in its list of recommendations. The first reads as follows:
That the Standing Order be amended to give the Speaker clear authority (with or without the support of the House) to expel a disruptive member from the Chamber and to prevent him or her from accessing the parliamentary precincts for a prescribed period of time, and that the party Whips give their support to the Speaker in such rulings. We recommend that when the House is in session, the party Whips meet formally weekly with the Speaker to review specific behaviour and how these issues can be addressed and resolved.
The second recommendation reads as follows:
That the party Whips agree to give their collective support and authority to the Speaker to not recognize members in accordance with the prescribed rotation of questions during question period when a member or group of members of a particular party are not cooperative with rules of decorum and cause significant delays in the proceedings of the House of Commons, particularly during Question Period. We believe that weekly meetings when the House is in session between the party Whips and the Speaker to review specific behaviour will provide an opportunity to work to create an environment of cooperation in the House of Commons.
I disagree with Mr. Milliken. If the Speaker of the House takes a privilege away from us and if we are therefore the object of media attention, that will happen only once or twice. I do not think Canadians will approve of behaviour of this type from members of Parliament. If a member finds it amusing to get expelled from the House, I think that when he or she returns home, there will be a political price to pay.
If we leave things as they are, there will be no improvement to decorum. However, I think we can change things. I would therefore like to put forward these two suggestions for the committee's consideration.