I appreciate what Mr. Waugh said about Fridays, Friday question periods, and the importance to backbenchers. Look at tomorrow. Tomorrow, you're going to see a bunch of people get up who typically would never get a question Monday to Thursday. It's not going to be people on the front bench. It's Friday.
It's often that people have an issue. Their leader will tell them there are important questions to be asked in Parliament. Whether it be a war or different things that are happening, we need to discuss them, and we need to have those hard questions. It's that opportunity when we can ask those questions or questions about issues in smaller communities. They often surface on Fridays to make sure that everybody has a chance. It's important that we look at Fridays and see what's happening on Fridays. People are getting a chance to speak.
I also want to talk about the importance of question period, not just for the questions and not just for the camera, but I go there often in the hope of seeing a minister to have a conversation. Good luck setting up a meeting with a minister. I understand how busy ministers are, and the important role ministers play, and the number of people they are responsible for in working with all of us. Going to question period is a critical moment when, by crossing the aisle, I can have a 30-second conversation with a minister and enlighten him or her about something very important that's happening in our communities, something that's so important it might save lives.
I talked to Minister Philpott at the start of the week, to tell her about a suicide crisis happening in my community, and that we need urgent assistance. I talked to Minister Bennett about that as well. Today, it was Minister Bennett who came across the aisle to see me. Maybe tomorrow one of them will be in the House to give an update about the work they're doing. That's critical for me to get to the people in the community who are in these terrible situations.
They're not funny. They're real. They're happening. These meetings are very important, so I want to make sure that we don't laugh about these things, because they're not funny.