To be honest with you, in 20 years of sitting in parliaments of different forms I've never, ever experienced something of this nature. It blows my mind in terms of the degree to which the government feels that this is fair.
Could you imagine if you applied this very same principle to question period and other functions. There needs to be respect. There has to be respect in order for the committees to work. I cannot believe that you would not allow an opposition party the first opportunity in that round to be able to ask questions. You sit within a government caucus. You have many other resources that opposition members don't have and a great deal of time to expand on those types of resources.
What you are proposing is ludicrous within a parliamentary system.
I would ask you, Mr. Chair, and I look to the support staff, the clerk.
In the Parliament of Canada I can't believe that we wouldn't have some sort of indication from the clerk's office in terms of some sort of history of tradition. We have to respect the tradition. We might not like the fact of the makeup of the House of Commons, but I respect that we didn't win. But just because we didn't win doesn't mean that you can walk all over us as a political entity. Demonstrate some respect for the process of the institution we belong to.
The Liberal Party has garnered substantial support. We are an official party inside the House of Commons, Mr. Chair, and I think that needs to be respected.
I think it's fair for me to ask if the clerk can provide information to the committee as to what was the order when the last majority government was here.