On a point of order, Mr. Chair, out of respect for the minister's time, I wanted to wait until the minister was gone to address this issue. I am a bit concerned about a decorum issue in relation to Mr. Weiler's intervention and interruption of Mr. Patzer's line of questioning.
I have been consulting O'Brien and Bosc on committee procedures on this matter. It says that it is the sole prerogative of the chair to interrupt members if their observations or their questions are off topic.
Mr. Chair, I would encourage you to state to the committee that it is not the job of other members to use points of order, and in this case, the inappropriate use of a point of order. The purpose of a point of order is to raise an issue regarding the violation of a standing order of a committee, or not usual practice of the committee.
However, it is the practice of a committee that if somebody is asking a question that's off topic or making an observation, that is the sole prerogative of the chair. I would not want to see any member of this committee usurping the role of the chair in making that decision. You can imagine a situation where any member of this committee could raise repetitive points of order about members stating things off topic. The Speaker of the House of Commons has granted a great deal of leeway in speeches on topics to get back to the point.
I would encourage you, Mr. Chair, to not allow your position to be usurped by members. Maybe in this case, it was an honest intervention, but it is your role, Mr. Chair, not the role of members, to interrupt our fellow members when they have very limited time to ask questions.