Mr. Speaker, the reason this issue was brought up today was that we were caught in a catch 22 in the last parliament. We asked to raise the issue of time allocation when the government had given notice of motion to bring it forward. The Chair ruled that we could not raise it at that time because the government had not followed through on its intention. In other words, we were told to wait until the motion was introduced and voted on and then we could deal with it. However, once it had been voted on, the House had expressed its opinion and therefore the Chair could not rule on it.
The reason the issue has been raised today in this manner is so the Speaker will be able to get his head around it for the next time. I know this was ruled on today, but you can understand the dilemma that we in the opposition end up in. A motion is put forward by the government but we are not allowed to speculate on anticipated actions of the government, therefore the Chair will not receive concerns about time allocation because the government has not moved it. Once it has moved it, it is too late.
Mr. Speaker, this issue is for the next time. This whole discussion today is about asking the Speaker to use his discretion for the next time.