I think the Chair has heard enough on this point at this time to deal with the matter before the House for the time being.
As the hon. member for Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough himself, in his remarks at the outset, suggested, this is a matter that the Chair could take under advisement and deal with at some later time and that is exactly what I intend to do.
In so far as today's proceedings are concerned, the Chair is satisfied that the motion was adopted this morning without 25 members rising in their place and without objection at that time as to the procedural acceptability of the motion. The matter has come before the House at this late hour and, in my view, the motion has been adopted and will apply for tonight's proceedings, and we will leave it at that.
The Chair is quite prepared to review the terms of the standing order involved and the interpretation which might be given it in the circumstances because, as the government House leader pointed out in his list of occasions on which this rule has been used, some of the usages might appear at any reasonable glance to go beyond the terms of the standing order itself.
The Chair is prepared to have a look at the standing order, to look at the usage and to also look at the possibility that the modernization committee, which must have studied this matter, might have had something to say on it. I will examine its report again with interest, but I do not believe there was anything in it concerning this particular standing order.
The Chair is always concerned for the fairness of the applicability of rules to all hon. members in the House and of course will want to reflect on the submissions made today. I will take them under consideration and will come back to the House, since we are likely adjourning tomorrow, at some time in the distant future.