I suppose there are two aspects to the question of privilege. One is when a member alleges that his privileges have been impeded or affected, or the collective privileges of the House; the other, as the member for Burnaby—New Westminster has already read out, is a brief statement when a member changes party affiliations. The job of the Speaker then is to interpret what a brief statement might look like. As I said, the hon. member has had the floor for just shy of 10 minutes.
If the House is going to indulge in a few more minutes for the hon. member for Nanaimo—Alberni, I suppose I can interpret “brief” a little more generously. However, the member for Nanaimo—Alberni has to realize that if every member took the time to get up on a question of privilege every time he or she felt moved to do so, it would be very difficult for the House to manage.
The member for Saanich—Gulf Islands is right. Freedom of speech is important, and we manage that freedom of speech when we speak to various bills and motions under various rubrics throughout the day. The Chair's job is to ensure that aspect of freedom of speech is incorporated into the usual practices of the House.
However, I think the hon. member for Nanaimo—Alberni can get a sense of where the chamber is at. I hope he will bear that in mind and bring his remarks to a conclusion rapidly or establish that link to where his privileges have been affected.
The hon. member for Nanaimo—Alberni.