Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order concerning decorum in the House. Like many members, you may have noticed a new behaviour that has crept into the House in the 44th Parliament that was previously not present to my notice.
Madam Speaker, as you well know, members may rise to their feet to speak in the House when you recognize them and, conversely, members who have not been recognized should remain in their seat. Of course, the Speaker recognizes only one speaker at a time, and therefore only one member should be standing at a time.
Lately, mostly during question period but not only during question period, some members, when they are asking multiple questions in a row, remain standing while the member to whom they have posed their questions has been recognized by the Speaker and is standing to answer the question. In other words, two members are standing at the same time, when only one has been recognized. At a minimum, this new behaviour is tantamount to interrupting the recognized speaker, but at worst, it has, at times, risen to the level of attempting to intimidate the recognized speaker.
Another increasingly common variant of this behaviour is when a member, understandably eager to ask their question or to share their S.O. 31, is rising to their feet far too early, sometimes 30 to 60 seconds before being recognized to do so. This, too, is tantamount to interrupting the recognized member.
This is a question of decorum in the House, as remaining standing while another member has been recognized is plainly disrespectful to the recognized member. I am asking for a ruling on the permissibility of two members standing while only one has been recognized and for appropriate direction to all members to rise to their feet only when recognized by the Speaker.