Madam Speaker, I am passionate about the Standing Orders. We do not get nearly enough time to speak about them. As the Green Party member, I do not have an opportunity to participate in PROC to pursue these essential changes.
I want to make a point to the hon. parliamentary secretary. I think things would work better in this place if we were to actually observe the rules we currently have. For instance, members are not supposed to read written speeches. We could shorten the time on debates if the only members who could speak would be, as in the Parliament in the U.K., able to speak without notes.
I also think we would improve our rules a great deal and have better decorum in the House if party whips were not able to have more power over the Speaker. That is not a rule. The rule is that only the Speaker recognizes individual members of Parliament, but the practice has been, just as the practice has been to allow written speeches, against our rules, which gives party whips more power over decorum than the Speaker.