Just a reminder to the members not to refer to anyone as being present or absent in this House.

THE SPEAKER: Order. I ask that the honourable member stay on topic, please.

The honourable Leader of the Official Opposition.

ZACH CHURCHILL: I'm responding to the comments made by the member that this is something the Province can't afford. I think if you compare this cost, $65 million, to the tens of millions of dollars this government has wasted, it's not even comparable. The Auditor General, again, in response to the member's comments, pointed out . . .

HON. PATRICIA ARAB: Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

I understand that you're new to the Chair, and there are going to be growing pains and the need to explain rules again and to set a tone, because you're now the tone-setter for the House. But today in Question Period, because of that, we lost about two to three minutes of questioning in an already-condensed Question Period.

CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : That violence has been rising for seven years, and yet last year this government said it was stable.

THE SPEAKER: I asked that everybody stay within their minute - sorry, 50 seconds. I slipped a little bit today, but I won't again. I will cut off people if they don't have the question out in time.