THE SPEAKER: Order. I apologize, can you please stop the clock? I ask that all members are to stay off their phones during this time. It is disrespectful to all the members who sit here and worked very hard to sit here.

THE SPEAKER: Order. The time allotted for Oral Questions Put by Members to Ministers has expired.

Before we move on, I just want to acknowledge an observation that I made during Question Period - for the Speaker to try to stay on time and to be fair to everyone.

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. I am about to break a long-standing tradition about introductions in Question Period. I feel that it's necessary. We have a very important dignitary who has joined us here today. I will recognize the honourable Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party to do the introduction, but I will add a minute to Question Period.

The honourable Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party.

THE SPEAKER: I know that I've said it before, but we are really going well over your minute for member statements.

It's really hard to cut someone off, though, when it's very meaningful and you have individuals in the gallery you're talking about. I will ask everyone, before we finish this session, to maybe go back and look at your statements to see if you can read them within the minute. Some are actually running almost two minutes.

HON. JOHN LOHR: I rise on a point of order.

Last night, in the debate during the Committee of the Whole House on Bills, the debate on Bill No. 340 - the MOU bill - the Leader of the Official Opposition suggested that I as a member was not worthy of the designation of "honourable". I just wanted to say that we can disagree about points or what's happening, we can disagree in this House on how we get the work done, but to cast aspersions on someone else's character in that way is . . . (Interruption)

THE SPEAKER: Order. Before I begin the daily routine, I am going to remove myself from the Chair and ask that the Deputy Speaker, the member for Shelburne, come forward and make a decision on a ruling of last week. I will remove myself from the Chair and allow the Deputy Speaker to come forward.

THE SPEAKER: Order please. Because of the many introductions and everything that took place today, there has been a request to extend the discussion for an extra 15 minutes on Statements by Members, and that will, in turn, extend the total time for the day by 15 minutes as well.

In order for that to happen we require unanimous consent of the House. Is everyone in agreement that this take place? Did I hear a No? We're going to check it again.

All those in favour of extending the hours, please say Aye. Contrary minded, Nay.

[Page 5782]

ELIZABETH SMITH-MCCROSSIN: Mr. Speaker, I would like to stand on a point of privilege and ask that you would consider this. It is regarding an incident that some time has passed.

THE SPEAKER: Order, please. I'm going to ask the member if she would mind bringing her point of privilege forward after Statements by Members and Question Period.

...

BRENDAN MAGUIRE: Mr. Speaker, as per last night when there are interruptions like this, the deputy speaker gave me my time back, so I'm asking for two minutes and ten seconds. I'm asking for that back on the clock, please. I'm dead serious.

THE SPEAKER: No. You have an hour to speak, just keep going. The episode last night was during Late Debate, I believe. You have an hour to speak, and I'll ask that you continue to do so.

[3:15 p.m.]

BRENDAN MAGUIRE: Thank you for the clarification, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank you for that fair ruling. 

BRENDAN MAGUIRE: Also, if I could get some clarification from the Chair, that just ate up three and a half minutes waiting for the ruling from the Clerk, it ate up three and a half minutes of my time so I would like to have that time added back on, please.

THE SPEAKER: In light of the amount of time that it did take, the member for Halifax Atlantic will have an additional two minutes put on.