Procedure and House Affairs committee  That's a tough question. It's up to every person to determine whether he offered an apology, an explanation or a combination of the two. That may be a question that you should put to the Speaker at 9:30.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Through you, Madam Chair, I thank Mr. Julian for the question,. There were some exchanges starting that weekend between me and the Speaker's office in terms of what next, which led in large part to the Speaker's statement on the Monday morning when the House opened.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  The discussion was largely focused on next steps, with the suggestion that if the Speaker so desired, he could make a statement at the opening of the House.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  If the committee directs us to do so, we certainly could.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Again, as mentioned in response to an earlier question, I think that's a lesson learned for us. I don't think there's much in terms of discussion on the impartiality of the Speaker in the written briefing materials we provide. It's never really been an issue in the past, but certainly going forward, I think we will be beefing up that section.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Sure.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  No, this was a trip that the current speaker initiated upon becoming Speaker. I understand he had already hoped or planned to go to Washington and then made it into an official IIA-led exchanges visit.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you for your question, Mrs. DeBellefeuille. A question of privilege is always addressed in two stages. First, the Speaker—in this case, it was the Deputy Speaker—determines whether, on the face of it, the subject should take precedence over all other business of the House.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  According to procedure, the committee has until Thursday to report the matter to the House. Then it will be up to the House to determine whether it wishes to adopt the recommendations contained in the report. If it does, then, yes, that will somewhat alter our practices.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  It will help guide future speakers and us clerks who support the chair in dealing with other decisions and points of order.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you for your question. As I said in response to a similar question from Mr. Cooper, no, I wasn't consulted. However, we clerks and House Administration people are usually consulted on matters of procedure and administration of the House; we aren't necessarily consulted on more political issues or matters related to the political parties.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Through you, Madam Chair, I thank Ms. Romanado for the question. Normally, we don't comment, nor would the Speaker—in this case, the Deputy Speaker—comment on rulings that they make. The ruling stands for itself. I think the wording in the ruling made it clear that this was a pretty exceptional circumstance, which is why the Deputy Speaker ruled in the manner he did.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I suppose, ultimately, that's for this committee to dwell on. It's very hard, I think, to enumerate all the different activities. I think everybody realizes that the Speaker is still the elected representative for their constituency. They have certain roles and responsibilities in play: party AGMs, fundraising events or just meeting with community stakeholders.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Very quickly, certainly, the long-standing practice in the U.K. is that the Speaker, once elected, becomes independent. Usually, the other parties don't put up candidates in their riding. Other jurisdictions have other ways of doing it as well. In Ghana, for instance, the Speaker is either somebody from the outside or a member of the elected assembly who quits as an MP when they become Speaker.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  It's been in the works for some time, but I don't know exactly when—