Editing Question Period (section)

==Current practice==
Question Period lasts 45 minutes pursuant to Standing Order 30(5),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/compendium/web-content/c_d_questionperiod-e.htm|title=Daily Proceedings - the Daily Program - House of Commons Procedure and Practice, Third edition, 2017}}</ref> beginning no later than 2:15 pm or 11:15 am, as the case may be. Typically, 2:15 pm is the start time for Question Period Monday through Thursday, with Question Period starting at 11:15 am on Fridays. On Wednesdays, Question Period starts slightly after 2:15 pm due to the 2:00 pm singing of the National Anthem, "[[O Canada]]".

Questions may be posed to either the [[Prime Minister of Canada|prime minister]], or any [[Minister (government)|Minister]] of the [[Cabinet of Canada]], who will answer the question unless the Speaker rejects the question under established rules or accepted custom. For example, although it is not codified, questions on current legal matters before the courts are not acceptable questions.

Question Period in [[Canada]], as an instance of [[Question time]] in Westminster tradition, is similar to the [[Prime Minister's Questions]] practice of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]; however, it is important to note that the Canadian version occurs daily as opposed to weekly, runs 45 minutes instead of 30, and questions may be asked to any cabinet member, not just the prime minister. In the UK Parliament, other Cabinet members have Question Time on other days, so it is a daily occurrence but to specific Ministers.

===Format===
At the start of a typical Question Period, the Speaker recognizes the [[Leader of the Opposition (Canada)|Leader of the Opposition]] to ask the lead question. It is possible for the question to be asked by a designee of the Leader of the Opposition, yet this [[Member of Parliament]] must be a member of the [[Official Opposition (Canada)|Official Opposition]]. Following the answer to the lead question, the lead questioner has two more questions permitted, referred to as supplementary questions. These questions may be asked by the same Member of Parliament to follow up on the answer provided to the lead question, or they may be given to another member of the Official Opposition.

When the Official Opposition has exhausted its initial three questions, the lead questioners of the other officially recognized [[opposition parties]] are permitted an initial question and one supplementary question each, in order of size. In the [[43rd Canadian Parliament]], once the Official Opposition is finished, questions then come from the [[Bloc Québécois]], then the [[New Democratic Party]].

Throughout the remainder of Question Period, Members of officially recognized parties ask questions in rotation based upon party representation in the House. Members of the governing party may occasionally pose a question to one of their own. Members of political parties not officially recognized in the House and independent Members may also be recognized to ask questions, though not as often as Members of officially recognized opposition parties. Ministers and 
Parliamentary Secretaries do not ask questions.

===Rules===
Question Period has a reputation for being quite chaotic due to the commonplace [[Street harassment|cat-calling]] and jeering from non-participating MPs, but notwithstanding the heckling, Question Period is actually tightly regulated. Parties are only allowed to ask a predetermined number of questions based on the size of their [[caucus]] and must ask their questions in a specific order, predetermined by their [[Party Leader|party leadership]] for that day on a list given to the Speaker.

Questions and responses are all timed as well, to prevent excessive speeches, and the Speaker of the House can cut the microphones of members speaking after the specified time has elapsed. The parties may negotiate a maximum time limit for each question and answer; currently, this limit is 35 seconds for each.

As with other parliamentary procedures in the House, members of opposition parties must place questions through the Speaker, addressing them only indirectly to the minister responsible for the issue at hand. When asking questions, members address the Speaker as "Mr. Speaker" or "Madam Speaker" (''"Monsieur le président"'' or ''"Madame la présidente"'' in [[French language|French]]). There is no obligation for the minister referred to in the question to respond, and often the minister's [[parliamentary secretary]] or a fellow cabinet member will rise to answer the question. This is particularly true when the minister addressed is not present in the House during Question Period, and arguably occurs most often when the Prime Minister is addressed on a specific issue, for which one of his ministers has more information.

Members are also not allowed to rise on [[Point of order|Points of Order]] during Question Period and must first wait until Question Period has ended to raise them to the speaker.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-3/index-e.html |title=House of Commons Procedure and Practice |year=2017 |editor-last=Gagnon |editor-first=André |edition=3rd |chapter=Chapter 13: Rules of Order and Decorum |editor-last2=Bosc |editor-first2=Mark |chapter-url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-3/ch_13-e.html}}</ref>