§ Mr. SpeakerI wish to make a statement about the count of the House.
The House will remember that on Tuesday I undertook to consider the present rules regarding the operation of counting the House.
It is quite clear that if a quorum has not assembled at the end of a period of four minutes after notice has been taken that 40 Members are not present the House "shall stand adjourned". I take those words from the Standing Order, and they allow the Chair no discretion whatever.
During the four minutes in which the House is being counted the Chair has a discretion either to consider any point of order or to refuse to allow it. The duty of the Chair is to ascertain, during the period of counting, whether or not a quorum has been made, and for that reason there is no over-riding right to make points of order. The Chair's discretion in the matter must be absolute. I understand, however, that other aspects of the count are under examination by the Select Committee on Procedure, as I indicated to the House on Tuesday.