Question Period

For the Canadian television program, see Question Period (TV series).
Then-Leader of the Opposition Andrew Scheer poses a question to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, 2019

Question Period (QP; French: période des questions), known officially as Oral Questions (French: questions orales), occurs each sitting day in the House of Commons of Canada—similarly in provincial legislatures—in which members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers (including the prime minister). According to the House of Commons Compendium, "The primary purpose of Question Period is to seek information from the Government and to call it to account for its actions."[1]

It is similar in form to question time in other parliaments, mainly those following the Westminster system.

In the Legislative Assemblies of Ontario and Manitoba (as well as in several other provinces), questions raised are formally referred as Oral Questions. In the Quebec National Assembly, the term is Oral Questions and Answers.

  1. ^ "Oral Questions - Questions - House of Commons Procedure and Practice, Third edition, 2017".