Whether applied in London or Ottawa or Edmonton, today's
rules for question period reflect its cautious development. One of
Parliament's rule books, Beauchesne, contains a long list of restrictions
on the questions members can ask, all of which stem from Speakers' rulings going
back to 1783. For example, a question may not
- repeat another question which has already been
answered,
- be a statement of opinion or a speech,
- ask about a matter that is before a court,
- be hypothetical; that is, a "what if?"
question.

