Speaker Andrew Scheer implored all Members of Parliament to “raise the quality of both questions and answers” during daily question period Wednesday, a day after the Opposition Leader challenged his neutrality in the House.

Scheer opened question period with a rare statement of his own, seeking to address allegations from NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair that he should be intervening to ensure the content of answers matches the nature of the questions.

Scheer quoted Wednesday from a ruling he issued in January, when he said he does not have the authority to intervene to ensure the quality or relevance of answers provided by the government. At the time, he also asked MPs to elevate the tone of question period.

“I also ask all members to heed my request of last January 28 when I asked members ‘to consider how the House can improve things so that observers can at least agree that question period presents an exchange of views and provides at least some information,’” Scheer said, reading from a prepared statement. “’The onus is on all members to raise the quality of both questions and answers.’”

Scheer’s comments came a day after question period got off to a particularly testy start Tuesday, as Mulcair asked a series of questions about Canada’s advisory mission in Iraq. Paul Calandra, Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, responded to each by questioning whether an NDP fundraiser’s criticism of the Israeli Defence Forces reflected the NDP’s position on Israel.

Mulcair responded to Calandra’s second answer by telling Scheer that there are “rules in the book” about question period that he should enforce.

After Calandra’s third response about Israel, Mulcair stood up, looked at Scheer and said: “Well, Mr. Speaker, that does not speak very favourably about your neutrality in this House.”

Scheer responded by taking away the rest of Mulcair’s questions.

In his brief address to the House on Wednesday, Scheer cited previous rulings on decorum and the Speaker’s role by previous Speaker Peter Milliken. In 2010, Milliken noted that the Speaker can only intervene if a comment is deemed to include “un-parliamentary remarks or personal attacks on another member.”

Speakers in the Canadian Parliament have maintained a tradition of non-intervention, Scheer said, and to deviate from that would require an invitation from the House.

“To date, the House has not seen fit to alter our practices or give direction to the chair in that regard,” Scheer said. “That being said, I have no doubt that Canadians expect members to elevate the tone and substance of question period exchanges. As your speaker, I hope the House can rise to that challenge.”

Scheer also appeared to admonish Mulcair in particular, by noting that comments about the character or actions of the speaker, such as an allegation of bias, could be considered breaches of privilege and punished accordingly.

Meanwhile, the incident appears to have had some effect on raising the level of discourse in question period, if even for a moment.

Mulcair continued his questions about the Iraq mission on Wednesday, and his first two queries received on-topic answers.

James Bezan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Defence, responded to a question about the end-date of the 30-day deployment by confirming that “the clock did start” on the mission Sept. 5.

And Bezan denied Mulcair’s claim that Canadian soldiers would require visas approved by the Iraqi government before beginning their deployment.