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May 5, 1987
The Speaker: I remind the House that a few days ago a question of privilege was raised in the House by the honourable Minister of State for Fitness and Amateur Sport respecting questions which...
A Speaker's ruling denies a Minister's question of privilege, finding that questions about his integrity, while troubling, did not impede his duties enough to warrant precedence.
March 17, 1987
Mr. Speaker: On March 9, the honourable Member for Nickel Belt raised a question of privilege arising out of certain remarks made by the Honourable the President of the Treasury Board in giving an...
A ruling clarifying that a Minister's critical press comments about a committee's actions did not constitute a prima facie breach of privilege because they did not obstruct the committee's work.
February 18, 1987
Mr. Speaker: On February 11, 1987, the honourable Member for La Prairie raised a question of privilege with respect to the dismissal of an official at the Department of Employment and Immigration....
The Speaker ruled that the dismissal of a public servant for speaking with MPs did not constitute a breach of privilege as parliamentary privilege does not extend to public servants.
May 16, 1986
No court or inquiry may call into question or pass judgement on statements made by Members in the House, although it must remain possible to investigate the substance of an allegation once it has...
The Speaker ruled that a hypothetical future inquiry does not constitute a breach of parliamentary privilege regarding statements made in the House.
May 6, 1985
Anything tending to cause confusion regarding a Member's identity creates the possibility of an impediment to the fulfilment of the Member's functions and constitutes a breach of privilege. Since...
The Speaker found a prima facie case of privilege where a Member's identity was misrepresented, impeding their parliamentary functions.
May 2, 1985
The Member has presented no evidence that the privileges of Members of the House have been breached or that access to a Member has been prevented. The Member and the Minister disagree on whether...
The Speaker denied a question of privilege, finding no evidence that a Member's access or parliamentary privileges were breached.
April 22, 1985
If the traditional criteria are rigidly applied, premature disclosure of committee reports and proceedings undoubtedly encroaches upon parliamentary privilege. The Speaker stated, however, that...
The Speaker ruled that while the premature disclosure of a committee report is a breach of privilege, no action would be taken due to the Canadian tradition of upholding freedom of the press.
April 19, 1983
According to the practice whereby the Minister of Finance presents his budget in the House before declaring it in any other public forum, budget secrecy is a political convention which does not...
This ruling establishes that budget secrecy is a political convention, not a matter of privilege, and any accusation of its breach requires a substantive motion.
March 4, 1981
The Chair does not have the duty to uphold the principle of cabinet secrecy, nor does it sit in judgment upon the manner in which Ministers fulfil their responsibilities, including the prevention...
The Speaker ruled that a leak of government estimates is a matter of ministerial responsibility, not a breach of parliamentary privilege for the Chair to adjudicate.
January 30, 1981
Parliamentary privilege is very limited, and is essentially restricted to freedom of speech, access to the Parliamentary Buildings, immunity against arrest or molestation, and exemption from...
The Speaker ruled that a Minister changing a commitment is a political grievance, not a breach of parliamentary privilege.