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May 10, 1972
"The question of ministerial appearances before committees of the House is as old as Confederation... There is a long-established rule, and it is a tradition of the House, that matters before a...
The Speaker denies a question of privilege, ruling that committee disputes with ministers must be handled by the committee or via a substantive motion, not in the House.
March 16, 1972
A matter of this kind cannot be brought before the House byway of a breach of parliamentary privilege. It is doubtful that the Member can successfully claim that his parliamentary privileges have...
The Speaker denied a Member's question of privilege, ruling it was a substantive motion improperly framed as a breach of privilege.
March 10, 1972
Any accusation made against a senior public official is a breach of order. [In this case, the official is the Auditor General who, in failing to submit his annual report to the House as stipulated...
The Speaker denied a question of privilege, ruling that accusations against the Auditor General are matters of order or administration to be addressed by a substantive motion.
December 30, 1971
There is nothing to suggest in the Member's charge that 'there has been a prima facie breach of the rights and immunities of Members of the House of Commons". The Chair, in effect, has been asked...
The Speaker denied a question of privilege, ruling that the complaint about government administrative actions was a legal issue, not a breach of members' rights.
October 28, 1971
When a motion is proposed under Standing Order 43, the urgency of the matter must be indicated and the motion proposed. Members should restrict their comments to the necessity or desirability of...
The Speaker ruled that a motion under Standing Order 43 is improper for debating a member's conduct and therefore refused to seek unanimous consent.
September 17, 1971
"... if there is to be further or continued debate on this very important matter, it should not be done under the guise or under the umbrella of a question of privilege." The motion of Mr. Baldwin...
The Speaker ruled that a censure motion cannot be raised as a question of privilege and requires a proper substantive motion.
September 13, 1971
In determining whether there is a prima facie case of privilege, the Chair is guided by the long-standing definition of privilege. The action of the Government might be subject to a motion of...
The Speaker rules that a government action, while potentially subject to a censure or non-confidence motion, does not meet the criteria for a prima facie question of privilege.
June 29, 1971
The proposed motion is out of order because it asks the House to proceed to the point it has already reached. Furthermore, a motion that the Orders of the Day be read is obsolete as a substantive...
The Speaker ruled a motion to proceed to the Orders of the Day out of order as it was redundant and procedurally obsolete as a substantive motion.
June 7, 1971
The proposed motion in amendment is in the form of a substantive motion which goes significantly beyond the scope of the bill. Although it does not say so explicitly, it provides in essence that...
The Speaker ruled an amendment out of order for being beyond the scope of the bill and attempting to amend a separate, unrelated Act.
April 29, 1971
"... parliamentary privilege does not go much beyond the right of free speech in the House of Commons and the right of a Member to discharge his duties in the House as a Member of the House of...
A Speaker's ruling clarifies that access to penitentiaries is a statutory right, not a matter of parliamentary privilege.