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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.
September 27, 1971
An important aspect of privilege is that it should be raised at the first opportunity. The Member's claim that he was outside the House when the words to which he took exception were spoken is not...
The Speaker ruled that allegedly unparliamentary language directed at a group rather than an individual does not constitute a breach of privilege.
April 20, 1971
"... it would be imprudent of the Chair to project the question of police files beyond the circumstances or conditions raised by the... Member and beyond the particular circumstances alluded to by...
The Speaker ruled that while police files on MPs are a serious matter, a breach of privilege requires specific evidence of intimidation or hindrance of duties.
February 3, 1971
While a supposed contempt of Parliament may be an element of a breach of privilege, it is not by itself a question of privilege. The complaint raised by the Member may be classified as (i) wilful...
The Speaker rules that a complaint of being misled or contempt is not a prima facie question of privilege and must be pursued through other procedural avenues.
May 25, 1970
The right of Members to an unhindered access to the Parliament buildings is a time-honoured privilege. "This principle should be recognized even if there is some question as to the extension of...
The Speaker ruled that a momentary delay for security did not breach a Member's privilege of unhindered access to Parliament as no one was ultimately denied entry.
May 19, 1970
The Member is seeking an inquiry by the committee into an alleged threat to the freedom of the press. If such a far-reaching question were to be investigated by the House, it should be done by way...
The Speaker denied a question of privilege regarding a newspaper article, clarifying that it did not meet the high threshold for a breach and that the matter should be raised via a substantive motion.
October 30, 1969
"Privilege has been defined as the sum of the fundamental rights enjoyed by each House of Parliament collectively and by Members of each House individually, without which they could not discharge...
The Speaker ruled that there is no breach of privilege when a Minister makes a statement to the public before making it in the House.
June 9, 1969
In matters of privilege involving newspaper comments two conflicting interests must be taken into account: the privilege of Members to exercise their duties and the freedom of the press to report...
A question of privilege concerning a newspaper article was denied due to not being raised at the earliest opportunity and an improperly worded motion.
February 22, 1968
The claim that the words "manufactured crisis" or "trickery" are in themselves libellous or slanderous cannot be accepted. "The fact that a statement is untrue does not necessarily form the basis...
The Speaker ruled that the terms 'manufactured crisis' and 'trickery' were not a prima facie breach of privilege as they were used generally and not as a personal attack.