Search thousands of Speaker's rulings with AI-powered precision.
January 28, 1988
The Speaker: I am now ready to rule on the question of privilege raised by the honourable member for Okanagan—Coquihalla on October 21, 1999, concerning delays in the release of information under...
The Speaker ruled that delays in responding to an Access to Information request do not constitute a breach of privilege as this activity is not considered a 'proceeding in Parliament'.
December 11, 1984
The statements made by Mr. Robinson did not constitute a contempt of Parliament as defined in Halsbury's Laws of England (obstructing or impeding any Member or official of the House in the...
The Speaker ruled that a Member's reprehensible speech in debate is not a breach of privilege and must be challenged via a substantive motion.
December 5, 1977
On close technical grounds the motion can be ruled unacceptable because it is too general to qualify as a question of privilege. Members did not consider carefully enough that the judge's comments...
The Speaker denies a question of privilege concerning a judge's comments, ruling the motion too general and the comments outside the scope of parliamentary privilege.
June 23, 1977
Under the umbrella of privilege, a Member has raised a matter of grievance and expressed a personal statement. This is a practice which is allowed under certain circumstances even though it does...
The Speaker ruled that a Minister acting through a solicitor to address critical material does not constitute a breach of privilege but is a matter for debate.
April 24, 1974
Four possibilities are available according to the Standing Order on the notice of motions for the production of papers. When called, the motion can be adopted by the House, dropped, voted upon or,...
The Speaker outlines the procedural options available for a motion for the production of papers when a Minister refuses to table the requested documents.
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.
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.
December 10, 1969
The only precedent discovered that is relevant to this case is useful in some respects, but is ultimately unsatisfactory because on that occasion no motion was raised and, consequently, the...
The Speaker denied a question of privilege against the Minister of Finance, ruling the matter was an administrative grievance, not an obstruction of a Member's duties.