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December 15, 1988
The Speaker: Honourable Members will recall that yesterday afternoon I entertained extensive argument with respect to the motion standing under Government Order No. 1 for today. There were two...
The Speaker rules that a government motion to suspend Standing Orders is procedurally in order, as the House has the authority to alter its own rules by a majority vote.
August 12, 1988
The Speaker: On Thursday, July 14, 1988 the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue claimed that her privileges as a Member had been breached in relation to a press release...
The Speaker ruled that a false press release about a Member is a matter for the courts, not a breach of parliamentary privilege, unless it clearly obstructs their duties.
July 18, 1988
The Speaker: I want to bring to honourable Members' attention a matter of some importance which was raised on Wednesday, May 4, 1988, by the honourable Member for Athabasca, and commented upon by...
A Speaker's ruling denies a question of privilege, clarifying that absolute parliamentary privilege for freedom of speech does not extend to a Member's statements published outside the House.
June 13, 1988
The Speaker: On June 7, 1988, the honourable Member for Kamloops—Shuswap rose on a point of order relating to Government Business No. 26 on the Order Paper. The item of business deals with the...
The Speaker rules that the government may use a simple majority vote on a motion under Government Orders to suspend Standing Orders, including the parliamentary calendar for the summer recess.
June 8, 1988
The Speaker: I am now ready to rule on the arguments given some days ago with respect to Bill C-130. In my view, they were excellent arguments. I wish to advise honourable Members that the Chair...
The Speaker ruled that the omnibus free trade implementation bill (C-130) was procedurally acceptable because its many amendments were unified by the single purpose of enacting an international treaty.
April 25, 1988
Mr. Speaker: On March 28 and 29, 1988, the Honourable Member for Regina West raised a point of order contending that, in response to a question asked by the Honourable Member for St. John's East...
Speaker rules that a Minister must directly quote from a document, not merely cite or refer to it, to be obligated to table it in the House.
January 28, 1988
The Speaker: On Monday, January 25, the honourable Member for Kamloops—Shuswap raised a matter relating to the actions of the former Commissioner of Canada Elections, Mr. Joseph Gorman, in...
The Speaker denied a question of privilege, ruling that an official acting within powers granted by Parliament does not constitute a contempt of the House.
December 9, 1987
Mr. Speaker: On Wednesday, November 25, 1987, the honourable Member for Burnaby raised serious matters in the House which he believed were tantamount to contempt of the Standing Committee on...
The Speaker ruled that allegations of witness intimidation at a committee must be addressed by the committee itself before being raised as a question of privilege in the House.
November 18, 1987
Mr. Speaker: I have another ruling with respect to a matter raised on October 13 by the honourable Member for Nickel Belt, who raised a question of privilege alleging improper restrictions on the...
The Speaker ruled that a committee motion restricting members' access to researchers did not constitute a prima facie question of privilege because committees are masters of their own procedure.
September 29, 1987
The Speaker: Honourable Members will recall that several months ago, there was some discussion about altering the form of Routine Proceedings by eliminating the necessity under Motions and Bills...
The Speaker implements a new, more efficient procedure for Routine Proceedings by no longer reading the entire list of names from the Order Paper for motions and bills.