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February 3, 1969
''According to the Standing Orders, a question put during the daily Oral Questions may be answered either by an oral answer, by an order for return or by a ministerial statement on motions." The...
The Speaker ruled that tabling a document is not a valid new procedure for answering an Oral Question, but a minister may table a document under the separate rule for government papers.
January 27, 1969
The Standing Orders require a 24-hour written notice be given; therefore, it should be open to Members to file their notices for motions, bills or papers and written questions, just as it should...
The Speaker rules that a suspension of a sitting is not an adjournment, and therefore the 24-hour notice period for filing business continues to run.
October 16, 1968
Questions must be addressed to a Minister in relation to his or her administrative responsibility. This applies, as well, to Ministers who have acting ministerial responsibility, and this has been...
The Speaker denied a question of privilege regarding ministerial attendance, ruling it was not raised in a timely manner and was a substantive matter requiring notice.
October 13, 1966
The rules do not contemplate the possibility of a second interpretation on a decision of the Chair on a question of privilege. The Member had originally asked for a ruling on a question of...
The Speaker denies a request for a second ruling, clarifying that Chair's decisions are final and complaints about words are typically points of order, not questions of privilege.
May 2, 1966
"... the principle by which we should be guided is that Parliament is supreme: that it is only in extreme cases where... debates are limited in some way, [for example, because] certain questions...
A Speaker's ruling permitting reference in debate to evidence from a royal commission when the matter is collateral to the inquiry's main issue.
April 28, 1966
The Speaker cannot compel the Commissions to answer the questions raised in the House regarding the conduct of their responsibilities. "A Minister may decline to answer a question without stating...
The Speaker affirms that Ministers cannot be compelled to answer questions in the House and suggests alternative procedures like a motion for the production of papers.
April 1, 1966
Ample precedents support the view that "the Prime Minister can be asked whether a statement of policy made outside the House by a Cabinet Minister does in fact reflect the policy of the...
This ruling establishes that the Prime Minister is the appropriate person to question regarding whether a minister's statement made outside the House reflects official government policy.
March 9, 1966
This type of objection is better dealt with during Oral Questions, addressed directly to a Minister. ''A Minister may decline to answer a question without stating the reason for his refusal, and...
A ruling confirms that a minister's refusal to answer a question during Oral Questions is not a valid basis for a question of privilege or point of order.
Date Unknown
The Speaker: I am quite familiar with the argument the hon. Member is making. I recall making a similar one myself at one time or another. I am very sympathetic to the plight he describes, but...
The Speaker ruled that the government's failure to answer written questions in a timely manner is not a valid question of privilege because the Chair lacks the power to compel an answer.