Search thousands of Speaker's rulings with AI-powered precision.
November 9, 1978
The complaint was raised at the earliest opportunity. The letter from the Solicitor General to Mr. Lawrence can be considered a proceeding in Parliament for the purpose of privilege. A contempt...
The Speaker found a prima facie case of contempt, ruling that a minister's letter is a proceeding in Parliament and the sub judice convention does not apply to a Royal Commission.
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.
October 24, 1966
In such an instance as this, it is not necessary for the Speaker to decide if a breach of privilege has been committed, but to decide if the complaint was raised at the earliest opportunity, and...
The Speaker ruled that a prima facie question of privilege regarding reflections on a Member was established and allowed the corresponding motion to proceed.
October 18, 1966
The Chair must rule on two points in the case. First, the motion goes beyond the scope of the limited question of privilege raised by Mr. Nugent and revives a point concerning the fact of the...
The Chair denied a question of privilege, ruling the motion was improperly substantive and the minister's words did not meet the prima facie threshold for a breach.
October 12, 1966
This question has been raised several times during the present session. In this instance the decision must be made not on the question of whether there is a prima facie case of privilege, but as...
The Speaker denied a question of privilege because it was not raised at the earliest possible opportunity.
May 10, 1966
In order to constitute a breach of privilege, the libel must be based on matters arising from the actual transaction of the business of the House. Since this is not the case in this situation,...
The Speaker denied a question of privilege because the alleged libel did not relate to House business and was not raised at the earliest opportunity.
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.