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May 8, 1974
As has been stated on many occasions in the past, "it might be very unwise for the House to decide that proceedings in one committee be investigated by another committee". It is not procedurally...
The Speaker rules that committee proceedings can only be brought to the House via a formal report and takes the question of a committee's power to compel documents under advisement.
March 21, 1974
"The Speaker has no other responsibility than determining whether there is a prima facie question of privilege which later on could be submitted to the House in the form of a motion." The present...
The Speaker denies a prima facie question of privilege, ruling the issue is a grievance to be addressed through other parliamentary avenues.
December 19, 1973
"... difficulties which come up in committee, to the extent they are procedural difficulties, ought to be settled there rather than in the House". The Member's motion, which does not refer the...
The Speaker ruled that a Member's motion on committee business was a substantive motion requiring 48-hours' notice, not a question of privilege.
December 4, 1973
"It is well-established practice that committee proceedings cannot be brought into consideration or debate in the House except by way of a report from the committee." It is also well established...
The Speaker ruled that committee proceedings and member conduct cannot be raised in the House via a question of privilege and must be presented through a formal committee report.
September 6, 1973
The motion asks the House to censure a Member for a statement made outside the House; the purport of such a motion does not allow the Speaker to find a prima facie case of privilege. "It is a...
A ruling clarifying that the prohibition on commenting on committee work before a report is tabled applies only to statements made inside the House, not outside.
July 13, 1973
Motions proposed to the House under Standing Order 43 are subject to the rules that apply generally to motions, and cannot be drafted in such a way as to imply a charge by innuendo. The use of...
The Speaker rules that motions under Standing Order 43 cannot use innuendo to make charges due to the immediate unanimous consent requirement.
June 12, 1973
The bill proposes an amendment to a financial provision in the Farm Improvement Loans Act by increasing the maximum amount of a loan. Although the amendment does not in itself propose a direct...
The Speaker ruled a Senate bill inadmissible because increasing government-backed loan maximums created new financial liabilities, infringing the exclusive privilege of the House of Commons.
May 16, 1972
A motion implying a charge against a Member cannot be made by means of a motion under Standing Order 43, which refers only to the setting aside of the notice requirement, not the ordinary rules...
A motion under Standing Order 43 cannot be used to make a charge against a Member as it only waives notice, not the fundamental rules on motion content.
May 10, 1972
"The question of ministerial appearances before committees of the House is as old as Confederation... There is a long-established rule, and it is a tradition of the House, that matters before a...
The Speaker denies a question of privilege, ruling that committee disputes with ministers must be handled by the committee or via a substantive motion, not in the House.
March 16, 1972
A matter of this kind cannot be brought before the House byway of a breach of parliamentary privilege. It is doubtful that the Member can successfully claim that his parliamentary privileges have...
The Speaker denied a Member's question of privilege, ruling it was a substantive motion improperly framed as a breach of privilege.