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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.
December 30, 1971
There is nothing to suggest in the Member's charge that 'there has been a prima facie breach of the rights and immunities of Members of the House of Commons". The Chair, in effect, has been asked...
The Speaker denied a question of privilege, ruling that the complaint about government administrative actions was a legal issue, not a breach of members' rights.
November 18, 1971
The complaint of the Member is "essentially the same as the one proposed the day before yesterday". This may be an attempt to appeal a decision of the Chair, which cannot be done. The Chair...
The Speaker denied a member's complaint, ruling it was an impermissible attempt to appeal a previous decision on the same matter.
October 28, 1971
When a motion is proposed under Standing Order 43, the urgency of the matter must be indicated and the motion proposed. Members should restrict their comments to the necessity or desirability of...
The Speaker ruled that a motion under Standing Order 43 is improper for debating a member's conduct and therefore refused to seek unanimous consent.
September 28, 1971
On numerous occasions, the Chair has indicated to the House the procedure to be followed in order to have the conduct of a Minister or Member considered by a committee. The Member has not met...
The Speaker denied a question of privilege concerning a member's conduct outside the House, affirming that established precedents and procedures must be followed.
September 27, 1971
An important aspect of privilege is that it should be raised at the first opportunity. The Member's claim that he was outside the House when the words to which he took exception were spoken is not...
The Speaker ruled that allegedly unparliamentary language directed at a group rather than an individual does not constitute a breach of privilege.
September 17, 1971
"... if there is to be further or continued debate on this very important matter, it should not be done under the guise or under the umbrella of a question of privilege." The motion of Mr. Baldwin...
The Speaker ruled that a censure motion cannot be raised as a question of privilege and requires a proper substantive motion.
June 29, 1971
The proposed motion is out of order because it asks the House to proceed to the point it has already reached. Furthermore, a motion that the Orders of the Day be read is obsolete as a substantive...
The Speaker ruled a motion to proceed to the Orders of the Day out of order as it was redundant and procedurally obsolete as a substantive motion.
June 7, 1971
The proposed motion in amendment is in the form of a substantive motion which goes significantly beyond the scope of the bill. Although it does not say so explicitly, it provides in essence that...
The Speaker ruled an amendment out of order for being beyond the scope of the bill and attempting to amend a separate, unrelated Act.
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.