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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.
May 15, 1978
It is not possible to see "how privilege as defined can be extended beyond the physical precincts and, indeed, beyond the life of a Parliament to cover, not Members but candidates, not in respect...
A ruling clarifying that parliamentary privilege does not apply to candidates during an election period when Parliament is dissolved.
April 17, 1978
The Minister of Finance denied the possibility of a leak of budget information respecting the sales tax and, of course, the House must accept his word. The Chair has serious doubts as to whether...
The Speaker denied a question of privilege concerning an alleged budget leak, ruling that the matter did not meet the criteria for privilege and the motion was too general.
February 14, 1978
The parliamentary buildings are not commercial premises. "Anything taking place in these buildings certainly ought to have a parliamentary connection and ought to be in keeping with a number of...
A ruling clarifying that parliamentary buildings are not commercial premises and all activities must respect the dignity of the institution.
February 13, 1978
Standing Order 26 ought not to be used to bring before the House matters which are considered crises of individual constituencies or industries. To do so would only invite the same kind of...
The Speaker denied an emergency debate application, ruling that the issue was a regional matter, not a national crisis.
June 23, 1977
The premature publication of this document interferes with the work of the Members in their committee because it "prejudices the secure identity of witnesses and people who co-operated with the...
The Speaker rules that the systemic issue of premature publication of committee documents should be studied by a special committee rather than being treated as an absolute question of privilege in every instance.
May 11, 1977
The practice in respect of dividing substantive motions has never been extended to bills. The Speaker agrees that a Member ought to have the right to compel the House to vote on each separate...
The Speaker rules that bills cannot be divided for voting, but Members can use a motion to delete under S.O. 75(5) to achieve separate votes on specific clauses.
March 22, 1977
A supply item ought not to be used to obtain authority which is the proper subject of legislation. There is need for a more appropriate procedure to consider this matter; one which will permit an...
The Chair ruled that supply items cannot be used for matters requiring legislation, but allowed the specific items in question to stand without setting a precedent.
February 26, 1976
There is no specific provision in the Standing Order which provides for the regular and orderly dealing with private bills at Report Stage. It is done by virtue of the fact that all those rules...
The Speaker clarifies that procedural rules for public bills at report stage, including notice requirements for amendments, also apply to private bills.
May 30, 1975
The petition was read when it was presented. "[A] representation that an existing law which has been under consideration by the House in various ways and which... will be looked into by a...
This ruling establishes that Members of Parliament, not external petitions, are the proper channel for proposing amendments to law already under consideration by the House.