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March 6, 1997
The Speaker: Before we proceed to the orders of the day I am now ready to rule on the question of privilege raised by the honourable member for York South—Weston on Wednesday, February 19, 1997,...
The Speaker ruled that a breach of budget secrecy is a violation of political convention, not parliamentary privilege, and therefore does not constitute a prima facie case.
February 15, 1995
The Speaker: I am now prepared to deal with the question of privilege raised by the hon. member for Winnipeg North Centre on October 1 relating to the premature disclosure and subsequent...
The Speaker denied a question of privilege regarding a leaked committee report, affirming the principle that the Chair does not intervene in committee matters unless the committee reports the issue to the House.
December 11, 1992
The Speaker: The honourable Member for Kamloops has raised a matter which of course is of importance to this House. The right honourable minister has responded on the government side and the...
The Speaker took under advisement the question of a convicted MP's status, ruling that the House must wait for official court notification and resolution of appeals or sentencing before taking any action.
November 7, 1989
Mr. Speaker: The Chair would ask the indulgence of the House to render a decision on the matter raised yesterday by the honourable Member for York Centre relating to the Sub Judice convention. I...
The Speaker denied a request to ask questions about a matter before the courts, ruling that the sub judice convention applied because the issue was part of an active defense motion in a criminal trial.
December 21, 1988
The Chair of Committees of the Whole: I am now ready to rule on the point of order raised by a number of Members. In the point of order raised earlier today, the honourable Member for Kingston and...
The Chair ruled that a closure motion in Committee of the Whole can apply to clauses of a bill that have not yet been debated, based on historical precedents.
June 8, 1988
The Speaker: I am now ready to rule on the arguments given some days ago with respect to Bill C-130. In my view, they were excellent arguments. I wish to advise honourable Members that the Chair...
The Speaker ruled that the omnibus free trade implementation bill (C-130) was procedurally acceptable because its many amendments were unified by the single purpose of enacting an international treaty.
April 15, 1987
The Speaker: On December 4, 1986, the honourable Member for Ottawa—Vanier raised a point of order concerning the right of Members to ask for a recorded division, notwithstanding Standing Order...
The Speaker ruled that motions become inoperable and lapse at fixed interruption times, superseding the right to a recorded division on them.
April 22, 1985
If the traditional criteria are rigidly applied, premature disclosure of committee reports and proceedings undoubtedly encroaches upon parliamentary privilege. The Speaker stated, however, that...
The Speaker ruled that while the premature disclosure of a committee report is a breach of privilege, no action would be taken due to the Canadian tradition of upholding freedom of the press.
April 19, 1983
According to the practice whereby the Minister of Finance presents his budget in the House before declaring it in any other public forum, budget secrecy is a political convention which does not...
This ruling establishes that budget secrecy is a political convention, not a matter of privilege, and any accusation of its breach requires a substantive motion.
March 4, 1981
The Chair does not have the duty to uphold the principle of cabinet secrecy, nor does it sit in judgment upon the manner in which Ministers fulfil their responsibilities, including the prevention...
The Speaker ruled that a leak of government estimates is a matter of ministerial responsibility, not a breach of parliamentary privilege for the Chair to adjudicate.