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April 26, 1983
Various precedents indicate that charges of this kind cannot be made by way of a question of privilege, but only on a substantive motion making clear and specific accusations. While there may have...
Speaker rules that serious accusations must be made via a substantive motion, not a question of privilege, and finds no procedural error in the tabling of budget documents.
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 22, 1983
Not only do defamatory allegations about Members place the entire institution of Parliament under a cloud, they also prevent Members from performing their duties as long as the matter remains...
A Speaker's ruling confirms that defamatory allegations against a Member can be referred to a committee despite the sub judice convention to protect the Member's ability to function.
February 28, 1983
As difficult as the Chair finds it not to allow a Member to respond to an accusation, a question addressed to a Minister must deal with a matter that falls within his current responsibilities, and...
The Speaker ruled that questions to ministers must concern their current portfolio responsibilities, not those from a previous one.
June 16, 1982
It is unacceptable to the House of Commons that a Member accuse someone of having deliberately misled the House or the Canadian public. The expression does damage to the decorum of the House and...
The Speaker ruled that accusing a member of "deliberately misleading" the House is unparliamentary and requires an unconditional withdrawal.
May 1, 1980
The words used were not directed to Members, but rather to the Government. Such words directed to the Government collectively are not unparliamentary.
The Speaker ruled that an accusation of dishonesty is permissible when directed at the government collectively, not at individual Members.