Search thousands of Speaker's rulings with AI-powered precision.
March 6, 2012
The Speaker: I am now prepared to rule on the question of privilege raised on February 27 by the Minister of Public Safety regarding cyber-campaigns following the introduction in the House by him...
The Speaker ruled that direct online threats against a Minister constitute a prima facie question of privilege, while an inundation of office communications does not.
November 21, 2001
The Speaker: I am now prepared to rule on the question of privilege raised by the hon. Member for Surrey Central on October 30 concerning the failure of the Minister of Justice to table her...
The Speaker ruled that a Minister's multi-year delay in tabling required documents was a legitimate grievance but not a prima facie contempt of Parliament because the governing statute lacked a specific deadline.
August 12, 1988
The Speaker: On Thursday, July 14, 1988 the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue claimed that her privileges as a Member had been breached in relation to a press release...
The Speaker ruled that a false press release about a Member is a matter for the courts, not a breach of parliamentary privilege, unless it clearly obstructs their duties.
April 7, 1982
Under the Standing Orders, the Chair has no discretionary power to have petitions read, except in cases where a petition claimed some present personal grievance requiring an immediate remedy; then...
The Speaker ruled that a petition cannot be read aloud by order of the Chair unless it addresses an urgent personal grievance or receives unanimous consent.
November 9, 1981
Petitions are not usually read, unless the House gives its consent. For a petition to be considered, it must relate to a present and personal grievance, and not a "result of the general law,...the...
The Speaker ruled that a petition cannot be read and debated as it addresses a general grievance requiring legislation, not a specific, personal grievance that the House can immediately remedy.
June 23, 1977
Under the umbrella of privilege, a Member has raised a matter of grievance and expressed a personal statement. This is a practice which is allowed under certain circumstances even though it does...
The Speaker ruled that a Minister acting through a solicitor to address critical material does not constitute a breach of privilege but is a matter for debate.
March 27, 1969
''At first blush", the matter was viewed as a question of the Member's rights as a former civil servant. This would tend to make the question one of a grievance against the Government. On the...
The Speaker weighs whether a Member's issue as a former civil servant constitutes a personal grievance or a question of privilege requiring the House's protection.
October 25, 1967
The Member's complaint is a grievance and not a question of privilege. The remarks of the Bank chairman "relate more particularly to the Government than to the personal conduct of Members in the...
The Speaker denied a question of privilege, ruling that a complaint about a Bank chairman's remarks was a political grievance against the government, not an impediment to Members' duties.