Ministerial announcement made outside the House: Advisory Council membership

The Deputy Speaker: I am quite prepared to deal with the matter immediately. The honourable member for Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough has raised two issues. First, he has alleged some kind of grievance that the minister made an announcement outside the House which, in the view of the honourable member, ought to have been made in the House. While many members might express some sympathy with the honourable member for Pictou—Antigonish—Guysborough on that point, I do not think it constitutes a breach of the privileges of members of this House in any way. Indeed, it has been a common practice for many, many years. I can recall sitting in the gallery in the sixties, hearing members making exactly the same complaint. While that is about 35 years ago, I do not think there has been any change. If anything, there are more announcements made outside the House today than there were then. Mr. Peter MacKay: That's wrong. The Deputy Speaker: The honourable member says it is wrong and we can shed crocodile tears about it, but I am afraid that on that point he does not have a question of privilege. With respect to the second point the member raised as to the representation of the House on this group-and I noticed he referred to it as an advisory committee-it does not appear that it is a group, by its name anyway, which has any power of decision in respect of the premises of this place. Once again, as the government House leader has pointed out so ably from his seat, he is advising the minister. In the circumstances, since it is an advisory committee, I do not see how the privileges of any honourable member are impinged upon by the appointment of such an advisory committee, no matter what its members hip. Therefore, I do not feel that the honourable member has raised a question of privilege that I can entertain at this time and I decline to treat it as such. If he wishes to raise the matter, I know he can go to the Procedure and House Affairs Committee and I am sure that the patient chairman of that committee will hear him out. P0105-e 36-1 1999-03-12