Ruling
April 10, 1981
Use of public funds to set up Ministerial offices
Hon. Jeanne Sauvé
Speaker of the House
Ruling Text
"It has been ruled consistently that the Chair does not decide questions of law." Equally, the Chair is not responsible for deciding whether or not a departmental guideline has been breached, nor, within the context of a question of privilege, for deciding whether or not illegal use is being made of public funds. Furthermore, "every Member, though chosen by one particular district, when elected and returned serves for the whole realm." Therefore, since the Member elected by a constituency is not the only person who can be said to represent the constituents in that constituency, and since there is no suggestion that physical molestation has obstructed any Member, no Minister has in any way infringed the rights of any Member by opening an office in his or her region.
Edit Metadata
Holding
"A Minister opening a regional office in another Member's constituency does not constitute a breach of privilege because the Speaker does not rule on the use of public funds and all Members represent the entire nation."
AI Summary
The Speaker ruled that a Minister opening an office in another Member's riding is not a breach of privilege as the Chair does not rule on the use of funds and all MPs represent the whole country.
AI Analysis
- Outcome
- Denied
- Tone
- Educational
- Procedural Stage
- Ruling Delivery
- Significance
Low
High