Ruling
January 30, 1981
Commitment by one Minister repudiated by another Minister
Hon. Jeanne Sauvé
Speaker of the House
Ruling Text
Parliamentary privilege is very limited, and is essentially restricted to freedom of speech, access to the Parliamentary Buildings, immunity against arrest or molestation, and exemption from serving as a juror or witness. The commitments announced from time to time by Ministers and which are sometimes changed in a later statement, can give rise to certain more or less well-founded criticisms or grievances, but do not constitute a breach of privilege. The arguments presented by the Members allude to contempts, but they are not accompanied by factual evidence demonstrating that these contempts occurred in these particular cases.
Edit Metadata
Holding
"A Minister changing or repudiating a previous commitment is a political matter and not a breach of parliamentary privilege or contempt of the House."
AI Summary
The Speaker ruled that a Minister changing a commitment is a political grievance, not a breach of parliamentary privilege.
AI Analysis
- Outcome
- Denied
- Tone
- Educational
- Procedural Stage
- Not specified
- Significance
Low
High