Question of Privilege
October 29, 1980
Government advertising campaigns
Hon. Jeanne Sauvé
Speaker of the House
Ruling Text
Certain interventions touching upon Members' privileges of freedom of speech and liable to influence Members in the exercise of their duties, such as editorials and other public comment, do not all constitute breaches of privilege; moreover, the interventions of an outside body could not now be "regarded as a breach of privilege, even if it were calculated and intended to bring pressure on the Member". In the case of the documents and publicity campaign at issue here, there is "little, if any" evidence which would permit the Chair to conclude that there has been interference with parliamentary proceedings.
Edit Metadata
Holding
"Public comment and publicity campaigns from outside bodies, even if intended to pressure Members, do not meet the threshold for a breach of privilege without clear evidence of interference with parliamentary proceedings."
AI Summary
The Speaker ruled that a government advertising campaign did not constitute a breach of privilege as pressure from an outside body is not, in itself, interference with parliamentary proceedings.
AI Analysis
- Outcome
- Denied
- Tone
- Educational
- Significance
Low
High