Question of Privilege
May 10, 1972
Miscellaneous; committees; attendance of witnesses
Hon. Lucien Lamoureux
Speaker of the House
Ruling Text
"The question of ministerial appearances before committees of the House is as old as Confederation... There is a long-established rule, and it is a tradition of the House, that matters before a committee are dealt with by that committee, and if any difficulty arises during the course of the proceedings of any hearings held by the committee, this should be indicated either in the committee's report or in the course of debate in the House on the report submitted." The Member has also raised another aspect of the matter by questioning "the conduct of the Minister in relation to the administration or application of his statutory obligations. Obviously this ought to be put before the House in the form of a specific charge." It cannot be done indirectly byway of a motion of the type proposed by the Member. Nothing is gained by having a dispute between certain members of the committee and the Minister brought to the House for consideration by way of a question of privilege.
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Holding
"Disputes arising within a committee, including those involving a minister, must be addressed by the committee itself or in its report to the House, not through a question of privilege."
AI Summary
The Speaker denies a question of privilege, ruling that committee disputes with ministers must be handled by the committee or via a substantive motion, not in the House.
AI Analysis
- Outcome
- Denied
- Tone
- Educational
- Procedural Stage
- Ruling on a Question of Privilege
- Significance
Low
High