Question of Privilege
March 10, 1972
Impeding the House
Hon. Lucien Lamoureux
Speaker of the House
Ruling Text
Any accusation made against a senior public official is a breach of order. [In this case, the official is the Auditor General who, in failing to submit his annual report to the House as stipulated in the Financial Administration Act, had not complied with the law.] Such breaches of order, however, are not tantamount to breaches of privilege. In any case, parliamentary privilege conveying special rights on Members does not apply to officials or servants of Parliament. The complaint about the facilities of the Auditor General's office does not relate to privilege but rather to administration. This grievance should be considered by way of a substantive motion and not under the guise of privilege.
Edit Metadata
Holding
"Accusations against a senior public official like the Auditor General are considered breaches of order or administrative matters, not breaches of privilege, and must be addressed via a substantive motion."
AI Summary
The Speaker denied a question of privilege, ruling that accusations against the Auditor General are matters of order or administration to be addressed by a substantive motion.
AI Analysis
- Outcome
- Denied
- Tone
- Educational
- Procedural Stage
- Not specified
- Significance
Low
High