Question of Privilege
September 27, 1971
Miscellaneous
Hon. Lucien Lamoureux
Speaker of the House
Ruling Text
An important aspect of privilege is that it should be raised at the first opportunity. The Member's claim that he was outside the House when the words to which he took exception were spoken is not a sufficient argument. Though Members may not have been satisfied with the explanation given by the Member for York South, when the question of privilege was raised by another Member, the Chair had only to determine if any improper motives had been imputed. The remarks of Mr. Lewis had not been addressed to a particular Member. "... words which are addressed to one Member or two Members individually which might be considered unparliamentary are not judged unparliamentary when addressed to a group of Members or to a party."
Edit Metadata
Holding
"A claim of privilege is invalid if not raised at the first opportunity, and language directed at a group is not held to the same standard of unparliamentary language as that directed at an individual Member."
AI Summary
The Speaker ruled that allegedly unparliamentary language directed at a group rather than an individual does not constitute a breach of privilege.
AI Analysis
- Outcome
- Denied
- Tone
- Educational
- Procedural Stage
- Not specified
- Significance
Low
High