Question of Privilege
April 13, 1970
Miscellaneous; reflections on a senior government official
Hon. Lucien Lamoureux
Speaker of the House
Ruling Text
Parliamentary privilege extends to Members of Parliament, not to officers of Parliament or officials of the House of Commons. In addition, "if it is the conduct of a Minister or Ministers of the Crown that is under question, then the matter can be considered by this House only by way of a substantive motion". Finally, since the Auditor General's report is under consideration by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, that committee might be better placed than the Committee on Privileges and Elections to examine the question raised by the Member.
Edit Metadata
Holding
"Parliamentary privilege does not extend to officers of Parliament, and any challenge to the conduct of a Minister must be made via a substantive motion, not another procedural mechanism."
AI Summary
The Speaker ruled that parliamentary privilege does not cover officers of Parliament and that criticism of a Minister requires a substantive motion.
AI Analysis
- Outcome
- Denied
- Tone
- Educational
- Procedural Stage
- Not specified
- Significance
Low
High