Question of Privilege
October 30, 1969
Statements by Ministers
Hon. Lucien Lamoureux
Speaker of the House
Ruling Text
"Privilege has been defined as the sum of the fundamental rights enjoyed by each House of Parliament collectively and by Members of each House individually, without which they could not discharge their functions... " No precedent has been found to justify the position that Ministers are bound to make statements in the House or that Members are entitled to receive such information before the public.
Edit Metadata
Holding
"Ministers are not bound by precedent to make statements in the House of Commons before making them to the public."
AI Summary
The Speaker ruled that there is no breach of privilege when a Minister makes a statement to the public before making it in the House.
AI Analysis
- Outcome
- Denied
- Tone
- Educational
- Procedural Stage
- Routine Proceedings
- Significance
Low
High