Questions / Oral Questions

Committee chairmen

Debates pp. 12499-500

Background

After Question Period on October 28, Mr. Beatty (Wellington—Dufferin—Simcoe) rose on a point of order to protest the fact that Mr. Pinard (President of the Privy Council) had insisted on answering questions addressed to Mr. Dionne (Northumberland—Miramichi), Chairman of the Standing Committee on Transport. According to Mr. Beatty, the rights of a committee chairman had been infringed, and the independence of the committees seriously compromised. After hearing Members' comments and making some comments of her own, the Speaker took the matter under consideration. The next day, Mr. Nielsen (Yukon) rose on a question of privilege arising from the same events; he alleged that since Mr. Dionne had tried to discharge his responsibilities as chairman by attempting to answer the questions, the issue was not his right to refuse to respond, but rather his right to respond. Mr. Nielsen asked that the matter be referred to the Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections. A number of Members spoke and the Speaker took the matter under consideration.

Issue

Must questions addressed to chairmen of committees necessarily be answered by them?

Decision

No. The Chair cannot decide who must answer a question.

Reasons given by the Speaker

There can be no doubt, as numerous precedents indicate, that questions to chairmen of committees are in order when such questions relate to procedural matters, for example, the time and place of meetings and questions of a similar nature. Chairmen are free to answer or not answer. In addition, "a member may not seek by means of a question to the chairman to interfere in the proceedings of a committee...by suggesting a particular subject for inquiry." In this instance the questions were put in such a way that they could have been construed as dealing with the business of the House in general, and the President of the Privy Council accordingly responded. No preference was given to either Member, and the question was answered; it is not for the Chair to decide who should have answered the question. There are therefore no grounds for a point of order nor for a question of privilege.

Sources cited

Debates, May 20, 1970, p. 7126; January 15, 1971, p. 2442; March 16, 1973, p. 2293.

Beauchesne, 5th ed., p. 134, c. 366.

May, 19th ed., p. 327.

References

Debates, October 28, 1981, pp. 12267-70, 12274-8; October 29, 1981, pp. 12295-8; November 3, 1981, p. 12448.