Privilege / Misleading the House

Tabling of revised budget documents

Debates pp. 24866-7

Background

On April 21, Mr. Stevens (York—Peel) rose on a question of privilege and maintained that Mr. Lalonde (Minister of Finance) misled the House by tabling documents which were not the same as those distributed to Members on budget night. Mr. Stevens said that he was prepared to move a motion referring the matter to the Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections. After hearing comments from Mr. Fisher (Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Finance), the Speaker took the matter under consideration and ruled a few days later.

Issue

Can accusations to the effect that the Minister misled the House by tabling budget documents which were not the same as those distributed to Members justify a question of privilege?

Decision

No. There is no prima facie question of privilege.

Reasons given by the Speaker

Various precedents indicate that charges of this kind cannot be made by way of a question of privilege, but only on a substantive motion making clear and specific accusations. While there may have been misunderstanding concerning the practice relating to the tabling of documents, there is no evidence of what the Member alleges. Finally, Ministers, and not the Chair, are responsible for the content of documents. The Chair is only competent to determine whether or not the documents were tabled correctly. In the present case, the printed budget documents were tabled on budget night and the supplementary material was properly tabled at a subsequent sitting, pursuant to the Standing Order.

Sources cited

Standing Order 46(2).

References

Debates, April 21, 1983, pp. 24735-7.