Statement Relating to Subject Matter of Prima Facie Breach of Privilege

I do not think that there are many cases where breaches of privilege have occurred in the House because of one what member says about another hon. member. Members are free to express their views in this place and it is not for the Chair to make rulings on the propriety of their statements unless the language used is unparliamentary.

Statement Relating to Subject Matter of Prima Facie Breach of Privilege

I stress that it was not the statements that the Speaker referred to as breaches of privilege. It was material that was sent out. It is a different kettle of fish.
 
Members have freedom of speech in the House. They enjoy freedom of speech in the House. We have debates in this place and there are arguments about facts that happen in the House. However, they are not normally questions of privilege or points of order. What we had here was a matter of a mailing to the member’s constituency that was found to be a breach of his privileges.

Statement Relating to Subject Matter of Prima Facie Breach of Privilege

The privilege that was breached was not the fact that statements were made that were true or untrue. Normally, that does not involve a matter of privilege. The privilege here was that a member’s ability to do his or her job was interfered with by sending this material into his or her constituency. In this case, it was the member for Mount Royal ‘s constituency.
 
The material was not accurate and caused problems for the member in doing his job as a member of Parliament. That was the subject of the question of privilege, not whether a statement was true or not in the House.

Statement Relating to Subject Matter of Prima Facie Breach of Privilege

Order. I hear a dispute as to facts has come before the House once more. It may be a continuation of a dispute as to facts but it is not something that the Chair can rule on. The matter is now before committee. The facts can all be exposed in the committee in full. I am sure the hon. member for Mount Royal will want to do that there, but I do not think he has a point of order because it has nothing to do with procedure.

Report of Parliamentary Delegation to Palestine

I thank the hon. member for raising the matter. I will look into it. I have a copy of the report. It has not been tabled in the House–I stress that–but I have a copy of it.
 
I have a copy of the statement made by the hon. member for Vancouver East that the member complained of when the report was referred to. 

Content of Flyer–Speaker’s Ruling

I am now prepared to rule on the question of privilege raised on November 19, 2009, by the hon. member for Mount Royal concerning the mailing of a ten percenter to some of his constituents by the hon. member for Elgin—Middlesex—London comparing the positions of the Conservative Party of Canada and the Liberal Party of Canada on certain aspects of Canada’s policy in the Middle East.

Alleged misuse of Intraparliamentary Internet

I am now prepared to rule on the question of privilege raised by the hon. member for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-Lachine on Wednesday, February 4, concerning the alleged misuse of parliamentary equipment and services by the hon. member for Ahuntsic.

I would like to thank the hon. member for Notre-Dame-De-Grâce-Lachine for raising this important matter, the hon. member for Montmorency-Charlevoix-Haute-Côte-Nord and the hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice for their contributions and the hon. member for Ahuntsic for her statement.