Questions / Adjournment Proceedings

Unsatisfactory answer

Debates pp. 3465-6

Background

At the beginning of the sitting, Mr. Thompson (Red Deer) rose on a question of privilege to charge that the rights of Members were being impeded by the Government's unsatisfactory response to the question he put yesterday to the Postmaster General and Minister of Communications during adjournment proceedings. Neither the Minister nor his Parliamentary Secretary, he said, had been present to hear the question. Instead, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport had read a prepared statement which, Mr. Thompson maintained, had no relevance whatsoever to his question. Having heard the grievance, the Speaker made his ruling immediately.

Issue

Does a complaint about answers to questions constitute a prima facie question of privilege?

Decision

There is no question of privilege.

Reasons given by the Speaker

As it now stands, any Minister or Parliamentary Secretary to any Minister may answer questions posed during the adjournment proceedings to any Minister. In addition, a Minister may decline to answer a question and this refusal normally cannot be the subject of comment or a question of privilege. Finally, no motion was proposed based on the complaint. In view of these circumstances, it would not be in order to have a discussion at this time.

Sources cited

Standing Order 40(3).

Beauchesne, 4th ed., pp. 153-4, c.181(3).

References

Debates, February 10, 1970, pp. 3462-3.