March 26, 1971

Journals pp. 453-4

Debates pp. 4639-40

When the House met on March 24, Mr. Horner (Crowfoot) rose on a question of privilege and proposed to move a motion to have the Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections examine "the validity and regularity of the sittings of the Standing Committee on Agriculture" which continued from 8 p.m. on March 23 to 7:30 a.m. the next morning. Mr. Horner maintained that the Speaker was directly affected by this incident since he has responsibility for all officers of the House, including committee clerks. The Speaker allowed brief comments from Mr. Olson (Minister of Agriculture) despite the practice forbidding debate on a matter, pending the determination of a prima facie case of privilege. He deferred his ruling until he had consulted with the clerk of the committee and other House officers.

Issue

Is an extended sitting of a committee a breach of parliamentary privilege?

Decision

No. It is not a question of privilege.

Reasons given by the Speaker

The duration of a committee sitting is to be determined by a majority of the members then present. While the Speaker is responsible for the officers and clerks of the House, their hours of attendance are an ever-present and built-in condition of service which they are obliged to meet. If the complaints of the Member are to be remedied, this should be done by amendments to the Standing Orders relating to committee proceedings rather than by a reference to the Committee on Privileges and Elections.

Sources cited

Standing Order 6(5)(a).

References

Debates, March 24, 1971, pp. 4553-5.