Mr. Speaker, I would like to comment on a similar complaint that was referred to the Commissioner of Official Languages in February 1996 on this issue.
In that case a joint chairman of the Standing Committee on Official Languages refused to accept a motion that was introduced in English only. The chair based his ruling on a resolution adopted by the committee requiring documents distributed to committee members be in both languages. The member complaining argued that this should not apply to motions. The Commissioner of Official Languages studied this case and concluded:
—the joint chair explained her decision solely on the basis that the motions were submitted in only one language....the joint chair referred only to the unilingual nature of the text submitted by the complainant.
We find that by citing language as the only reason for not considering the complainant's motions, the joint chair's decision limited the complainant's right to perform his parliamentary duties in his own language and consequently was contrary to subsection 4(1) of the act.
It is my understanding that this very thing happened today in the Standing Committee on Health. The committee made a decision that limited a member's right to perform his parliamentary duties in his own language. The Commissioner of Official Languages established members rights under the law. I want to ensure that members rights are also protected under the law of parliament.
I would argue that this grievance may go beyond a simple point of order and may very well be a breach of the member's parliamentary privilege in the House.
Mr. Speaker, I would urge you to do as the Commissioner of Official Languages has done and lay down the law to all committee chairmen on this issue in the House. Language should not be an obstacle to members of parliament in the performance of their duties. They should have the right to speak, the right to submit their documents in the language of their choice in parliamentary proceedings.