Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
So I was talking about the rights and immunities related to members individually. First of all, there is freedom of speech. The others are less directly related to the motion, but I will mention them all the same, to provide an idea of the rights and privileges that the parliamentarians of this institution enjoy. They are freedom from arrest in civil actions, exemption from jury duty and the exemption from being subpoenaed to attend court.
Let's talk about what concerns us first of all, that is to say freedom of speech. That freedom is interfered with by the motion introduced by the government party, "That all Committee business of the Committee be conducted in camera."
On the subject of freedom of speech, we have a highly instructive text here, if ever there was one, which states:The privilege of freedom of speech in parliamentary debates or proceedings is generally regarded as the most important of the privileges enjoyed by Members of Parliament and witnesses that appear before parliamentary committees.
I will repeat that simply to ensure we clearly understand it:The privilege of freedom of speech in parliamentary debates or proceedings is generally regarded as the most important of the privileges enjoyed by Members of Parliament and witnesses that appear before parliamentary committees.