Mr. Speaker, the budget will be handed down today shortly after 4 o'clock.
There is a reason why the budget is handed down after 4 p.m. and that is because Canadian stock markets close at 4 o'clock. Historically it was felt that if the budget was handed down before 4 p.m. certain individuals or corporations could gain a commercial advantage as a result of advance information that would be contained in the budget.
Last night CBC news reported as fact some items that might be in the budget later this afternoon. In today's print media several newspapers, including the
Sun and the Globe and Mail
, are reporting as fact items which are to appear in today's budget.
Mr. Speaker, I would ask you to review this matter to determine whether the privileges of members of parliament have been breached and also to ensure that ordinary Canadians are not disadvantaged by—