Mr. Speaker, I draw the attention of the Chair to the following points. First, the alleged question of privilege raised does not give any indication of a motion referring this issue to the appropriate committee. Therefore the request is deficient right away in that regard.
Second, the summary of the bill clearly indicates that this enactment amends the criminal code. Yes, it amends more than one clause in the code, but it amends the criminal code and firearms legislation and we do know the association of both.
It does not amend the Income Tax Act, the provisions on widgets and something to do with foreign affairs. It is not an omnibus bill gathering a whole variety of issues not generally associated with one another. Even in that regard, Speakers have been very reluctant to interfere.
I refer the House to pages 616 and 617 of Marleau and Montpetit. Again these arguments would be responding to a point of order, were there one before the House, and not to a question of privilege, which I do not even believe exists in any case. However, be that as it may, it says:
It appears to be entirely proper, in procedural terms, for a bill to amend, repeal or enact more than one Act, provided that the necessary notice is given, it is accompanied by the Royal Recommendation (where necessary), and it follows the form required.
Interestingly enough, the footnote attached to this reference refers to criminal code amendments. It cites the case of Bill C-95 and associated amendments to the Correctional and Conditional Releases Act and so on, which were not the criminal code itself but other issues that were directly or indirectly associated and or similar, again all in the area of justice. It also states:
However, on the question of whether the Chair can be persuaded to divide a bill simply because it is complex or composite in nature--
Essentially that is the argument that we heard from the opposition critic a little earlier. It continues:
--there are many precedents from which it can be concluded that the Canadian practice does not permit this.
In other words, the Chair cannot permit a bill to be divided on the simple excuse that it is too complex. Examples of this are: Speaker Sauvé in 1983 and Speaker Fraser on Bill C-130, the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act.
Some of us made some of these arguments at the time and they were deemed to be invalid. I believe I was one of them, Mr. Speaker, and someone you know well may also have been another one.
However it did not work. They were not deemed to be valid arguments. They are certainly no more valid today than they were then when put far more eloquently by someone I know well.