I thank the hon. member for Calgary Centre for having raised this matter, but I point out to him an important citation from Marleau and Montpetit at page 522:
Remarks directed specifically at another Member which question that Member's integrity, honesty or character are not in order. A Member will be requested to withdraw offensive remarks, allegations, or accusations of impropriety directed towards another Member.
Hon. members are thoroughly familiar with those statements. The last sentence of the paragraph states:
The Speaker has no authority to rule on statements made outside the House by one Member against another.
I cite in support of that a ruling of my predecessor on page 15792 of Hansard for February 11, 1993 where the Speaker said this in a comment on a question of privilege arising from statements made that suggested a member was racist:
I want to say this to the House. First of all, except under very rare and unusual circumstances I have no authority to rule on statements made outside this House.
He went on to give a ruling. This ruling made in 1993 is one that followed an argument that was presented in the House but related to statements made outside the House. The Speaker put a question to the member who presented the argument asking if in fact the remarks had been made outside the House. That was confirmed. He accordingly made the ruling that he had no jurisdiction to deal with the matter. I take the same position based on the authorities given here.
I am sorry that these remarks are made in the parliamentary precinct, or anywhere. I am sorry that hon. members have taken offence on both sides in respect of the events that have happened. I would urge hon. members, if they have problems, to sit down and discuss them together and make their proper apologies. I do not believe that it is for the Speaker to make those decisions for them here in the House, given the practice that we have established in this place where these matters are not dealt with by the Speaker in the House for statements made outside. I have enough trouble, frankly, dealing with all the statements that are made in the House, as hon. members know, without having to deal with those made outside.