Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that the chamber needs to clear before we carry on.
Nevertheless, the hon. member for Toronto Centre made a compelling case for truthfulness in this chamber.
He quoted Speaker Fraser from the Debates of May 5, 1987, when he said, “the protection of absolute privilege because of the overriding need to ensure that the truth can be told”, that is, we have our privileges because truth needs to be paramount in this chamber.
He went on to quote Speaker Milliken, who said:
—members have argued that the minister has made statements in committee that are different from those made in the House or provided to the House in written form. Indeed, these members have argued that the material available shows that contradictory information has been provided. As a result, they argue, this demonstrates that the minister has deliberately misled the House and that as such, a prima facie case of privilege exists.
He then went on to quote Speaker Jerome from March 21, 1978. This is the test for use. He stated:
—the Speaker should ask himself...could it reasonably be held to be a breach of privilege, or to put it shortly, has the Member an arguable point? If the Speaker feels any doubt on the question, he should, in my view, leave it to the House.