Debates of March 22nd, 2017

Distribution of the Budget

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, you and I both saw that the official opposition, the second opposition party, and the members of the Bloc Québécois and the Green Party applauded the pages. However, the people on the government side had a more muted response.

We believe that the incident that occurred earlier is completely unacceptable because we know that the tabling of a budget is very serious business. The Minister of Finance and any parliamentarians who are consulted about the budget are sworn to secrecy. In that respect, any breach of secrecy, heaven forbid, would be a criminal matter.

Something unprecedented has happened. This most sacred document was distributed while a vote was taking place and dozens of government members had access to it before all parliamentarians did and before the Minister of Finance rose. That is completely unacceptable. I would ask that you get to the bottom of this, Mr. Speaker.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I thank the hon. member for Louis-Saint-Laurent for raising this question of privilege. I see that the hon. member for Victoria is rising on the same question.

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the New Democratic Party, I wish to associate ourselves with the remarks by the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent.

I believe you will say, Mr. Speaker, that there has never been a precedent of this kind in this place, where some government members have received a budget document in advance of others. Therefore, it is a breach of my privilege and our privilege as parliamentarians. This cannot be allowed to occur.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Is the hon. member for Milton rising on the same question of privilege?

Access to House of Commons

[Lisa Raitt, Conservative, Milton, ON]

It is not the same question of privilege, Mr. Speaker.

I heard the call for members to come back to the House. I returned to the House. Unfortunately, I was told by security at the bottom of the Hill that we were unable to access the House of Commons through our normal transport, because they were holding the buses on account of empty cars for the Prime Minister needing to return in order for us to be brought to the House of Commons.

I missed the vote. I apologize to my colleagues for missing the vote, but this is absolutely ridiculous. What kind of control is the Prime Minister, and the government, trying to exert over members of the House, when I cannot return to vote on orders of the day and could perhaps be detained from hearing the budget?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I thank the hon. member for Milton for her different question of privilege that she has raised, which I will certainly look into. I will get a report from the Parliamentary Protective Service, because this should not happen.

Distribution of the Budget

[David Sweet, Conservative, Flamborough—Glanbrook, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I am rising on the same point as the member for Louis-Saint-Laurent.

I understand that you wanted to take responsibility for the distribution, Mr. Speaker, but after the distribution, we all have the electronic capability of communicating messages outside. Many of the members who had those documents in their possession, instead of handing them back after you stood and motioned that it was inappropriate, started texting. I would ask that you—

[Fin Donnelly, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

It is still on the desk. Does anyone have a copy over there?

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

Show me one.

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, York—Simcoe, ON]

It is a serious breach of privilege, my friends.

[David Sweet, Conservative, Flamborough—Glanbrook, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this is a demonstration of the lack of respect for our privilege, Mr. Speaker. I would ask that you undertake an investigation to find out exactly how many messages from members of Parliament on the government side actually left this House and communicated items of the budget prior to the budget being delivered by the Minister of Finance.

Access to the House of Commons

[Maxime Bernier, Conservative, Beauce, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to raise a question of privilege to confirm what my colleague from Milton told you earlier.

I wanted to exercise my member's right to vote, but with everything going on on the Hill, I was prevented from doing so, and I apologize to my constituents for that.

Mr. Speaker, I would ask that you investigate this matter. I am prepared to share what happened to me today. I was prevented from exercising my parliamentary privilege because of tactics employed by the party in power. That is utterly unacceptable.

Distribution of the Budget

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Carleton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member mentioned earlier that certain members of the House were given privileged access to sensitive budgetary information. There are historical and procedural reasons why all members of Parliament are given equal access to this sensitive information, but there is also a very important economic reason, and that is, any individual having advance access to this sensitive information could potentially profit from it. We do recall that roughly a decade ago, an RCMP investigation was launched into a previous budget measure because certain individuals were given an advance view of a decision with respect to income trusts. That RCMP investigation led to charges.

We have no evidence at this point that anything of that nature has occurred here. However, Mr. Speaker, I would ask you to broaden the investigation that the hon. member has asked you to carry out to ensure that none of the sensitive information contained in the budget was shared by members of the government who had advance access to it, prior to its public and parliamentary release.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Banff—Airdrie, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I have a point of privilege as well. It is similar but different from the ones that have been raised previously.

In addition to what we have seen today and the last couple of days in terms of the display of this attack on democracy from the government, we now have seen the arrogance the Prime Minister displayed in question period today, and then we had the budget documents distributed to government members prior to opposition members receiving them. However, Mr. Speaker, after you had called for those documents to not be released, the pages had stepped back, as you had instructed. I can understand why members would be eager to find out how much their taxes are going to be raised or to see how much bigger the deficit is going to be this year, but I did see one member in particular on the government side, after you had instructed for the documents not to continue to be released, and the pages had stepped back, the member for Orléans then had a page come back to his desk from the back and give him the budget documents following that. He accepted those documents, knowing full well he was not supposed to be receiving them.

I would say that was a breach of all members' privileges, and I would ask that you investigate that as well.

Taking of Photographs in Chamber

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, it has come to my attention that the hon. member for Don Valley East has been taking pictures in the House of the opposition and tweeting them. I have evidence before me to that effect. That is an entirely inappropriate action and contrary to the rules of this place.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I want to remind members that they are not allowed to take photographs in the House and they should put away their devices if they are using them for that purpose. They are allowed to use their devices, but they are not allowed to take photographs in here.

The hon. member for Perth—Wellington on the same question.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The picture taken by the member for Don Valley East is on Twitter. It has been uploaded. I would encourage you to direct the member to delete that picture. Consistent with the rules of the House and privilege of this hon. place, that picture should be removed with all due haste.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

The member is quite correct. I direct the member who took the picture and tweeted it to delete it immediately.

The hon. opposition House leader on the same question.

Distribution of the Budget

[Candice Bergen, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, if you do find that a prima facie case of privilege has occurred on the issues that have been raised, I would be prepared to move the appropriate motion.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

Order. In response to the House leader of the official opposition, I want members to understand that it is customary for the member who has raised the question of privilege to move the appropriate motion when the time arises, and if that is the case, that is what we will look for.

The hon. member for Calgary Nose Hill is rising on the same—

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Yes, a point of order on decorum, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, in the member for Don Valley East's tweet, she accused the opposition of being infantile while she was taking pictures of us and actually being in violation of the Standing Orders.

Actually, as a point of clarification, to educate the member, what has been happening here is that we are raising points of privilege because we believe that our privilege has been violated by sensitive government information being released prior to the speech on the budget. The media has this as well.

Mr. Speaker, I would ask that you look into this member's violation of the privilege of all members here.

[Murray Rankin, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I believe that in response to the hon. House leader of the official opposition, you indicated that it was for the person who moved the motion to actually bring this to the attention and move the appropriate motion, which I now hereby do.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I think the member for Victoria will know that if the Speaker finds a prima facie case of privilege, it is not for the Speaker to determine whether there has been contempt or not; it is for the House to determine. The Speaker may find a prima facie case, in which case, the Speaker then calls upon the member who raised the question of privilege to move the motion. Should I come to that point, that is what I would do.

I will take it under advisement, examine the question, and come back to the House on it.

[Peter Van Loan, Conservative, York—Simcoe, ON]

With due respect, Mr. Speaker, you did make a prima facie finding with regard to the member for Don Valley East. It is in that regard that there is an effort to move the appropriate motion.

If you are saying you did not make that prima facia finding, that is a very different matter indeed. However, I believe I heard you find that the member's actions were in breach of the privileges of the members of this House as they are set out in our rules and our traditions.

I would appreciate your clarification on whether you did in fact rule on that and make a finding on that.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Geoff Regan]

I ruled on it as a matter of order, as these things are, not a matter of privilege in that case.

The House will now proceed to the consideration of Ways and Means Proceeding No. 10 concerning the budget presentation.