I am now ready to rule on the question of privilege raised on May 25, 2026, by the member for Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères regarding the alleged premature disclosure of C-31, a second act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on November 4, 2025.
In raising his question of privilege, the member for Pierre-Boucher—Les Patriotes—Verchères asserted that information about Bill C-31 had been disclosed to Air Canada before the bill was introduced in the House. He argued that the series of events starting with Air Canada's announcement of a new arbitration mechanism, followed by the government's economic statement and then the introduction of the bill, indicated that a third party had gained preferential access to information that enabled it to anticipate and implement a mechanism aligned with legislative intentions that had yet to be shared with parliamentarians. In the member's view, these events could not be a coincidence and constituted a breach of the privileges of the House and its members.
In response, the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader said that members' privileges were not breached in any way. He explained that the government can consult stakeholders and the public as part of the policy development process before a bill is finalized. In addition, he said, the announcements by Air Canada and the government were made before the period during which the contents of a bill must remain confidential, namely the period between the time a bill is placed on notice and its introduction.
In this instance, the announcements were made well before this time period. The parliamentary secretary also pointed out that on May 4, the government had tabled a notice of ways and means motion that included all the measures that were later contained in Bill C-31, consistent with the principle that the House have first access to legislative measures. He concluded that the practices and precedents of the House had been respected.
The Chair would like to begin by reiterating the importance of the convention that the House must be the first to know the details of new legislative measures. Under this convention, it is prohibited to make the contents of a bill public from the time it is added to the Notice Paper until its introduction in the House, with an exception provided for cases where the full text of a bill is included in a ways and means motion. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons did not deny that the government may have consulted with industry stakeholders.
These consultations are routine and are not in themselves a matter of privilege. House of Commons Procedure and Practice, fourth edition, states the following in section 3.14: “the right to be the first to know the contents of a bill must coexist with the need of the government and members to hold consultations with the public and stakeholders on issues and policies in the preparation of legislation and prior to announcing the intention to introduce a bill on a specific issue.”
Indeed, Speakers of the House have often remarked that the House has to accommodate the government's need to conduct in-depth consultations with the public and affected groups before introducing legislation.
In light of the submissions heard, the Chair concludes that the House's right to be the first informed of legislative measures was not infringed by the government's consultations. Likewise, there is no basis for the Chair to hold that the government knowingly shared specific details of Bill C‑31 with Air Canada before the bill was brought to the House.
The Chair therefore cannot conclude that members were impeded in carrying out their parliamentary functions or that a contempt was committed. Consequently, the Chair cannot find that there is a prima facie question of privilege.
I thank all members for their attention.