Procedure and House Affairs committee  Very quickly, we have very recently started to make some supports available to witnesses, especially witnesses who come forward. I don't know if it's necessarily the situation you're describing, but for witnesses who come forward in the context of very difficult studies, very emotional studies, where there's something very traumatic that they come to share, we've been making available to them the same sorts of supports that would be available to members or other members of the House administration.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I think we all share the objective that members should be able to come and speak freely and without fear of consequences, and that's what the entire concept of parliamentary privilege is meant to protect. The question you raised, though, is a tricky one about when members are then subjected to or targeted for harassment because of things they said after the fact.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I think that would be a question for members to decide. There are, I think, certain standards of decorum that are expected and that are attempted to be enforced. Whether members think those standards are sufficiently high, I think, is a question for members to answer. Whether or not the sanctions available to the chairs or to the Speaker are sufficiently high, I think, is also a question members could consider.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I would say that, if members feel that stronger tools, sanctions or different processes are necessary, they would have to incorporate that into the rules, but as multiple Speakers have said in multiple rulings about decorum and language, it's impossible to achieve that, I think, only by enforcement.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  As was alluded to, there are several jurisdictions that have codes to govern member-to-member behaviour, and I think the vast majority of them deliberately and explicitly exclude what goes on in the chamber and in committees. The goal in that, I think, is to protect the privileges of members in their deliberative functions and to ensure that any situations that arise in those forums are dealt with according to the procedures and the rules in those forums.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I don't remember it being done before the Biden address, but there were definitely people recognized in the gallery during the Biden address. That was in March of last year.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I don't believe it was by the Speaker. I believe it was by the Prime Minister. I'm testing my memory, but I believe it was by the Prime Minister.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Mr. Julian, you're referring to a case that occurred in 1993. When Ms. Champagne was Deputy Speaker of the House, she was also asked to chair a Progressive Conservative convention at which Ms. Campbell was elected party leader. A question of privilege was then raised in the House regarding Ms.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  When you're the Speaker, there's an additional obligation to meet expectations of neutrality. Consequently, before recording this kind of video, you should ask yourself some questions. Who is the video for? What is the context in which the message is being conveyed? In what capacity is the person recording the video?

Procedure and House Affairs committee  In some of the cases we've seen, we've asked our provincial colleagues what happens if concerns are raised. In some cases, motions have been brought forward in some of those legislatures condemning the Speaker's actions and expressing non-confidence in the Speaker. I don't believe there were any cases where those motions were adopted.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I don't know that off the top of my head, sir.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  We did sort of canvass our provincial colleagues. There was a case in Nova Scotia, for example, where the Speaker appeared in an ad for their political party along with other members of their caucus. That may have given rise to some questions. There have occasionally been comments like that about what Speakers do, whether attending party events or appearing in party materials.