Privilege / Hansard

Agreement with electronic record

Debates pp. 14055-6

Background

On June 3, 1986, Mr. Clark (Secretary of State for External Affairs) made a statement in the House concerning a member of Mr. Axworthy's (Winnipeg—Fort Garry) staff. Mr. Axworthy challenged the statement, and the Minister subsequently withdrew it on the grounds that Members are bound to accept the word of other Members. The next day Mr. Axworthy rose on a question of privilege relating to a discrepancy between the written and electronic versions of Hansard. He claimed that there had been a substantial textual change made to the Minister's original statement and that this constituted a serious breach of privilege.

Issue

Does a difference between the written and electronic versions of Hansard constitute a breach of privilege?

Decision

No. There is no prima facie question of privilege.

Reasons given by the Speaker

The difference between the printed and electronic Hansard arose from an editorial error rather than a deliberate intervention by the Minister or his staff. An erratum correcting the mistake is to appear in the next issue of Hansard. The status of the electronic record, as pointed out by Speaker Jerome in a 1978 ruling, remains problematic and should be examined by the Standing Committee on Elections, Privileges and Procedure.

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Sources cited

Debates, November 28, 1978, pp. 1569-70.

References

Debates, June 3, 1986, pp. 13902-3; June 4, 1986, p. 13961.