Liberal House Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia has turned down an opposition motion to pursue a parliamentary privilege complaint over the Carney government’s alleged pre-emptive leaking of confidential defence legislation to the media before it was available to elected MPs.
Scarpaleggia ruled on Thursday that there was no prima facie question of privilege (i.e. the complaint didn’t meet the threshold for priority consideration by the House).
“After reviewing all the evidence provided, the Chair cannot determine with any degree of certainty that the entirety of the bill, or specific sections thereof, were divulged before its introduction in the House,” he said.
Blacklock’s Reporter also covered the ruling, with the Speaker rejecting complaints that the Liberals had been supplying confidential legislative information to the media of their choice.
