Parliamentary Privilege: a Relational Approach

Parliamentary Privilege: a Relational Approach

Parliamentary Privilege: A Relational Approach by Colette Mireille Langlois A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Laws Faculty of Law University of Toronto © Copyright by Colette Mireille Langlois 2009 Parliamentary Privilege: A Relational Approach Colette Langlois Master of Laws Faculty of Law University of Toronto 2009 Abstract Parliamentary privilege encompasses certain special rights and immunities deemed necessary to protect legislatures and members from undue interference so that they can effectively carry out their functions of inquiring, debating and legislating. The doctrine has engendered conflicts that have never been wholly resolved between courts and legislatures, and between individual rights and parliamentary privileges. The advent of modern human rights and emphasis on democratic values such as accountability and transparency has brought a new urgency to this problem. The current passive and defensive approach of Canadian legislatures is unsustainable, as is the approach taken by the SCC in recent jurisprudence. The paper argues against expanding the scope of judicial review of privilege claims as a solution, and in favour of open modernization processes led by parliamentarians, and involving public participation. Further, the paper advocates for the application of a “relational approach” versus the traditional “contest approach” to parliamentary privilege. ii Acknowledgments My sincere thanks to Tim Mercer and the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories for their generous support, both financial and moral, from the time I first approached them with the idea for a thesis on this topic. I am very grateful to my faculty advisor, Professor Lorne Sossin, for his enthusiasm and invaluable guidance over the entire writing of this thesis through to the final draft. Thanks also to Derek McKee for providing very helpful comments on early drafts and outlines. Finally, a great big high five to all of my LLM colleagues who made this year so much fun. I wish you all the greatest success. iii Table of Contents !"#$%&'(&)'*+%*+,& !"#$%&'()*+($,-................................................................................................................. ///! 012'(3%435%$,($,- ..................................................................................................................../6! 5718,(93:3;$,9%)<",/%$ ..........................................................................................................:! :! ;$,9%)<",/%$ .......................................................................................................................:! 5718,(93=3>/-,%9/"1'31$)35%+8191,/6(3?(6/(&3%43@19'/1+($,19A3@9/6/'(*( ........B! =! >/-,%9/"1'3C(6('%8+($,3%43@19'/1+($,19A3@9/6/'(*( ............................................B! =.:! 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MM! v Chapter 1 Introduction 1 Introduction Parliamentary privilege encompasses certain special rights and immunities deemed necessary to allow legislatures to protect themselves and their members from undue interference so that they can effectively carry out their functions of inquiring, debating and legislating.1 The doctrine emerged over several hundred years of English history in response to genuine threats to the House of Commons from the Crown and the House of Lords, and continues to evolve both in Britain and in its former colonies.2 Somewhat paradoxically, privilege is at once part of the ordinary law of the land, and an exception from it.3 The extent of the jurisdiction of the courts over matters of privilege has never been entirely resolved. The general categories of parliamentary privilege include both corporate elements, and individual elements, in particular members’ freedom of speech in debates and proceedings, immunity from arrest in civil actions, exemption from jury duty, and exemption from attendance as a witness.4 Fundamentally, however, as Erskine May’s Treatise states, “it is only as a means to the effective discharge of the collective functions of the House that the individual privileges are enjoyed by Members.”5 The broad categories of privilege enjoyed collectively by the House are the power to discipline for contempt and breach of privilege and to expel members for “disgraceful conduct”, the regulation of internal affairs, the “authority to maintain the attendance and service” of members, the right to establish inquiries, to compel witnesses and the production of documents, and to administer oaths to witnesses, and the right to publish papers with defamatory contents.6 Privilege often has the result of conferring immunity from judicial review on legislatures and 1 William McKay, ed., Erskine May’s Treatise on The Law, Privileges, Proceedings and Usage of Parliament, 23rd ed. (London: LexisNexis, 2004) at 75 [Erskine May 23rd]; Robert Marleau & Camille Montpetit, eds., House of Commons Procedure and Practice (Ottawa: House of Commons, 2000) at 50 [Marleau & Montpetit]. 2 Marleau & Montpetit, ibid. at 49-50. See also generally Erskine May 23rd, ibid. at 75-199 and Carl Wittke, The History of English Parliamentary Privilege (New York: Da Capo, 1970) [Wittke]. 3 Erskine May 23rd, supra note 1 at 75. 4 Marleau & Montpetit, supra note 1 at 51. 5 Erskine May 23rd, supra note 1 at 75. 6 Marleau & Montpetit, supra note 1 at 51. 1 2 their

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