Philpott told the Commons that their rights had been denied and their privileges as members of Parliament breached. Was she right?
OTTAWA — Former cabinet minister Jane Philpott rose in the House of Commons Tuesday morning to speak on a point of privilege, asking the Speaker of the House of Commons to consider whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau violated the law by “unilaterally” removing her and former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould from the Liberal Party caucus last week.
“This is very concerning. It speaks to the rule of law at the heart of our democracy,” Conservative MP Michael Chong, who authored the Reform Act, told the National Post in an interview shortly after she made her arguments. So what exactly is this latest foofaraw all about?In a brief speech last Tuesday Trudeau announced his decision to remove Philpott and Wilson-Raybould from caucus after both resigned from cabinet in the wake of the SNC-Lavalin scandal.
Trudeau announced the decision as his own, and Philpott argued Tuesday Liberal MPs never had a chance to have their say — even though the Parliament of Canada Act was amended in 2015, with Chong’s Reform Act, so that these types of situations could be avoided.
Neither of those things happened in this case. Philpott said it would have taken a recorded vote in which 90 Liberal MPs voted to expel her and Wilson-Raybould, according to the rules laid out in the law — yet no such vote took place. “We were expelled prior to the commencement of the Liberal caucus meeting,” she argued in the House Tuesday.
“This point of privilege she has raised is vitally important because if there is no recourse here to enforce the rights of members, there is no other place,” he said. Courts have repeatedly ruled they do not have jurisdiction over matters of parliamentary administration, so he believes this is the only way for it to be enforced.
As relayed by Deputy Speaker Bruce Stanton, Regan’s ruling said asking the House to deal with an expulsion from caucus was “not a proper subject for a question of privilege.” Further, “I as speaker have no role in the interpretation of statute nor in the conduct of these 2015 provisions.”
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trudeau ejects Jody Wilson-Raybould, Jane Philpott from Liberal caucusTrudeau: ‘The trust that previously existed between these two individuals and our team has been broken’
Read more »
Trudeau says Jody Wilson-Raybould, Jane Philpott no longer Liberal caucus members - Macleans.caJustin Trudeau has removed Jane Philpott and Jody Wilson-Raybould from the Liberal caucus. “The trust that previously existed between these two individuals and our team has been broken,” Trudeau told caucus members.
Read more »
Jody Wilson-Raybould, Jane Philpott out of Liberal caucusJody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott have been removed from the federal Liberal caucus, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has just announced.
Read more »
PM removes Jody Wilson-Raybould, Jane Philpott from Liberal caucus
Read more »
Trudeau broke law by kicking former ministers out of caucus, Jane Philpott saysParliament of Canada Act says MPs can’t be kicked out of their party group without a vote, according to Philpott
Read more »
Jane Philpott says Trudeau broke the law by kicking former ministers out of caucusPhilpott says the Parliament of Canada Act says MPs can’t be kicked out of their party groups without a vote and Trudeau ejected them on his own
Read more »
Jody Wilson-Raybould says Trudeau has kicked her out of the Liberal caucus - Macleans.caShe says she is also no longer the confirmed Vancouver Granville candidate for the Liberal Party of Canada in the 2019 federal election.
Read more »
Philpott says PM broke law by removing her, Wilson-Raybould from Liberal caucusIndependent MP Jane Philpott says that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau broke a law that governs Parliament when he expelled her and colleague Jody Wilson-Raybould from the Liberal caucus.
Read more »