Colleagues, before I go to the next order on the orders of the day, I would like to present my ruling on the point of privilege raised last Thursday in the House by Mr. Ramsay, the Member for Kam Lake. Mr. Ramsay claimed that his privileges as a Member of this House had been breached when the then-Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Miltenberger, threatened the Member and his family. Mr. Ramsay further stated that the Minister's comments constituted an unjust damaging to his good name.

I, as Speaker, have to determine whether a prima facie case of privilege has been made; that is, whether on the face of it, the matter raised appears to be a matter of privilege, and whether the matter was raised at the first possible opportunity.

As stated in my ruling on Mr. Ramsay's point of order, I did not see or hear Mr. Miltenberger's actions or comments. In making my ruling I thus have taken into account the statements made by the Member for Thebacha and all Members in debate to Mr. Ramsay's point of privilege.

I do indeed find that the matter was raised at the earliest possible time, as there was a need to review the unedited Hansard before the matter could be raised by the Member for Kam Lake.

The right of a Member to discharge his or her responsibilities free from threat or attempts at intimidation is a fundamental aspect of parliamentary privilege. A threat to a Member's family and their livelihood, made by a Minister who is responsible for the operation of the very institution to which that family member works, could undoubtedly prevent that Member from speaking freely in this Chamber, and could be seen as a threat, intimidation or interference to that Member in the carrying out of his parliamentary duties.

In speaking to the point of privilege, Mr. Miltenberger offered what I believe was a sincere apology to the Member for Kam Lake and this House for his alleged actions and remarks. However, neither he, nor any other Member who was present in the House that day, offered an alternative explanation as to the meaning and intent of his actions, nor did anyone contest the description of his actions provided by the Member for Kam Lake. At least five Members, in speaking to the point of privilege, confirmed that they had witnessed the actions of Mr. Miltenberger and perceived them as being an attempt to threaten or intimidate the Member for Kam Lake. In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, I can thus only conclude that the description of the Member for Thebacha's actions as offered by Mr. Ramsay are accurate.

I, therefore, conclude that a prima facie breach of privilege has occurred. I would like to thank all Members who spoke to the point of privilege. I took all comments into account when making my ruling. It is now up to the House to determine how it wishes to proceed. Thank you, for your attention.

Mr. Clerk, orders of the day.