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8 Privileges
The Parliament of Canada possesses a number of privileges, known together as parliamentary privilege. Each House is the guardian of its own privileges, and may punish breaches thereof. Parliament itself determines the extent of parliamentary privilege, but the Constitution bars it from conferring any privileges "exceeding those at the passing of such Act held, enjoyed, and exercised by the [British House of] Commons … and by the Members thereof."
The foremost privilege held by both Houses is that of freedom of speech in debate: nothing said in either House may be questioned in any court or other institution outside Parliament. In particular, a member of either House cannot be sued for slander based on speeches made in the course of parliamentary proceedings. The only restraints on debate are placed by the Standing Orders (or rules) of the two Houses themselves. Another privilege of individual members is that of freedom from arrest in civil cases (but not for allegedly criminal actions). Members of both Houses are also privileged from jury service and attendance of courts as witnesses.
Each House, furthermore, possesses privileges as a body, including the privilege of determining its own internal affairs and the privilege of disciplining its members for disobeying its rules. Furthermore, each House may punish contempt of Parliament (that is, disobedience of its authority, for example by giving false testimony before a parliamentary committee) and breaches of its own privileges.
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