Overview
- The Court said a prime minister with a majority can, in limited cases, restrict what MPs and senators disclose from a classified committee.
- An 8-1 majority opinion by Justice Malcolm Rowe said legislatures may define parliamentary privilege and set narrow speech limits.
- The decision leaves in place the 2017 law that created a top-secret oversight committee that reports to the prime minister.
- The law bars members from sharing committee information in Parliament without the prime minister’s approval, which reporting says could lead to arrest and jail if they do.
- Justice Rowe warned that a prime minister cannot fundamentally alter or undermine Parliament’s role in Canada’s constitutional order.