Unparliamentary language

In a Westminster system, unparliamentary language is words or phrases that are deemed to be inappropriate for use in the House whilst it is in session. This includes, but is not limited to foul language or profanity.

Exactly what constitues unparliamentary language is generally left to the discretion of the Speaker of the House. Part of the Speaker's job is to enforce the Assembly's debating rules, one of which is that members may not use "unparliamentary" language. That is, their words must not offend the dignity of the Assembly. In addition, whilst in the House legislators in Westminster systems are protected from prosecution and civil actions by parliamentary immunity and consequently are expected to avoid using words or phrases that might be seen as abusing that immunity.

Like other rules that have changed with the times, Speakers' rulings on unparliamentary language reflect the tastes of the period. These are some of the words and phrases that Speakers through the years have ruled "unparliamentary" in the Parliament of Canada and the Legislative Assembly of Alberta:

• parliamentary pugilist (1875)
• a bag of wind (1878)
• inspired by forty-rod whiskey (1881)
• coming into the world by accident (1886)
• blatherskite (1890)
• the political sewer pipe from Carleton County (1917)
• lacking in intelligence (1934)
• a dim-witted saboteur (1956)
• liar (consistently from 1959 to the present)
• a trained seal (1961)
• evil genius (1962)
• Canadian Mussolini (1964)
• pompous ass (1967)
• pig (1977)
• jerk (1980)
• sleaze bag (1984)
• racist (1986)
• scuzzball (1988)

In Britain, the following words have been deemed unparliamentary over time: blackguard, coward, git, guttersnipe, hooligan, rat, swine, stoolpigeon, and traitor. In the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Speaker has ruled the phrases "papish bigot," "Orange bigot," and "Protestant bigot" to be unparliamentary.

External link

• Unparliamentary language
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• [2]
• [3] Unparliamentary terms in New Zealand