Précédent.ai

The Speaker: I would like to thank the hon. member for having raised this matter. It is true that the right to seek information and to hold government to account are at the basis of our parliamentary system. The member seems unsatisfied with the type of information and level of details obtained in response to questions raised in the House and through written questions placed on the Order Paper. I will quote the House of Commons Procedure and Practice, third edition, pages 529 and 530: There are no provisions in the rules for the Speaker to review government responses to questions. Nonetheless, on several occasions, Members have raised questions of privilege in the House regarding the accuracy of information contained in responses to written questions; in none of these cases was the matter found to be a prima facie breach of privilege. The Speaker has ruled that it is not the role of the Chair to determine whether or not the contents of documents tabled in the House are accurate nor to "assess the likelihood of an Hon. Member knowing whether the facts contained in a document are correct". This question is not a new one and the Speaker has indicated in the past that it is acceptable for the government, in response to written questions, to indicate that it cannot supply an answer. As such, in the Chair's opinion, this does not constitute a prima facie case of privilege, nor does it constitute a valid point of order. It is my duty pursuant to Standing Order 38 to inform the House that the questions to be raised tonight at the time of adjournment are as follows: the hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands, Climate Change; the hon. member for Cypress Hills—Grasslands, Agriculture and Agri-Food; the hon. member for Victoria, Climate Change.

Question of privilege concerning government responses to questions

Ruling Text

AI Summary

AI Analysis

AI Keywords

Cited Authorities

Tags & Keywords