Statement
September 17, 2012
The right to regulate its internal affairs: access to information requests concerning the appearance of a witness in committee
Hon. Andrew Scheer
Speaker of the House
Ruling Text
The Speaker:
On December 2, 2013, the House concurred in the Forty-Second Report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, originally presented to the House in the First Session of the Forty-First Parliament. The House agreed to the Committee's guidelines for the House to follow in order to determine its response to access to information requests in which the House is a third party. In its Report, the Committee emphasized that, by agreeing to disclose or not to disclose documents, the House would in no way be surrendering its privileges, and that the usual protections afforded to its Members, its staff and its witnesses would remain.
[2].
[1]
Journals, September 17, 2012, p. 1918, Debates, p. 10004.
[2]
Forty-Second Report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affaires, initially presented to the House on March 7, 2013 (Journals, p. 2836 ) and deemed presented and concurred in on December 2, 2013 (Journals, p. 259 ).
Edit Metadata
Holding
"The House's adoption of guidelines for responding to third-party access to information requests does not constitute a surrender of parliamentary privilege."
AI Summary
The Speaker clarifies that the House's procedure for handling access to information requests does not waive parliamentary privilege.
AI Analysis
- Outcome
- Other
- Tone
- Educational
- Procedural Stage
- Routine Proceedings
- Significance
Low
High