Ruling
April 19, 1983
Premature disclosure of budget provisions
Hon. Jeanne Sauvé
Speaker of the House
Ruling Text
According to the practice whereby the Minister of Finance presents his budget in the House before declaring it in any other public forum, budget secrecy is a political convention which does not come under parliamentary privilege. Moreover, parliamentary tradition provides for the use of a substantive motion if there are grounds to make direct accusations against holders of certain offices, including Ministers.
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Holding
"A breach of budget secrecy is a violation of political convention, not parliamentary privilege, and any accusation against a Minister for such a breach must be made through a substantive motion."
AI Summary
This ruling establishes that budget secrecy is a political convention, not a matter of privilege, and any accusation of its breach requires a substantive motion.
AI Analysis
- Outcome
- Other
- Tone
- Educational
- Procedural Stage
- Ways and Means
- Significance
Low
High