Point of Order
February 22, 1972
Tabling of documents
Hon. Lucien Lamoureux
Speaker of the House
Ruling Text
The rule governing tabling is clear. If a document is quoted in debate it has to be tabled. If a letter, even though it might have been written originally as a private document, becomes part of the record of a department, it is, thereafter, a public paper. The papers to which the Minister referred are part of the official penitentiary files and, if cited by the Minister, ought to be tabled in the House.
Edit Metadata
Holding
"Official departmental papers, including letters that have become part of the public record, must be tabled if cited by a Minister in debate."
AI Summary
The Speaker rules that Ministers must table official documents, including formerly private letters that have become part of a departmental record, if they are quoted during debate.
AI Analysis
- Outcome
- Sustained
- Tone
- Educational
- Procedural Stage
- Government Orders
- Significance
Low
High