Ruling
October 4, 1971
Federal Court of Canada
Hon. Lucien Lamoureux
Speaker of the House
Ruling Text
Too narrow an interpretation of the authorities cited by Members would place Parliament in an intolerable situation where "the whole legislative process might be stopped simply by the initiation of a writ or legal proceedings in one or other of the courts of Canada". Other authorities clearly give a wider interpretation, indicating that the sub judice convention does not apply to bills.
Edit Metadata
Holding
"The sub judice convention, which prevents discussion of matters actively before the courts, does not apply to the debate on bills."
AI Summary
The Speaker ruled that the sub judice convention does not apply to bills, preventing legal proceedings from halting the legislative process.
AI Analysis
- Outcome
- Denied
- Tone
- Educational
- Procedural Stage
- Government Orders
- Significance
Low
High