Point of Order
May 2, 1966
Royal commission
Hon. Lucien Lamoureux
Speaker of the House
Ruling Text
"... the principle by which we should be guided is that Parliament is supreme: that it is only in extreme cases where... debates are limited in some way, [for example, because] certain questions have been referred to a royal commission." There is a very narrow limitation to the general rule that no reference should be made in the course of debate to evidence given in any proceeding before a royal commission or inquiry. However, the issue raised in the amendment "is collateral to the main issue. It does not refer to the essence of the evidence but rather to knowledge acquired from evidence of what is considered to be a collateral issue, namely, the manner in which certain information was given by, or obtained from, the RCMP."
Edit Metadata
Holding
"References in debate to evidence from a royal commission are permissible if they relate to a collateral matter and not the main substance of the inquiry."
AI Summary
A Speaker's ruling permitting reference in debate to evidence from a royal commission when the matter is collateral to the inquiry's main issue.
AI Analysis
- Outcome
- Denied
- Tone
- Educational
- Procedural Stage
- Government Orders
- Significance
Low
High