Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present the third report of the Standing Joint Committee on Scrutiny of Regulations. It draws to the attention of the House the frequent failure to table documents of delegated legislation in Parliament as required by various federal statutes.
The tabling of documents constitutes a fundamental procedure of the House. It ensures that members have access to the information necessary to effectively deal with the issues before Parliament. The contravention of a statutory duty to table a particular instrument of delegated legislation constitutes a prima facie breach of privileges of the House and may be treated as contempt.
Regulation making authorities clearly need to be more vigilant of statutory tabling requirements. Careless disregard for the laws made by Parliament reflects a lack of respect not only for Parliament, but for the rule of law itself.
The standing joint committee urges regulation making authorities to review their internal procedures to ensure these requirements are not overlooked or ignored.