Question Period Notes
Why must we disclose QP notes?
The Government of Canada has implemented a series of measures to strengthen public sector management and increase transparency by proactively publishing certain information by the Senate, the House of Commons, Parliamentary entities, Ministers' offices, government institutions and institutions that support superior courts. As such, subsection 74 (c) of the Access to Information Act will require all Departments to proactively publish all Question Period (QP) notes.
QP is a period of regularly scheduled time in the House of Commons during which members of the Official Opposition and other members may direct questions to the Prime Minister and to Ministers concerning affairs of state.
QP notes are used to inform a Minister about issues that may arise during Question Period. The note should offer suggested replies to possible questions. QP notes are usually prepared in response to a specific request from a Minister's office or Parliamentary Affairs, and must meet strict deadlines.
Who is responsible for reporting?
The Corporate Secretariat is responsible for reporting the QP notes.
What information should be disclosed?
All QP notes that were prepared for a Minister and that were in use on the last sitting day of the month in question.
New tools and templates were prepared and are now available. Please note that QP note templates were designed to include web-publishing requirements. Templates for QP notes for respective Ministers can be found here:
- Link to follow
To streamline the proactive disclosure process, a new SharePoint (SP) site was created and will become a "one-stop shop" for hosting and preparing all QP notes for their proactive publication.
The SP site adheres to ESDC's Information Management principles including Open by Default: Any ESDC employee will be able to access the QP notes before they are proactively published.
When is the reporting period?
QP notes must be published bi-annually within 30 days, after the last sitting day of the House of Commons in June and December or, respectively, no later than July 31 or January 31 if the House of Commons is not sitting in June or December. When the publication deadline falls on a statutory holiday or weekend, the publication deadline is the first business day following the statutory holiday or weekend.
For questions related to this process, do not hesitate to contact the Access to Information Act Implementation Working Group (ATIAIWG).