When a Canadian committee can ask the government to respond
House of Commons standing orders give ministers 120 days for a comprehensive response when a report requests one.
A committee of Canada's House of Commons can ask for a comprehensive government response when it presents a report. Standing Order 109 provides a 120-day window for the response.
The committee's findings and the government's reply are separate documents. Reading them together makes it possible to see which recommendations the government accepts, which it disputes and what action it says it will take. A committee report can influence the debate without changing the law on its own.