Each year, parliamentary committees undertake numerous studies based on the permanent or specific mandates given to them by the House of Commons. For instance, they study bills and may amend them before sending them back to the House of Commons. They are involved in the review of the government’s spending by examining departmental estimates, reports on plans and priorities (departmental plans) and performance reports. They also participate in the review of Order in Council appointments by calling nominees to appear. Furthermore, committees may initiate their own studies on issues related to the subject areas of their mandates. In conducting these studies, committees will hear from witnesses and, in most cases, will present a report of their findings and recommendations back to the House of Commons. Given the number and scope of their studies, it is clear that committees play an essential role in the work of the House of Commons.

The Liaison Committee, composed of the Chairs of all standing committees and the House Co-Chairs of standing joint committees, is empowered to deliberate on administrative matters relating to the standing committee system. Its main responsibility is to apportion funds to standing committees from the money allocated for that purpose by the Board of Internal Economy. To this end, a global envelope in the amount of $4 million for the 2022-23 fiscal year, is available to committees for their activities.

The Reports on Committee Activities and Expenditures, which are usually prepared three times per fiscal year by the Liaison Committee, present cumulative financial information on committees’ expenditures and the work they are doing. When required, they also include information on special committees, which are normally funded by the Board of Internal Economy. They serve as essential reporting and accountability mechanisms, not only for activities, but also for the use of the resources at committees’ disposal. By summarizing and consolidating statistics regarding the number of meetings, meeting hours, reports, briefs and witnesses for each committee, these reports, presented in a format intended to help readers better understand the work of committees, provide readers with a concise summary of committee mandates, activities and expenditures. Finally, they complement other reports and disclosure tools available to Canadians on the Board of Internal Economy website.

It is worth noting in this report that the measures taken by the House of Commons in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic have had an important impact on committees and their activities. Since April 2020, the House of Commons has adopted special orders authorizing committees to hold hybrid meetings. Initially, Committee members could attend meetings in person or via videoconference while witnesses were required to participate remotely. Then, in December 2021, the House adopted a motion ordering that Members, Senators and departmental and parliamentary officials appearing as witnesses before committees could do so in person. Most recently, in April 2022, the House ordered that, as of April 25, all witnesses could appear in person or by videoconference. Hybrid committee meetings have led to many changes in work methods and logistical processes, especially with the additional preparations of witnesses in advance of their remote appearance before a committee. Details are available in Appendix A of this report.

This report covers the period from April 1 to August 31, 2022. During this period, committees held a total of 448 meetings, heard from 2,276 witnesses and presented 77 reports to the House.

For the first time, the report also includes the number of briefs received by each committee. Receiving written briefs is another means, in addition to hearing from witnesses, by which committees can elicit considerable information relevant to their studies from individuals and organizations. Committees routinely publish the briefs they receive on the webpage of the relevant study. More information can be found in the Guide for submitting briefs to House of Commons Committees. During the period covered by this report, committees received 1,007 briefs.

We hope this report provides helpful and concise information on the activities of committees, thus giving a better sense of their important work on behalf of Canadians.

For further information, please contact the Liaison Committee at LIAI@parl.gc.ca.