House of Commons Administration
The House of Commons Administration is dedicated to providing a range of quality services and expert advice to Members of Parliament to support them in their parliamentary duties as legislators and representatives in the Chamber, in committees, in caucus, and in their offices on Parliament Hill and in their constituency.
Board of Internal Economy
The Board of Internal Economy (BOIE) is the governing body of the House of Commons. Under the Parliament of Canada Act, the BOIE has the legal authority to “act on all financial and administrative matters respecting (a) the House of Commons, its premises, its services and its staff; and (b) the members of the House of Commons.”
Speaker of the House of Commons
As the head of the House Administration, the Speaker is responsible for its overall direction and management. Many of the administrative duties of the Speaker are performed by the Clerk of the House under the direction of the Speaker and pertain to the provision of support to Members of Parliament—both individually and collectively—in their parliamentary roles and to the House itself as an institution. The Speaker chairs the Board of Internal Economy, the governing body of the House of Commons.
Clerk of the House of Commons
The Clerk of the House of Commons is the chief executive of the House Administration and is responsible for the day-to-day management of its operations. The Clerk is at the service of all Members and must act with impartiality and discretion. The Clerk also authenticates all decisions made by the House, maintains a record of proceedings, and advises on the interpretation of parliamentary rules, precedents, and practices.
In addition, the Clerk oversees the following functions:
Audit and Improvement
The Audit and Improvement directorate helps the organization deliver on its mission through assurance and advisory activities intended to add value to its governance, risk management and control processes and continually improve processes and services to Members.
Corporate Communications
The Corporate Communications team provides the BOIE, the Office of the Speaker, the Clerk and the House Administration with strategic and centralized advice, analysis, products, tools, and support related to strategic communications, branding, crisis communications, social media, and media relations.
Curatorial Services
Curatorial Services provides advice to the institution on heritage matters and is responsible for its collection, which comprises some 5,000 objects, including official portraits, historical paintings and other works of art, as well as ceremonial objects and furniture. The Peace Tower Carillon also falls within its purview.
Press Gallery Secretariat
The Press Gallery Secretariat provides the technical and administrative infrastructure for Canada’s Parliamentary Press Gallery.
Procedural Services
Procedural Services advises the Speaker, Members, and officers of the House of Commons on a broad range of procedural and legislative matters. It also conducts research, provides training on parliamentary practice, and coordinates Members’ participation in international and interparliamentary activities. This service area produces records of parliamentary activities in both official languages, such as the transcripts of debates in the House and the minutes of committee meetings.
Committees and Legislative Services
The Committees and Legislative Services Directorate provides procedural and administrative support to all standing, special, legislative and joint committees of the House of Commons. The directorate is also responsible for providing procedural advice to the Speaker and Members concerning legislation and the legislative process.
House Proceedings
The House Proceedings Directorate is responsible for supporting the business of the Chamber, including by producing parliamentary publications, managing the Page Program, and coordinating Private Members’ Business. It also provides research, advice, and information on parliamentary procedure.
International and Interparliamentary Affairs
The International and Interparliamentary Affairs Directorate (IIA), a joint directorate of the Senate and the House of Commons, coordinates the Parliament of Canada’s external relations and activities. IIA supports the two Speakers’ exchanges with their counterparts, the activities of parliamentary associations and recognized interparliamentary groups in Canada and abroad, official visits by dignitaries and heads of state, and conferences hosted by the Parliament of Canada.
Parliamentary Information and Publications
The Parliamentary Information and Publications Directorate is responsible for coordinating Procedural Services’ information technology activities; implementing strategies to manage its information assets; producing a record of the debates, proceedings, and evidence of the House and its committees; ensuring the analytical indexing of key House and committee publications; and overseeing the strategic direction for the dissemination of digital content.
Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel
As the House of Commons’ chief legal officer, the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel provides legal and legislative services to the Speaker, the BOIE, Members, committees, the Clerk, and the House Administration.
Legal Services
Legal Services offers comprehensive legal advice and services to the House as an institution as well as to the Speaker, the BOIE, Members, committees, and the House Administration. Legal advisors specialize in multiple areas of law, including parliamentary, constitutional, labour, and contract law. This team may also intervene in legal proceedings on behalf of the House of Commons and its Members to ensure their parliamentary privileges and immunities are protected.
Legislation Services
Legislation Services assists in drafting private Member’s bills and motions to amend government bills. This directorate is also responsible for printing government bills and private Member’s bills as they move through the legislative process, ensuring that they are correctly printed and reprinted with amendments, as approved by the House or its committees, in view of their ultimate adoption as acts of Parliament.
Administrative Services
The Office of the Deputy Clerk, Administration, provides Members with a broad range of services, infrastructure, support and advice to help them carry out their parliamentary functions on the Hill and in constituencies. The Office supports strategic planning and reporting activities and supervises the management and maintenance of the corporate human resources and financial systems. It oversees several service areas—namely Digital Services and Real Property, the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms and Corporate Security, Finance Services, Human Resources Services, and Parliamentary Precinct Operations.
Digital Services and Real Property
Digital Services and Real Property delivers modern, secure, cost-effective products, workspaces, and services where and when needed by Members, the House of Commons Administration, and partners.
Finance Services
Finance Services provides advisory and operational support to Members and their staff, as well as to the House Administration, in the areas of policy and financial planning, financial management, and material and contract management.
Human Resources Services
Human Resources Services offers a range of support services to Members and their staff, as well as to the House Administration, in the areas of talent management, employee relations, pay and benefits, occupational health and safety, and organizational effectiveness.
Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms and Corporate Security
The Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms and Corporate Security is responsible for ensuring security on the floor of the House of Commons Chamber, conducting investigations, coordinating visitor and event access, ensuring security awareness, and administering parking services. It also develops and implements House-wide security policies, standards and processes to eliminate security risks and threats whenever possible and respond to those it detects. It works in close collaboration with other security partners such as the Parliamentary Protective Service.
Parliamentary Precinct Operations
Parliamentary Precinct Operations provides efficient and modern operational support to ensure a functional work environment for Members and the House Administration. This includes trade services, tenant operations, room allocations, food services, postal and messenger services, transportation, printing, as well as maintenance and material handling.