• Letter from the Speaker
• Canada's House of Commons
• Activities in the Chamber
• Committees: Examining Bills and Issues in Depth
• In Touch with Canadians
• Representing Canada Internationally
• Behind the Scenes: The House of Commons Administration
• Conclusion
• Financial Report
• Members of the House of Commons

In Touch with Canadians

At Work for Constituents

Members represent their constituents' views and serve their interests in the Chamber, caucus and committees. They help constituents in their dealings with the federal government on such matters as visas and passports, employment insurance and taxation. They also attend a wide variety of local events in their ridings.

MPs are assisted in their work by their staff on Parliament Hill and in their constituency offices. Members from large or densely populated ridings may have more than one constituency office. Technology enables staff to work closely together regardless of geographic location and to stay on top of issues.

There are many ways for Canadians to reach their Members of Parliament; these include postage-free correspondence or contact by telephone, e-mail or fax. The Parliament of Canada Web site lists contact information for all MPs. Many offer toll-free telephone lines for their constituents, and many have Web sites providing information and answers to questions frequently asked by constituents. Members also send out mailings to inform constituents of their activities.

Presenting Petitions

Members can present petitions on behalf of their constituents or other Canadians, to address issues of public interest or to ask Parliament to take action. Under the rules of the House of Commons, the government must table a response to each petition. In 2006-2007, there were 1,351 petitions presented in the House. The following is a list of the top issues presented in the form of petitions:

• the automobile industry
• marriage
• immigration
• national child-care program
• sexual exploitation of minors

Tuning into Parliament

Canadians can watch the activities of the House and its committees on television and via the Internet. The House inaugurated television broadcasts of its proceedings nearly 30 years ago, and today, approximately one million Canadians tune in each week to the Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC). During the last year, CPAC broadcast about 1,200 hours of Chamber proceedings.

ParlVU, the Webcast service maintained by the House, also carries live proceedings of the Commons, televised committee meetings and live audio of all other House of Commons committee meetings that are open to the public.

The Parliament of Canada Web site (www.parl.gc.ca) is a source of information about the Senate, the House of Commons and the Library of Parliament. Visitors can quickly locate information on Members' activities, bills under consideration, committee activities, and guided tours. In 2006-2007, close to 7.4 million Internet users visited the site.

Providing Information Services

The Library of Parliament provides valuable assistance to the Senate, the House of Commons and Canadians. Library staff respond to hundreds of requests for information and reference services daily from Members' offices, parliamentary committees and associations, and Parliamentary officials.

Through its public programs, the Library provides Canadians with information and services concerning Parliament, such as programs and products for teachers, print and electronic publications, guided tours, interpretive exhibits, and on-site and e-commerce boutiques.