• Letter from the Speaker
• A Sense of Place and of Purpose: Canada's House of Commons
• Find Out More About Canada's Members of Parliament
• Reaching Out and Engaging Citizens
• At Work in the House of Commons
• At Work in Committees
• At Work Representing Canada Abroad
• Behind the Scenes: The House of Commons Administration
• Supporting Strategic Objectives
• Conclusion
• Financial Report
• Members of the House of Commons

At Work in Committees

Committee work is an important part of Members' duties. It is here that Members study proposed legislation, amend bills and examine departmental spending plans. Committees can initiate their own inquiries or study issues referred to them by the House. These issues relate to areas of public policy such as the environment, defence and health.

Legislative Process

Committees can ask interested parties to submit briefs and may travel across Canada or abroad to gather information and hear from individuals and groups with an interest in the subject. At the conclusion of a study, the committee may present a report to the House with its views and recommendations.

The House of Commons has 24 standing committees, each consisting of 12 Members, as well as 2 standing joint committees.

How Committee Members Are Selected

To determine membership on House committees, lists of candidates are prepared by the party whips. These lists are submitted to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, which submits a final list to the House of Commons for approval.

Committee representation is based on party standings in the House of Commons. Most standing committees are chaired by members of the governing party. Each chair is assisted by a first vice-chair, who is a member of the Official Opposition, and a second vice-chair, who is a member of an opposition party other than the Official Opposition.

There are exceptions to this rule. The following are standing committees that are chaired by a member of the Official Opposition with a first vice-chair from the governing party and a second vice-chair from an opposition party other than the Official Opposition:

• Public Accounts
• Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics
• Status of Women
• Government Operations and Estimates
• Scrutiny of Regulations.

Committee Studies

In addition to studying legislation, committees investigate many subjects. Over the past year, House of Commons committees held a total of 1,087 meetings and produced 190 committee reports.

Visit the Parliament of Canada Web site at www.parl.gc.ca for a complete list of these reports (available on the respective committee's page or on the global committee page).

The following partial list offers a glimpse of the range of subjects studied by committees:

• the role of a public broadcaster in the 21st century
• taxation
• small craft harbours
• Canada's presence in Afghanistan
• prescription drugs
• the economic security of women
• Canada's trade and investment relations with the Arab states, the European Union and Southeast Asia
• Witness Protection Program
• the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act
• refugees
• counterfeiting and piracy of intellectual property
• the vitality of official language minority communities.

Unique Characteristics of Committee Work

By virtue of their smaller size relative to the Chamber, committees allow Members to examine complex matters in detail and help to develop their expertise in specific areas of public policy. Committees are also a forum where Members can hear from experts on a range of topics and have this information placed on the public record.

A committee is not a final decision-making body. When it has finished considering a matter, it presents its findings and recommendations in a report to the House. Committees can influence policies and decision-making, and their reports may include a request that the government provide a comprehensive response within 120 days.

Organization of Committees

Every standing committee is led by a chair and two vice-chairs. The chair is the presiding officer and spokesperson, and casts a vote only when there is a tie. The chair's duties include maintaining order and decorum and deciding on questions of order and procedure, as well as leading the work of the committee.

The committee clerk is a non-partisan and independent officer who serves all members of a given committee. As an expert in the rules of the House of Commons, the clerk may be asked to advise on procedural questions. The clerk is the coordinator, organizer and liaison officer for the committee and is in frequent contact with members' staff, government departments and members of the public.

OUTREACH PROFILE

United Way

Every year, the House of Commons organizes fundraising events to support the United Way campaign. In 2000, employees contributed more than $40,000-surpassing their objective by 15%. In 2005, employees more than doubled that sum, raising $84,872 in contributions. And in 2007, this campaign raised $109,479 in contributions.

The organizers of the United Way campaign reveal the partial amount collected in 2007 to the Clerk.

Photo: © House of Commons