Participate

Picture for Submit a brief
Submit a brief

A brief is a written submission that provides opinions, comments and recommendations on a subject being studied by a parliamentary committee. Any individual or organization may submit a brief to a committee of the House of Commons, even if they are not given the opportunity to appear before the committee.

How to submit a brief
Picture for Appear before a committee
Appear before a committee

Committees regularly invite private citizens, experts, representatives of organizations, public servants and ministers to appear before them in order to elicit information (receive evidence) relevant to the study under consideration. These consultations allow witnesses to set out and clarify their point of view, which is often presented in a written brief, and gives members of the Committee the opportunity to ask questions.

Prepare to appear before a committee
Picture for Request to appear before a Committee
Request to appear before a Committee

Any citizen or organization interested in sharing their opinion in person or by videoconference regarding a study being carried out by a committee may request to appear before it by sending an email to the committee clerk. The individual or organization must indicate in the email their specific interest and area of expertise in relation to the study. The clerk will then forward the request to appear to the committee members. The committee will evaluate the requests and draw up the list of witnesses, based on committee practice. It is important to communicate your interest as quickly as possible, because committees typically establish the list of witnesses at the start of their study.

Contact a committee
Committees study various matters related to their mandates. When planning a study, committees decide on its scope, as well as the methods for gathering information and timelines for completion. The following committees are currently seeking input on the studies listed below. Please click on the name of the study that interests you to find out how you can participate.

For more information about any committee or study, please contact the clerk of the committee.

Picture for Who can attend meetings?
Who can attend meetings?

With the exception of in camera meetings, committee meetings are generally open to the public. Most meetings are held in one of the committee meeting rooms on Parliament Hill, but from time to time, committees may also hold hearings in other locations in Canada. For the schedule of committee meetings and to verify whether or not a committee meeting will be held in public, please consult the Meetings page. Individuals appearing before the committee as witnesses should refer to the section above Appearance before a committee.

All Meetings
Picture for the House of Commons Calendar
When do committees meet?

Most standing committees usually meet twice a week, depending on the House of Commons schedule, the committee's workload and a number of other factors. Consult the Meetings page to find out about the upcoming meetings of all the committees or a specific committee.

All Meetings
Getting to the committee room
Layout of a typical meeting room

Once in the committee meeting room, visitors should be seated in the area reserved for the public.
Visitors must always respect the rules of order and decorum in the committee room. Participating in any form of demonstration inside the buildings is prohibited.

Committee room locations

All visitors, including witnesses, are required to go through security scanning to enter the Parliament Buildings. Line-ups are to be expected.

Audio and video recordings of committee meetings

All public committee meetings can be followed live on the Internet via ParlVU. ParlVU also offers on demand viewing of the deliberations of past televised House of Commons committee meetings and audio of all other House of Commons committee meetings open to the public.

Webcasts (ParlVU)
Committee meeting transcripts
Committee meeting transcripts

The Evidence is the in extenso transcript of what is said during a committee meeting. The Evidence includes remarks made by committee members, committee staff and witnesses appearing before the committee. The Evidence is usually available on the committee’s Web site within 10 calendar days of the meeting. The Evidence is published for public meetings, or for those parts of a meeting that are held in public, and is prepared in both English and French.

To access the Evidence, click on the Meetings page, then click on the Evidence for a specific meeting on the committee’s webpage or do the same on the Meetings page that displays information for all the committees.

All Meetings