House of Commons Procedure and Practice
Edited by Robert Marleau and Camille Montpetit
2000 Edition — More information …
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[101] 
Standing Order 113(5).
[102] 
Standing Order 113(6). Legislative committees were not empowered to create sub-committees when the Standing Orders concerning them were first adopted. The power to create a sub-committee on agenda and procedure was added to the Standing Orders in 1986. See Journals, February 6, 1986, pp. 1644-66, in particular p. 1659; February 13, 1986, p. 1710.
[103] 
Standing Order 121(1).
[104] 
Standing Order 120.
[105] 
See, for example, Journals, February 10, 1988, p. 2166.
[106] 
See, for example, Journals, January 25, 1977, pp. 286-7; March 30, 1993, pp. 2742-3; November 18, 1997, pp. 224-5. Between 1979 and 1985, the House made use of a variant of the special committee known as a “task force”; the number of members named to a task force was small, no substitutions were permitted, and a limited length of time was given to carry out their work. A detailed analysis of the House’s experience with task forces can be found in Audrey O’Brien, “Parliamentary Task Forces in the Canadian House of Commons: A New Approach to Committee Activity”, The Parliamentarian, January 1985, Vol. LXVI, No. 1, pp. 28-32.
[107] 
See, for example, Journals, November 5, 1997, pp. 196-7; November 18, 1997, pp. 224-5.
[108] 
An amendment to the motion to concur in the final report, which seeks to recommit the report to the committee, may be made without the need for a motion to reconstitute the committee. See Speaker Macnaughton’s ruling, Journals, December 1, 1964, pp. 941-7.
[109] 
See, for example, the Special Joint Committee on a Code of Conduct in the First Session (1994-96) and Second Session (1996-97) of the Thirty-Fifth Parliament, Journals, June 19, 1995, pp. 1801-2; March 12, 1996, pp. 83-4.
[110] 
See, for example, Journals, January 29, 1988, pp. 2092-3.
[111] 
See, for example, Journals, October 29, 1990, p. 2183.
[112] 
See, for example, Journals, October 10, 1990, p. 2094.
[113] 
See, for example, Journals, February 23, 1994, p. 186.
[114] 
See, for example, Journals, March 16, 1994, p. 263. Standing Order 119.1(1) restricts committees to the broadcasting facilities provided by the House.
[115] 
See, for example, the power to request drafting assistance from the government (Journals, November 22, 1991, p. 717); the power to advertise using the Parliamentary television channel (Journals, April 6, 1990, p. 1511).
[116] 
Standing Order 121(1).
[117] 
See, for example, Journals, February 25, 1994, p. 206; March 7, 1994, p. 214.
[118] 
See, for example, Journals, April 6, 1990, p. 1511.
[119] 
See Standing Order 104(3) and Senate Rule 86(1)(a)-(e).
[120] 
Typically, the motion concludes with a request in the following form: “that a message be sent to the Senate, requesting that House to unite with this House for the above purpose…” See, for example, Journals, March 16, 1994, p. 263.
[121] 
Standing Order 104(3). Since 1867, there have been two other standing joint committees: on Printing and on the Parliamentary Restaurant. Reference to these committees is still found in Senate Rule 86(1). Reference to the Standing Joint Committee on Printing was dropped from the Standing Orders in 1986 (see Journals, February 6, 1986, pp. 1644-66, in particular p. 1657, and February 13, 1986, p. 1710). While the Standing Orders have never contained a reference to the Standing Joint Committee on the Restaurant of Parliament, the House began to name members to it in 1909 (see Journals, February 10, 1909, p. 69). The last occasion on which members were named to this Committee was during the First Session of the Thirtieth Parliament (see Journals, March 14, 1980, pp. 168-70).
[122] 
Standing Order 108(4)(a).
[123] 
Parliament of Canada Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. P-1, s. 74(1).
[124] 
Standing Order 108(4)(b).
[125] 
R.S.C. 1985, c. 31 (4th Supp.), s. 88 as amended by S.C. 1995, c. 11, s. 30.
[126]
The nature and role of the Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations are set out in detail in Chapter 17, “Delegated Legislation”.
[127] 
A statutory instrument is a rule, order, regulation or other regulatory text as defined in s. 2(1) of the Statutory Instruments Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. S-22.
[128] 
Standing Order 108(4)(c).
[129] 
R.S.C. 1985, c. S-20, s. 19(3) and c. S-22, s. 19.
[130] 
See, for example, Journals, April 24, 1996, p. 254; May 29, 1996, p. 457.
[131] 
Journals, November 18, 1997, pp. 224-5.
[132] 
Journals, February 23, 1994, pp. 186-7.
[133] 
Journals, March 16, 1994, pp. 262-5.
[134] 
Journals, March 12, 1996, pp. 83-4.
[135] 
Journals, December 22, 1982, pp. 5493-4.
[136] 
Journals, October 23, 1980, pp. 601-3; June 16, 1987, pp. 1100-2; December 17, 1990, pp. 2488-90; May 17, 1991, p. 43; June 19, 1991, pp. 226-7; October 1, 1997, pp. 59-61; October 28, 1997, pp. 158-61.
[137] 
Journals, November 22, 1991, pp. 717-8.
[138] 
Journals, March 20, 1993, pp. 2742-3.
[139] 
Senate Rule 90 provides a standing committee with the powers “to inquire into and report upon such matters as are referred to it from time to time by the Senate … to send for persons, papers and records … and to print from day to day such papers and evidence as may be ordered by it”.
[140] 
Senate Rule 95(4).
[141] 
See, for example, Journals of the Senate, May 30, 1991, p. 59; May 10, 1994, p. 253.
[142] 
Standing Order 108(1). This Standing Order does not distinguish between standing committees of the House and standing joint committees of the House and Senate.
[143] 
Standing Order 121. TheFinancial Policy Manual for Committees of the House of Commons provides that the budgets of each standing joint committee be shared between the two Houses of Parliament in proportion to the number of members from each House on the committee. See Financial Policy Manual for Committees, September 1997, Paragraph A-2.3.
[144] 
Standing Order 119.1.
[145] 
Standing Order 120.
[146] 
Standing Order 118(1) reserves for the House the power to determine, in consultation with the Senate, the quorum in standing joint committees. The quorum is the number of members who must be present in order for the standing joint committee to transact business. A reduced quorum is the number of members, less than a full quorum, authorized by the committee to meet for purposes other than the taking of decisions.
[147] 
Standing Order 118(2).
[148] 
Standing Order 109.
[149] 
See, for example, Journals, November 22, 1991, p. 717.
[150] 
See, for example, Journals, February 23, 1994, p. 186; March 16, 1994, p. 263; November 18, 1997, p. 225.

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