House of Commons Procedure and Practice
Edited by Robert Marleau and Camille Montpetit
2000 Edition — More information …
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[301] 
The Senate members of joint committees require special permission of the Senate to sit while the Senate is sitting. See, for example, Standing Joint Committee on Official Languages, Minutes, October 21, 1997, Meeting No. 1.
[302] 
See Bourinot, 4thed., pp. 467-8.
[303] 
See, for example, Standing Joint Committee on Regulations and Statutory Instruments, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, February 3, 1983, Issue No. 77, p. 3; Standing Committee on Human Resources Development, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, April 25, 1996, Issue No. 4, pp. 22-4.
[304] 
See Speaker Fraser’s ruling, Debates, March 20, 1990, pp. 9512-3.
[305] 
Standing Order 115(1).
[306] 
See Speaker Fraser’s ruling, Debates, March 20, 1990, pp. 9512-3.
[307] 
Standing Order 115(2).
[308] 
Standing Order 115(3).
[309] 
See Standing Order 115(4), and Journals, June 10, 1994, p. 563; September 19, 1994, p. 682.
[310]
Joint committees may meet in the committee meeting rooms provided either by the House or by the Senate.
[311] 
See, for example, Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, Minutes, November 20, 1997, Meeting No. 6.
[312] 
Standing Order 115(1).
[313] 
See, for example, Journals, December 5, 1995, p. 2208.
[314] 
The decision may be made by the adoption of a motion in committee or by the concurrence of recommendations of a steering committee. See, for example, Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, Minutes, October 21, 1997, Meeting No. 2.
[315] 
See, for example, Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, Minutes, November 6, 1997, Meeting No. 9. The Chair always acts with the implicit consent of the committee. See Speaker Lamoureux’s ruling, Debates, March 3, 1967, p. 13704. The exception to the convening of the committee by the Chair is the organization meeting of a standing or special committee, which is convened by the Clerk of the House.
[316] 
See, for example, Journals, April 2, 1957, p. 362; April 8, 1957, p. 421.
[317] 
See, for example, Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Minutes, February 4, 1999, Meeting No. 87.
[318] 
Where a joint committee so wishes, it may adopt a motion to govern the manner in which its meetings are to be convened or cancelled, as the case may be. See, for example, Special Joint Committee on Official Languages, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, March 9-11, 1982, Issue No. 37, pp. 3-4 and 6-13.
[319]
Prior to February 1996, printed notices were sent via the House of Commons internal mail system or hand delivered by messenger.
[320] 
The subject announced on the notice of meeting is not binding on the committee, which may decide to take up any subject within its mandate at any meeting. See Speaker Fraser’s ruling, Debates, December 18, 1989, pp. 7059-60; see also Debates, October 20, 1989, pp. 4927-33.
[321]
Meetings of each committee are assigned numbers consecutively, beginning with the first meeting of each session. A committee may hold more than one meeting in a single day, sometimes on unrelated topics.
[322]
Notices for all upcoming committee meetings are posted on the Parliamentary Website at « http://www.parl.gc.ca ».
[323] 
See Speaker Macnaughton’s ruling, Debates, October 28, 1963, pp. 4071-2.
[324] 
Standing Order 106(3). See, for example, Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, Minutes, December 3, 1997, Meeting No. 19. In this case, the notice was sent within the required 10 sitting-day period, and the meeting took place on the eleventh day following receipt of the letter from the four members.
[325] 
See, for example, Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, Minutes, March 11, 1998, Meeting No. 14.
[326] 
See, for example, Special Joint Committee on Official Languages, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, March 11, 1982, Issue No. 37, p. 4.
[327] 
See, for example, Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, Minutes, November 17, 1998, Meeting No. 41.
[328] 
See, for example, Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, Minutes, October 29, 1998, Meeting No. 39.
[329] 
See, for example, Special Joint Committee on a Renewed Canada, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, November 13, 1991, Issue No. 19, p. 3. While such adjournments sine die may result in a committee not proceeding further with a study ordered by the House, the Speaker has declined to intervene. See Debates, February 26, 1992, pp. 7620-4.
[330] 
Standing Order 118(1).
[331] 
See, for example, Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, Minutes, December 4, 1997, Meeting No. 26.
[332] 
See, for example, Journals, October 29, 1997, p. 165; November 25, 1997, p. 257.
[333] 
See, for example, Journals, October 28, 1997, pp. 158-62; November 5, 1997, pp. 196-7.
[334] 
The quorum in joint committees is usually less than a majority of the members. For example, in the case of the Standing Joint Committee on Official Languages, quorum is set at 7, while a simple majority of the members would require a quorum of 13. See Standing Joint Committee on Official Languages, Minutes, October 21, 1997, Meeting No. 1.
[335] 
Standing Order 118(2).
[336] 
See, for example, Journals, November 5, 1997, p. 196.
[337] 
For House committees, it is often stipulated that a member of the opposition must be present. For joint committees, it is usually required that both Houses be represented in the reduced quorum. See, for example, Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, Minutes, October 21, 1997, Meeting No. 2; Journals, November 5, 1997, p. 196.
[338] 
Standing Order 118(2).
[339]
For the manner in which the members of the various types of committees are selected, see section above, “Membership”.
[340]
For the method of electing a committee Chair, see section above, “Election of the Chair and the Vice-Chair”.
[341] 
Standing Order 106(1).
[342] 
In practice, 48 hours’ notice is taken to mean that the notice is sent on the second day preceding the meeting. The House has, on occasion, suspended this Standing Order with respect to all or some committees to permit them to meet with less than 48 hours’ notice. See, for example, Journals, September 18, 1995, p. 1891; October 1, 1998, p. 1109.
[343] 
Although standing committees are required to elect Vice-Chairs, the Standing Orders do not give the clerk the authority to include these elections in the notice which convenes the committee. See Standing Order 106(1). Any decision about dealing with matters other than the election of the Chair at an organization meeting is made by the committee with the Chair (or Acting Chair) presiding.
[344]
Only standing committees are obliged to elect Vice-Chairs. See section above, “Election of the Chair and the Vice-Chair”.
[345] 
Standing Order 113(3). When the Legislative Committee on Bill C-72, the Official Languages Act, failed to meet within the prescribed period, Speaker Fraser stated that it would not be appropriate for the Speaker to set a date for the first meeting of the Committee. See Debates, March 14, 1988, pp. 13706-7.
[346] 
Standing Committee on Transport, Minutes, October 7, 1997, Meeting No. 1.
[347] 
Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Minutes, October 8, 1997, Meeting No. 1.
[348] 
Standing Order 118(2).
[349] 
See, for example, Standing Committee on Finance, Minutes, October 2, 1997, Meeting No. 1.
[350] 
In the case of joint committees, it is usual for the motion to require that both Houses be represented. See, for example, Standing Joint Committee on Official Languages, Minutes, October 21, 1997, Meeting No. 1.

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