About
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage has the power to review and report on the policies, programs and expenditure plans of the Department of Canadian Heritage and most of the agencies and Crown corporations within the Portfolio. These policies and programs relate to culture, the arts, heritage, official languages, civic education and literacy, diversity and inclusion, and Parks Canada, as well as youth, sport and Indigenous culture initiatives. Please note that the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages is responsible for studying the Department’s official languages policies and programs. In addition, the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women examines and reports on work related to the status of women and gender equality.
Established by the Standing Orders of the House of Commons, the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage studies matters referred to it by the House of Commons and topics that the Committee itself chooses to examine. It holds public meetings and considers evidence from witnesses. At the end of a study, the Committee usually reports on its findings and makes recommendations, and it may ask the government to respond to those recommendations.
Staff Assigned to the Committee
In the execution of its functions, each committee is normally assisted by a committee clerk, a committee assistant, and one or more analysts. Occasional assistance is also provided by legislative clerks and lawyers from the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel. These individuals are non-partisan and serve all members of the committee and representatives of all parties equally.
Committee Clerk
The clerk performs their duties and responsibilities under the direction of the committee and its Chair. As an expert in the rules of the House of Commons, the clerk may be requested to give advice to the Chair and members of the committee should a question of procedure arise. The clerk is the coordinator, organizer and liaison officer for the committee, and as such, is in frequent contact with Members’ staff. The clerk is also responsible for inviting witnesses and dealing with all the details regarding their appearance before the committee.
Committee Assistant
The committee assistant provides a wide range of specialized administrative services for the organization of committee meetings and the publishing of documents on the committee’s website. The committee assistant works with the clerk to meet the needs of the committee.
Committee Analyst
The Library of Parliament’s analysts, who are subject-matter experts, provide authoritative, substantive, and timely research, analysis and information to all members of the committee. They are part of the committee’s institutional memory and are a unique resource for parliamentarians. Supported by research librarians, the analysts work individually or in multidisciplinary teams.
Analysts can prepare briefing notes on the subjects being examined, detailed study plans, lists of proposed witnesses, analyses of an issue with a list of suggested questions, background papers, draft reports, news releases, and formal correspondence.
OTHER RESOURCES AVAILABLE AS REQUIRED
Parliamentary Counsel
Within the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel, parliamentary counsel (Legislation) are available to assist Members who are not in Cabinet with the preparation of private Members’ bills or of amendments to government bills or other bills.
At various stages of the legislative process, Members may propose amendments to bills. Amendments may first be proposed at the committee stage, during a committee’s clause-by-clause review of a bill. Amendments may also be proposed at the report stage, once a bill returns to the House.
Once a bill is sent to committee, the clerk of the committee provides Members the name of the parliamentary counsel (Legislation) responsible for drafting the amendments for that bill.
Legislative Clerk
The legislative clerk serves all members of the committee as a specialist of the process by which a bill becomes law. They are available to give, upon request from Members and their staff, advice on the admissibility of amendments when bills are referred to committee. The legislative clerk organizes the amendments into packages for committee stage, reviews all the committee amendments for procedural admissibility and prepares draft rulings for the Chair.
During clause-by-clause consideration of bills in committee, a legislative clerk is in attendance to assist the committee with any procedural issues that may arise. The legislative clerk can also provide Members with advice regarding the procedural admissibility of report stage amendments. When a bill is sent to committee, the clerk of the committee provides Members the name of the legislative clerk assigned to the bill.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO)
The Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) is an officer of Parliament created by the Parliament of Canada Act who supports Parliament by providing analysis, including analysis of macroeconomic and fiscal policy, for the purposes of raising the quality of parliamentary debate and promoting greater budget transparency and accountability.
The Parliament of Canada Act also provides the PBO with a mandate to, if requested by a committee, estimate the financial cost of any proposal over which Parliament has jurisdiction. Certain committees, including the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, can also request research and analyses of the nation’s finances or economy, or of the estimates.
Further information on the PBO may be found at: http://www.pbo-dpb.gc.ca/en/.
The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage undertook a number of studies during the 42nd Parliament. The Committee’s reports covered a range of subjects, including:
- Local media and communities;
- The National Anthem;
- Women and girls in sport;
- Systemic racism and religious discrimination in Canada;
- Canada’s museum sector;
- Remuneration models for artists and creative industries and Canada’s copyright regime; and
During the 43rd Parliament, the Committee undertook a study on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts, culture, heritage and sport sectors. The final report was tabled in the House of Commons on April 27, 2021.
Also during this session, the Committee considered the following bills by order of reference:
- Bill C-5, An Act to amend the Bills of Exchange Act, the Interpretation Act and the Canada Labour Code (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation) – This government bill creates a holiday called the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The report was presented to the House without amendment on November 25, 2020.
During the 44th Parliament, the work of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage focused on several major themes.
1. Digital media regulation
The Committee considered the following bills by order of reference:
- Bill C-11, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts (Online Streaming Act). This bill amends the Broadcasting Act to apply to online undertakings that offer audio and/or audio-visual content. It also modifies broadcasting and regulatory policy to ensure that a diversity of Canadians are represented. The bill received Royal Assent on April 27, 2023.
- Bill C-18, An Act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada (Online News Act). This bill creates a legislative and regulatory framework enabling digital businesses to negotiate agreements with Canadian news media to authorize them to disseminate Canadian news content on their platforms. The bill received Royal Assent on June 22, 2023.
Additionally, the Committee examined how companies like Google and Meta have responded to Canadian digital regulation efforts, including bill C-11, bill C-18, online safety proposals, and similar initiatives in Europe and Australia. The Committee presented its report to the House on November 5, 2024.
The Committee also undertook a study of harms caused by the availability and ease of access to illegal, sexually explicit material online, such as child sexual abuse material and the non-consensual distribution of intimate images, including AI-generated deepfakes. Its report was presented to the House on November 27, 2024.
2. Public broadcasting and sustainability of news media in Canada
The Committee studied the sustainability of Canadian journalism in a shifting digital environment, with particular attention to whether the government should support a national forum on news media in Canada. It presented its report to the House on November 27, 2024.
The Committee also invited CBC/Radio-Canada on multiple occasions to discuss issues related to the national public broadcaster. Also, by order of reference, the Committee studied and presented a report to the House on the potential consequences of cutting or eliminating funding to the Crown corporation.
3. Support for artists and cultural industries
The Committee studied the recovery of the arts, culture, heritage and sport sectors from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the Status of the Artist Act and its impact on improving working conditions for artists.
4. Safety in sport
Prompted by widespread concerns following allegations of misconduct involving Hockey Canada, the Committee undertook a comprehensive study on safety in Canadian sport. The study focused on the measures needed to ensure safe, inclusive, and accountable environments for athletes, and examined the role of national sport organizations, governance structures, and government oversight in preventing abuse and misconduct. The Committee presented its report to the House on October 24, 2024.