About
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (the committee) can study and report to the House of Commons on the following matters:
- the legislation, expenditure plans, program and policy objectives, and the mandate, management and operation of Employment and Social Development Canada;
- other issues such as Employment Insurance, employment benefits and support measures, income security programs, the Canada Labour Code, skills development and training, and various programs for seniors, families, children and persons with disabilities; and
- the main and supplementary estimates, order in council appointments, and returns or other papers tabled in the House of Commons and referred to the committee.
The committee is also empowered to study and report on the mandate, management and operations of the following agencies and Crown corporation:
- Canada Industrial Relations Board;
- Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety;
- Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation; and
- Accessibility Standards Canada.
The committee also has the mandate to propose, promote, monitor and assess initiatives which are aimed at the integration and equality of persons with disabilities in all sectors of Canadian society, and is responsible for administering the award provided under the Centennial Flame Research Award Act.
Under Standing Order 108(1), standing committees may examine any matters referred to them by the House of Commons and may delegate to subcommittees all or any of their powers, except the power to report directly to the House.
The mandate and the name of the committee have changed several times in 20 years, reflecting changes to the mandate and name of the department with which the committee deals.
Evolution of the Committee
- January 1994 to September 1997: Standing Committee on Human Resources Development (Human Resources Development Canada)
- September 1997 to December 2003: Standing Committee on Human Resources Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (Human Resources Development Canada)
- December 2003 to February 2006: Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills Development, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (two departments: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada / Social Development Canada)
- February 2006 to November 2008: Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (Human Resources and Social Development Canada)
- November 2008 to September 2013: Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (Human Resources and Skills Development Canada)
- October 2013 to present: Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (Employment and Social Development Canada)
On December 12, 2003, the government announced that it would split Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) into two new departments – Social Development Canada (SDC) and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC). SDC became responsible for income security and other social programs for seniors, families and children, and persons with disabilities. HRSDC became responsible for promoting a well-functioning labour market and lifelong learning systems. The legislation creating these departments was examined by the committee and passed in the 38 th Parliament.
On February 6, 2006, the government announced the reconsolidation of HRSDC and SDC under the name Human Resources and Social Development Canada.
In October 2008, HRSDC went back to the name of one of the two departments consolidated to form it: the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development.
In July 2013, it was announced that the department would be renamed Employment and Social Development Canada.
Subcommittees
In November 1998, the committee created a Subcommittee on Children and Youth at Risk, whose work ended in October 2003, and a Subcommittee on the Status of Persons with Disabilities, whose work continued to November 2005. During the 38th Parliament (2004–2005), a Subcommittee on Employment Insurance Funds was briefly formed. At the beginning of each new session, the committee establishes the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure to study the committee’s agenda and future work.
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/
Legislation
The committee has the power to study government bills and private member bills that are referred to it. This process involves a clause-by-clause examination of a proposed bill, as well as public hearings where witnesses are invited to discuss the bill.
The following government bills were referred to and studied by the committee in the 44th Parliament:
- Bill C-3, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Canada Labour Code – This legislation amends the Canada Labour Code by, among other things, providing entitlement of an employee for a leave of absence in the event of the loss of an unborn child and that an employee can earn and take up to 10 days of medical leave of absence with pay in a calendar year.
- Bill C-19, Budget Implementation Act, 2022, No. 1 – The committee studied Part 5, Divisions 26, 27, 29 and 32 of this bill on request of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance. Following two meetings, the committee sent a letter to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance which included two recommendations for changes to the bill.
- Bill C-22, An Act to reduce poverty and to support the financial security of persons with disabilities by establishing the Canada disability benefit and making a consequential amendment to the Income Tax Act – This legislation establishes the Canada Disability Benefit with the purpose of providing financial support to working-age persons with disabilities. It also sets out provisions for administering the benefit and amends the Income Tax Act to allow the disclosure of taxpayer information for the administration and enforcement of the Act.
- Bill C-35, An Act respecting early learning and child care in Canada – This legislation provides guiding principles for federal investments to establish an early learning and child care system, in collaboration with provinces and Indigenous peoples. It also establishes a National Advisory Council on Early Learning and Child Care to provide advice to the Minister and conduct other related activities.
- Bill C-58, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code and the Canada Industrial Relations Board Regulations, 2012 – This amends the Canada Labour Code to revise the scope of the prohibition relating to the use of replacement workers during a strike or lockout, and amends the maintenance of activities process, relating to activities that must be continued during a strike or lockout. It also makes consequential amendments to the Canada Industrial Relations Board Regulations, 2012.
Additionally, five private member’s bills were studied and reported back to the House.
Studies
During the 44th Parliament, the committee concluded the following studies:- Impact of COVID-19 on Seniors (June 2022);
- Housing Accelerator Fund (October 2022);
- Labour Shortages, Working Conditions and the Care Economy (February 2023);
- Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative (March 2023);
- National Housing Strategy (June 2023);
- Financialization of Housing (October 2023);
- Canada Summer Jobs Wage Subsidy Program (April 2024);
- Implications of Artificial Intelligence Technologies for the Canadian Labour Force (May 2024); and
- Intergenerational Volunteerism (June 2024).
According to the Centennial Flame Research Award Act, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities grants the Centennial Flame Research Award. This award is offered to a person with disabilities to enable them to conduct research and prepare a report on the contribution of one or more Canadians with disabilities to the public life of Canada or the activities of Parliament. The award is composed of money collected from the fountain, plus any private and corporate donations made to the Centennial Flame Research Award Fund.
Pour toutes questions concernant la Bourse de recherches de la flamme du centenaire, veuillez communiquer avec le greffier ou la greffière du Comité au 613-996-1542 ou par courriel au HUMA@parl.gc.ca.