About
The Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security may review the policies, programs and expenditure plans of Public Safety Canada, which is responsible for public safety and national security, policing and law enforcement, corrections and conditional release of federal offenders, emergency management, crime prevention and the protection of Canada's borders.
Standing Order 108 sets out the mandate of standing committees. These committees are empowered to examine and enquire into all matters referred to them by the House of Commons and to report to the House. They are authorized to send for persons, papers and records, and to delegate all or any of their powers to subcommittees. Members may meet while the House of Commons is in session and during adjournment periods. They also have the power to sit jointly with other standing committees.
Each committee has a general mandate to study and inquire into matters and to conduct such inquiries as it considers necessary and that fall within its area of responsibility. The Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security may accordingly examine the policies, programs and statutes relating to the following departments and agencies:
- Public Safety Canada
- Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
- Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)
- Correctional Service Canada (CSC)
- Parole Board of Canada (PBC)
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
- Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC)
- Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP (CPC)
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police External Review Committee (ERC)
- Office of the Correctional Investigator (OCI)
The Standing Orders of the House of Commons also provide that the Committee may review and report on:
- Legislation proposed by the government or Members of Parliament;
- Immediate, medium and long-term expenditure plans, and the effectiveness of their implementation by the department;
- An analysis of the relative success of the department, as measured by the results obtained as compared with its stated objectives; and
- Other matters relating to the mandate, management, organization or operation of the department in question, as the committee deems fit.
Further information regarding the powers and roles of House of Commons standing committees is available in the Compendium of House of Commons Procedure and in Chapter XIII of the Standing Orders of the House of Commons.