House of Commons Procedure and Practice
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20. Committees

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[251]: Standing Order 106(1).
[252]: The election, following the September report, has been suspended by special order of the House and incumbent Chairs permitted to continue in office. See Journals, September 27, 1991, p. 408.
[253]: Standing Order 106(2).
[254]: See, for example, Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, March 7, 1996, Issue No. 1, p. 1.
[255]: In the case of the Public Accounts Committee, the practice of choosing a Chair from the opposition was part of the government’s initial intention in establishing the committee. A commitment to having a member of the opposition chair the committee was made in the 1958 Throne Speech. See Debates, May 12, 1958, p. 6.
[256]: The Scrutiny of Regulations Committee was proposed as one which should operate in a primarily non-partisan manner, aided by a proposal that the committee not be chaired only by government members. See Debates, October 14, 1971, pp. 8679-81.
[257]: A departure from this practice arose in the First Session of the Thirty-Sixth Parliament (1997-99) when the Official Opposition members on the Scrutiny of Regulations Committee declined nominations for the position of Joint Chair. A government member was elected to the position. See Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations, Minutes and Evidence, October 23, 1997, Meeting No. 1.
[258]: See, for example, Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, February 8, 1994, Issue No. 1, p. 5.
[259]: See, for example, Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Minutes, October 8, 1997, Meeting No. 1.
[260]: Standing Order 112. See, for example, Journals, May 19, 1989, p. 248.
[261]: See, for example, Journals, October 18, 1990, p. 2143.
[262]: The view of the legislative committee chair as a non-partisan presiding officer stems from a recommendation in the Sixth Report of the Lefebvre Committee, repeated in the First Report of the McGrath Committee, concerning the establishment of a system of legislative committees: “Your Committee believes that Legislative Committees ought to be regarded as smaller versions of the Committee of the Whole House… (T)he Deputy Speaker, as the Chairman of Committees, is an impartial presiding officer. We believe that the establishment of a Panel of Chairmen would impart these qualities to the committee stage of all legislation. As neutral chairmen, panel members would be able to develop expertise in House procedures and to meet from time to time to ensure consistent chairing practices.” See Special Committee on Standing Orders and Procedure, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, April 28, 1983, Issue No. 19, p. 5, and Special Committee on the Reform of Parliament, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, December 20, 1984, Issue No. 2, p. 8.
[263]: Standing Order 113(1) and (2). See, for example, Journals, December 7, 1990, p. 2399; December 11, 1990, p. 2438; December 12, 1990, p. 2447.
[264]: Standing Order 113(4).
[265]: Chairs may be designated in the order of reference establishing a special committee. See, for example, Journals, June 27, 1989, p. 472.
[266]: See, for example, Special Committee on Electoral Reform, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, February 26, 1992, Issue No. 1, p. 4.
[267]: See, for example, Standing Joint Committee on the Library of Parliament, Minutes, October 28, 1997, Meeting No. 1.
[268]: See, for example, Special Joint Committee on Child Custody and Access, Minutes, December 11, 1997, Meeting No. 1.
[269]: See, for example, Special Joint Committee on Child Custody and Access, Minutes, December 11, 1997, Meeting No. 1; Standing Joint Committee on the Library of Parliament, Minutes, October 28, 1997, Meeting No. 1; Standing Joint Committee on Official Languages, Minutes, October 21,1997, Meeting No. 1; Special Joint Committee on a Code of Conduct, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, March 20, 1997, Issue No. 1, p. 71.
[270]: See, for example, Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations, Evidence, October 22, 1998, Meeting No. 13.
[271]: For a recent exception, see Special Joint Committee on a Code of Conduct, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, March 20, 1997, Issue No. 1, p. 71.
[272]: See, for example, Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, Minutes, October 28, 1997, Meeting No. 3.
[273]: See, for example, Sub-committee on Human Rights and International Development of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Minutes, November 3, 1997, Meeting No. 1.
[274]: For example, the Sub-committee on Members’ Services of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs was chaired by a member of the Official Opposition. See Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, Minutes, October 28, 1997, Meeting No. 3.
[275]: See, for example, Standing Committee on Finance, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, March 24, 1992, Issue No. 40, p. 3.
[276]: For a recent exception, see Sub-committee on Members’ Services of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, Minutes, April 9, 1997, Meeting No. 1.
[277]: See, for example, Standing Committee on Finance, Trade and Economic Affairs, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, November 17, 1983, Issue No. 156, p. 3.
[278]: See, for example, Journals, June 12, 1989, p. 358; June 15, 1989, p. 379.
[279]: See, for example, Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, October 4, 1994, Issue No. 24, pp. 6, 8.
[280]: Standing Order 120.
[281]: See, for example, Special Joint Committee on Child Custody and Access, Minutes, February 23, 1998, Meeting No. 5.
[282]: See Financial Policy Manual for Committees, Chapter C-3, Contracts.
[283]: Standing Order 119.1.
[284]: See, for example, Standing Committee on Natural Resources, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, April 14, 1994, Issue No. 10, p. 3.
[285]: Town hall meetings are used especially when committees meet outside of the parliamentary precinct. See, for example, Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans Affairs, Minutes and Evidence, May 28, 1998, Meeting No. 68.
[286]: For further information on videoconferencing, see section below.
[287]: Standing Order 108(1)(a). See, for example, Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Minutes, February 9, 1999, Meeting No. 89, and Standing Committee on National Defence and Veterans’ Affairs, Minutes, February 9, 1999, Meeting No. 88.
[288]: Formerly, committees required special permission of the House to sit jointly. Following the Parliamentary Forum on Global Climate Change in 1990, which permitted several committees to hold joint meetings as well as a plenary session and print a single record of their proceedings, the Standing Orders were modified to permit such joint sittings (see Journals, March 28, 1990, p. 1424; Standing Committee on Privileges and Elections, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, March 19, 1991, Issue No. 42, pp. 3-4; Journals, March 20, 1991, p. 2728; April 12, 1991, p. 2943).
[289]: See, for example, Journals, August 1, 1940, pp. 310-6.
[290]: See, for example, Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, June 22, 1988, Issue No. 45, p. 3.
[291]: While the text of all motions adopted is included in the minutes of in camera meetings, the names of the movers are not included and no information is provided about the numbers of yeas and nays or the names of those voting for or against a motion. See, for example, Standing Committee on Official Languages, Minutes, February 11, 1999, Meeting No. 19. The clerk of the committee may be requested to keep more detailed, confidential minutes for the exclusive use of the committee. These detailed minutes, usually referred to as in extenso minutes, do not form part of the public record of the committee’s proceedings.
[292]: In the absence of any other direction from the House or the committee, Standing Order 119 permits Members who are not members of a committee to participate only in the public proceedings of the committee.
[293]: See, for example, Standing Committee on Regional Industrial Expansion, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, April 28, 1987, Issue No. 13, p. 3.
[294]: See Speaker Fraser’s ruling, Debates, May 14, 1987, pp. 6108-11, and the Seventh Report of the Standing Committee on Elections, Privileges and Procedure, Journals, December 18, 1987, pp. 2014-6. The case in question involved the divulgation by John Parry (Kenora–Rainy River) of the results of a recorded vote held at an in camera meeting of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development. See Debates, March 25, 1987, p. 4540; April 28, 1987, pp. 5329-30; May 5, 1987, pp. 5737-42. A committee may itself decide that a meeting held in camera should be declared a public meeting. See, for example, Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations, Minutes, November 5, 1998, Meeting No. 15.
[295]: Committees may also meet in a regular committee setting with such delegations. Even in these cases, however, the usual format is relaxed. The proceedings take more the form of an exchange of views than of the gathering of evidence from witnesses. See, for example, Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Minutes, March 19, 1998, Meeting No. 40.
[296]: Standing and legislative committees are not accorded the power to travel by the Standing Orders. They are accorded the power to travel by motion of the House or, more rarely, by having the House concur in a committee report recommending that such permission be given. See, for example, Journals, February 6, 1986, p. 1644; December 11, 1997, p. 394. Where it seems likely that a special committee will need this power, it is often included in the order of reference which establishes the committee. If a special committee wishes to seek authorization to travel, it may do so by placing a recommendation to that effect in a report to the House. As well, the House may adopt a motion authorizing a committee to travel. Power to travel has also been given directly to a sub-committee. See, for example, Journals, June 29, 1983, p. 6116.
[297]: The motion ordinarily indicates the dates on which the committee is authorized to travel, the locations which it may visit and whether staff will accompany the committee. See, for example, Journals, June 21, 1994, pp. 629-30; April 2, 1998, p. 667.
[298]: In 1996, the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food held a formal meeting in the Canadian embassy in Washington. See Minutes, May 28, 1996, Meeting No. 23. Where a committee decides to hold formal meetings outside of Canada, they are usually held in camera, although the committee may have a transcript of the proceedings made for its own use. See, for example, Special Committee on the Reform of the House of Commons, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, May 14, 1985, Issue No. 13, p. 5.
[299]: See, for example, Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Minutes, June 4, 1998, Meeting No. 61.
[300]: Although videoconferences offer a number of advantages over travel in terms of cost and convenience to Members and witnesses, in some cases, committees may decide that evidence is better gathered through direct contact.