House of Commons Procedure and Practice
Edited by Robert Marleau and Camille Montpetit
2000 Edition — More information …
 Search 
Previous PageNext Page
[201] 
Standing Order 108(1)(b). Permission was given to a committee to name to a sub-committee Members of the House who were neither members of the committee nor associate members (Journals, March 9, 1983, p. 5684).
[202] 
See, for example, Journals, June 27, 1985, p. 907.
[203] 
See, for example, Journals, October 1, 1985, p. 1052.
[204] 
See, for example, Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, Minutes, October 7, 1997, Meeting No. 1.
[205] 
See also, for example, the Sub-committee on Sittings of the House and the Sub-committee on Members’ Services of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (Procedure and House Affairs Committee, Minutes, October 28, 1997, Meeting No. 3). See also Chapter 21, “Private Members’ Business”.
[206] 
See Special Committee on Reform of the House of Commons, Third Report, June 1985, pp. 18-9. Following the presentation of the Report, a provision was added to the Standing Orders that required members of standing committees to file a list of substitutes. Members failing to file such a list were removed from the committee. (See Journals, February 6, 1986, pp.1644-66, in particular pp. 1659-60, and February 3, 1986, p. 1710. For an example of this provision in use, see Journals, May 29, 1986, pp. 2234-5.) In 1994, the filing of the list of substitutes was made voluntary, and the provision removing members who failed to do so was deleted (see Journals, January 25, 1994, pp. 58-61, in particular p. 61).
[207] 
Where necessary, a series of substitutes may replace a given member during a meeting, but only one substitution may be in effect at any given time. See, for example, Standing Committee on Finance, Minutes, May 7, 1998, Meeting No. 82.
[208] 
See Speaker Parent’s ruling, Debates, November 7, 1996, pp. 6225-6.
[209] 
See, for example, Standing Committee on Consumer and Corporate Affairs, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, November 27, 1991, Issue No. 28, pp. 3, 39-40.
[210] 
Standing Order 114(2)(a).
[211] 
In practice, a substitution is considered effective for any or all meetings of the committee which take place on the date indicated on the notice of substitution, rather than for a single meeting. Independent members are required to send their notices to the Chief Whip of the Official Opposition pursuant to Standing Order 114(2)(b).
[212] 
The notice must be in the proper form. A notice that was defective has been held to invalidate the substitution, and the vote of the proposed substitute has been disallowed. See Standing Committee on Communications and Culture, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, June 17, 1992, Issue No. 50, pp. 6, 44-5.
[213] 
Standing Order 114(2)(c). In 1994, Audrey McLaughlin (Yukon), who was not an associate member, was substituted for a regular member of the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Committee and voted. When called upon to rule on the matter, Speaker Parent declared that the vote should be disallowed (Debates, June 20, 1994, pp. 5582-4).
[214] 
Standing Order 114(3). See Journals, December 10, 1990, pp. 2434-5.
[215] 
See, for example, Journals, September 21, 1994, pp. 712-3.
[216] 
See, for example, Journals, November 18, 1997, pp. 224-5.
[217] 
See, for example, Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Minutes, October 23, 1997, Meeting No. 4.
[218] 
See Speaker Parent’s ruling, Debates, November 7, 1996, pp. 6225-6.
[219] 
In order to fulfil their mandates, some committees have adopted an alternative to the establishment of sub-committees with the participation of associate members. These committees divide themselves into “groups”, each having responsibility for a share of the committee’s mandate. The Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade has divided itself into two groups “ … to be assigned to meet alternately with visiting delegations …” (Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Minutes, October 8, 1997, Meeting No. 1). The Finance Committee has divided itself into two groups in order to hold simultaneous hearings in different locations as part of the pre-budget consultation (Standing Committee on Finance, Minutes, October 7, 1997, Meeting No. 2).
[220] 
Standing Order 104(4). See, for example, Journals, October 2, 1998, pp. 1114-5. The membership of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs is named directly by motion of the House; its associate members are named in the same way. See, for example, Journals, September 28, 1998, p. 1086.
[221] 
See Sub-committee on Indian Self-Government, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, October 6, 1982, Issue No. 1, pp. 8-9, 11; November 18, 1982, Issue No. 6, p. 3; and Sub-committee on Indian Women and the Indian Act, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, September 8, 1982, Issue No. 1, p. 8. In addition to ex officio members,the Sub-committee on Indian Self-Government named “liaison members”, also not Members of the House, who were permitted to question witnesses at the discretion of the Chair and to participate in the drafting of the Sub-committee’s report.
[222] 
Bourinot, 4thed., p. 462.
[223] 
Members were excused by order of the House for such reasons as ill health or advanced age. See, for example, Journals, March 24, 1873, p. 60.
[224] 
Standing Order 114(2)(d). See, for example, Journals, June 15, 1989, p. 377. Changes to the membership of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, which is appointed directly by motion of the House, can only be made by a subsequent motion. See, for example, Journals, September 28, 1998, p. 1086.
[225] 
Standing Order 114(3). See, for example, Journals, April 8, 1991, p. 2848.
[226] 
See, for example, Journals, November 18, 1997, p. 225.
[227] 
See, for example, Journals, March 12, 1996, pp. 83-4; February 9, 1998, p. 430.
[228] 
Standing Order 117. The Speaker’s role in this respect is set out in Standing Order 10.
[229] 
Standing Order 35(1) permits a committee report to be presented by any Member of the House, although practice holds that it is normally limited to members of the committee. Committees usually adopt a motion instructing the Chair to present the report on their behalf (see, for example, Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, Minutes, December 3, 1998, Meeting No. 45). The Chair of a sub-committee conducting a special study has presented the resulting report of the main committee to the House (see, for example, Debates, December 3, 1998, p. 10825).
[230] 
See, for example, Debates, October 24, 1985, p. 7965; March 9, 1987, p. 3955.
[231] 
The Speaker has served as the Chair of the Special Committee on the Rights and Immunities of Members (see Journals, March 9, 1978, p. 467) and of the Special Committee on TV and Radio Broadcasting of the Proceedings of the House and its Committees (see Journals, October 18, 1977, p. 11). The Deputy Speaker has chaired the Special Committee on the Review of the Parliament of Canada Act (see Journals, December 14, 1989, p. 1011). Following his appointment as Minister of State (Youth and Fitness and Amateur Sport) and his resignation as Deputy Speaker, Marcel Danis continued as Chair of this Committee (see Journals, March 6, 1990, p. 1290).
[232] 
See, for example, Journals, November 23, 1989, p. 878.
[233] 
The last Minister to be elected Chair of a committee was Mitchell Sharp. See Standing Committee on Procedure and Organization, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, October 17, 1974, Issue No. 1, p. 5.
[234] 
Anthony Roman (York North), an independent Member, served as Chair of a legislative committee in 1987. See Journals, November 4, 1987, pp. 1835-6.
[235] 
Standing Order 107.
[236] 
See Special Committee on Standing Orders and Procedure, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, April 28, 1983, Issue No. 19, pp. 5-6, and Special Committee on Reform of the House of Commons, Third Report, June 1985, p. 102.
[237] 
See, for example, Debates, June 26, 1989, p. 3645.
[238] 
Standing Order 118(1).
[239] 
See, for example, Standing Committee on Labour, Employment and Immigration, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence,June 11, 1987, Issue No. 40, p. 4.
[240] 
Standing Order 113(4).
[241] 
Committees are exempted from following the rules used for the election of the Speaker by Standing Order 116. For an example of a Chair’s election, see Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Minutes and Evidence, October 8, 1997, Meeting No. 1.
[242] 
See, for example, Standing Committee on Transport, Evidence, March 12, 1996, Meeting No. 1.
[243] 
See, for example, Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, Minutes, October 7, 1997, Meeting No. 1.
[244] 
See, for example, Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, Minutes and Evidence,October 7, 1997, Meeting No. 1.
[245] 
See, for example, Standing Committee on Communications and Culture, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, June 4, 1991, Issue No. 1, p. 5.
[246] 
See, for example, Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans, Evidence, October 7, 1997, Meeting No. 1.
[247] 
Standing Order 106(1). See, for example, Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, December 12, 1995, Issue No. 36, pp. 20-1.
[248] 
See, for example, Standing Committee on Industry, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, February 9, 1995, Issue No. 32, p. 3.
[249] 
See Standing Order 2(2) and Chapter 7, “The Speaker and Other Presiding Officers of the House”.
[250] 
See, for example, Standing Committee on Miscellaneous Estimates, Minutes of Proceedings and Evidence, December 9, 1982, Issue No. 100, p. 3.

Top of documentPrevious PageNext Page