M-29 Special joint committee to conduct the reviews required by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act and the National Security Act, 2017

That a special joint committee of the Senate and of the House of Commons be appointed to conduct the reviews required by section 34 of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act and section 168 of the National Security Act, 2017, and to report to each House of Parliament the results of its reviews, as required by the acts and from time to time, as it sees fit, provided that:

(a) the committee be composed of seven members of the Senate and 15 members of the House of Commons, including seven members of the House of Commons from the government party, seven members of the House of Commons from the Official Opposition and one member of the House of Commons from the Bloc Québécois;

(b) the joint chair of the committee on the part of the Senate shall be as determined by the Senate and the joint chair of the committee on the part of the House of Commons shall be a member representing the Official Opposition;

(c) in addition to the joint chairs, the committee shall elect such deputy chairs from the Senate as determined by the Senate and two vice-chairs from the House of Commons, of whom the first vice-chair shall be a member representing the government party and the second vice-chair shall be the member representing the Bloc Québécois;

(d) the House of Commons members be named by their respective whips by depositing with the Clerk of the House the lists of their members to serve on the committee within one calendar week of the House’s adoption of this motion;

(e) the quorum of the committee be 12 members whenever a vote, resolution or other decision is taken, so long as both Houses, including one member of the government party in the House of Commons and one from the opposition in the House of Commons, are represented, and that the joint chairs be authorized to hold meetings to receive evidence and authorize the printing thereof, whenever five members are present, so long as both Houses, including one member of the government party in the House of Commons and one member from the opposition in the House of Commons, are represented;

(f) changes to the membership of the committee, on the part of the House of Commons, be effective immediately after notification by the relevant whip has been filed with the Clerk of the House;

(g) membership substitutions, on the part of the House of Commons, be permitted, if required, in the manner provided for in Standing Order 114(2); and

(h) the committee have the power to:

(i) sit during sittings and adjournments of the House,

(ii) report from time to time,

(iii) send for persons, papers and records,

(iv) print such papers and evidence as may be ordered by the committee,

(v) retain the services of expert, professional, technical and clerical staff, including legal counsel,

(vi) appoint, from among its members such subcommittees as may be deemed appropriate and to delegate to such subcommittees, all or any of its powers, except the power to report to the Senate and House of Commons,

(vii) authorize video and audio broadcasting of any or all of its public proceedings and that they be made available to the public via the Parliament of Canada’s websites; and

that a message be sent to the Senate requesting Their Honours to unite with this House for the above purpose and to select, if the Senate deems advisable, members to act on the proposed special joint committee.