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What are Parliamentary Committees?

Parliamentary committees are groups of parliamentary members (MPs) established by the House of Commons to study matters of national importance. These committees then make their views known to the House and bring forward recommendations on matters it has studied. This section will examine the following:

1. A brief history of committees
2. Types of committees
3. Committee procedures
4. Membership
5. Chair of a committee

Brief History

Committees have been around since Confederation. At first, there were no permanent committees, and no formal committee powers or procedures. In 1906, the House of Commons established “standing” or “permanent” committees. These committees were active only when the House gave them an Order of Reference to study a bill or a specific matter.

In the 1980s, there was substantial reform of the committee system. This included:

• The creation of legislative committees
• The power for standing committees to examine and reports to House of Common without first having to receive an Order of Reference
• The ability for standing committees to request a government response to a report.

In the 1990s, there were further amendments to committees. Important amendments included:

• The possibility of organizing joint meetings of standing committees
• The broadcasting of committee proceedings.
• The addition of “associate members” to the membership of committees.

Types of Committees

• Committee of the Whole (House) – All of the Members of the House of Commons
  sitting as a committee. Committees of the Whole study appropriation bills
  and any other matters referred to it by the House. A main difference between
  a Committee of the Whole and a regular sitting of the House is that the
  Committee is presided over by a chairman (instead of the Speaker of the
  House).
• Joint Committee – A committee made up of a proportionate number of members of both the House of Commons and the Senate. It may be either a standing or a special committee.
• Legislative Committee – A committee created under the Standing Orders on an informal basis to study a bill in detail after second reading. The committee may only report the bill (with or without amendments).
• Special Committee – A group of MPs (or MPs and Senators) appointed to study a particular matter. This type of committee is temporary. Once it has made its final report it ceases to exist.
• Standing Committee – A permanent committee established in the Standing Orders of the House. It may study matters referred to it by standing or special order or, within its area of responsibility, it may undertake studies on its own initiative.
• Subcommittee – A committee of a committee. Not all committees are granted the power to establish subcommittees.

Committee Procedure

Committees generally follow the same rules that govern House of Commons proceedings. However, there are some notable differences:

• In the House, a Speaker's decision cannot be commented upon. However, a chairman's decision may be appealed to the committee through a non-debatable motion and can be overturned by a majority of committee members.
• Committees have no authority to decide a question of privilege. A committee can decide only whether an alleged breach of privilege should be reported to the House.
• In a committee, motions can be moved without notice and without a seconder.

Membership

Committee membership is generally reserved only for Members of Parliament (MPs) (and sometimes senators). Any member of parliament who is part of a committee is entitled to take part in committee debates, question witnesses, move motions, vote, and be part of any quorum. Further, membership in standing committees roughly reflects party standing in the House of Commons. For example, if the Liberal Party has 75 percent of the seats in the House, then it will have 75 percent of the membership in a committee. Standing committees have between seven and fifteen members. Special and legislative committees may not have more than 15 members.

Chair of the Committee

The Chair serves as the presiding officer and spokesperson of the committee. The Chair’s specific duties and responsibilities include the following:

• Preside at meetings
• Chair the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure (steering committee)
• Call meetings on his or her own authority
• Recognize members and to decide their speaking order in accordance with established procedure
• Determine the order in which the committee will examine amendments to a clause in a bill or to a Vote in the Estimates
• Prepare budgets
• Approve expenditures in accordance with the budget
• Sign all committee reports and present them to the House
• Sign contracts on behalf of the committee

Introduction of House of Commons Committees
Information on all Current Parliament Committees

Implications of the Vote on Parliamentary Committees

Tradition Rules for Committee Elections

Committees generally have one chair and two vice-chairs. Traditionally, the chair and vice-chairs were chosen in the following manner:

• The chair and one vice-chair are from the government side (the party that has formed the government).
• One vice-chair is from the opposition side (one of the opposition parties).
• Persons are elected according to a show of hands.

Under these rules, the Prime Minister can exert a lot of influence in the election of committee chairs and vice-chairs. The majority of members on a committee are members of the Prime Minister’s party. The election of chairs and vice-chairs is done by a show of hands. Thus the election is public and the Prime Minister knows how each member of the committee voted. This public aspect of the election gives the Prime Minister control. The Prime Minister can pick the chair and tell each member of his/her party on the committee to vote accordingly.

Reformed Rules for Committee Elections

Under the reforms adopted on November 5th, the election of committee chairs and vice-chairs is now done by secret ballot instead of a show of hands. Under this new system, the Prime Minister's influence is greatly reduced. Now the election is secret, no one knows who voted for whom, and the Prime Minister can no longer punish those who fail to vote according to the Prime Minister's wishes.

Full text of the Recommendations by the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs

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Implications of the Vote
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