Participating in Parliamentary Committees (updated – action points)
Updated: July 4, 2019
House of Commons
Participating in the Work of a Committee
A brief is a written submission that provides opinions, comments and recommendations on a subject being studied by a parliamentary committee. Any individual or organization may submit a brief to a committee of the House of Commons, even if they are not given the opportunity to appear before the committee.
Appear Before a Committee (original link: https://www.ourcommons.ca/About/Guides/Witness-e.html)
Committees regularly invite private citizens, experts, representatives of organizations, public servants and ministers to appear before them in order to elicit information (receive evidence) relevant to the study under consideration. These consultations allow witnesses to set out and clarify their point of view, which is often presented in a written brief, and gives members of the Committee the opportunity to ask questions.
Request to Appear Before a Committee
Any citizen or organization interested in sharing their opinion in person or by videoconference regarding a study being carried out by a committee may request to appear before it by sending an email to the committee clerk. . . .
Participate in a current study
Committees study various matters related to their mandates. When planning a study, committees decide on its scope, as well as the methods for gathering information and timelines for completion. The following committees are currently seeking input on the studies listed below. . . .
CIITStanding Committee on International Trade
Bill C-100, An Act to implement the Agreement between Canada, the United States of America and the United Mexican States
FINAStanding Committee on Finance (https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/FINA)
Pre-Budget Consultations in Advance of the 2020 Budget
ACTION POINTS: As a current example, I think we need to look at these two topic areas (the budget and new trade agreement) currently being studied to see if anything relates to government involvement in smart cities, 5G/cellular implementation, surveillance/smart city programs implementation or funding–and other areas of concern.
Attend a committee meeting
Who can attend meetings?
With the exception of in camera meetings, committee meetings are generally open to the public. . . .
When do committees meet?
Most standing committees usually meet twice a week, depending on the House of Commons schedule, the committee’s workload and a number of other factors. Consult the Meetings page to find out about the upcoming meetings of all the committees or a specific committee.
Accesslive and archived committee proceedings
All public committee meetings can be followed live on the Internet via ParlVU. ParlVU also offers on demand viewing of the deliberations of past televised House of Commons committee meetings and audio of all other House of Commons committee meetings open to the public.
Committee meeting transcripts
The Evidence is the in extenso transcript of what is said during a committee meeting. The Evidence includes remarks made by committee members, committee staff and witnesses appearing before the committee. The Evidence is usually available on the committee’s Web site within 10 calendar days of the meeting. The Evidence is published for public meetings, or for those parts of a meeting that are held in public, and is prepared in both English and French.
To access the Evidence, click on the Meetings page, then click on the Evidence for a specific meeting on the committee’s webpage or do the same on the Meetings page that displays information for all the committees.
The Senate has Committees also
Senate of Canada: https://sencanada.ca/en/
Senate Committees: https://sencanada.ca/en/committees/
ACTION POINTS / FURTHER RESEARCH
1) Research two current studies above regarding the budget and trade agreement. Looking for points of concern as mentioned.
2) https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/ContactUs
Follow up on what committees are of interest (also: https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/Home) and latest updates via subscription concerning current meetings (https://subscription.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/Newsletter) and at this page: https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/Meetings.
Make inquiries about possible upcoming meetings on topics of concern, e.g. Physician-Assisted Dying, etc.
Also contact M.P. about possible committees on issues of concern addressed to M.P.
How to submit a brief: https://www.ourcommons.ca/About/Guides/brief-e.html