About
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage has the power to review and report on the policies, programs and expenditure plans of the Department of Canadian Heritage and most of the agencies, tribunals and Crown corporations that fall under it. These include:
The mandate of the Department and these cultural institutions is to promote culture, the arts, heritage, official languages, citizenship and participation as well as Aboriginal, youth and sport initiatives.
Please note that the organizations related to human resources matters that are part of the Department of Canadian Heritage portfolio (the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Tribunal, the Public Service Commission, the Public Service Labour Relations Board and the Public Service Staffing Tribunal) are studied by the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates. The Department’s official languages policies and programs are studied by the Standing Committee on Official Languages.
The Committee on Canadian Heritage studies matters referred to it by the House of Commons or topics the Committee itself chooses to examine. It holds public meetings and considers evidence from witnesses. At the end of a study, the Committee usually reports on its findings and makes recommendations. The Committee may request a Government response within 120 days.
Detailed information on the role and powers of House of Commons committees can be found in the Compendium of House of Commons Procedure and in Chapter XIII of the Standing Orders of the House of Commons.