What are Special Committees and Joint Committees of Parliament?

Special Committees and Joint Committees of Parliament are temporary committees established to investigate specific issues that require focused attention outside the regular work of the Standing Committees. Special Committees include only members of one chamber (the House of Commons or the Senate); Joint Committees include members from both chambers. Special and Joint Committees are established by motion of their chamber (or chambers) and operate under terms of reference agreed in the establishing motion.

Notable Special Committees in recent Canadian history include the Special Committee on Electoral Reform (2016, which considered alternatives to first-past-the-post voting), the Special Committee on Pay Equity (2016), the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic (2020 to 2021), the Special Committee on Canada-China Relations (2020 to 2024), the Special Committee on Foreign Interference in Federal Elections (2023), and the Special Committee on the Sustainable Development Goals (2024).

Notable Joint Committees include the Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations (a permanent body that reviews delegated legislation), the Standing Joint Committee on the Library of Parliament, the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (2020 to 2022 and 2023 to ongoing, examining MAID policy and possible expansion to mature minors and advance requests), the Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency (2022 to 2024, reviewing the federal Emergencies Act invocation during the Truckers' Convoy), and the Special Joint Committee on the Funding of Election Campaigns (2007).

Special and Joint Committees are typically chaired by senior parliamentarians (often Privy Councillors or former ministers) and have authority to call witnesses, examine documents, and travel. They produce reports with recommendations for government, Parliament, or specific stakeholders. Reports of Special and Joint Committees are tabled in their respective chambers and (typically) request a government response. Some committees are wound down after their report; others continue if their terms of reference allow. The Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations is a permanent body reviewing the more than 1,000 regulatory orders that flow from federal departments each year, an important accountability mechanism that complements the Auditor General's role.