Binders for Parliamentary Committee
Appearances

Why must we disclose binders for parliamentary committee appearances?

The Government of Canada has implemented a series of measures to strengthen public sector management and increase transparency by proactively publishing certain information by the Senate, the House of Commons, parliamentary entities, Ministers' offices, government institutions and institutions that support superior courts. As such, subsections 74 (d) and 88(c) of the Access to Information Act will require all Department to proactively publish all binders made for ministers and deputy heads prepared for any parliamentary committee appearances.

Last fiscal year, six parliamentary committee appearances binders were prepared for ESDC's Ministers. Each binder contains approximately 400 up to 1,000 pages.

Who is responsible for reporting?

The Corporate Secretariat is responsible for publishing parliamentary committee appearances binders.

What information should be disclosed?

All Departments must proactively publish all binders for parliamentary committee appearances. These binders contain all briefing materials which were prepared for the Minister for the purpose of his/her appearance before a committee of Parliament.

A parliamentary committee of the House of Commons is a working group constituted of a limited number of Members of Parliament (MPs) who study bills or other issues, under the Committee's mandate, in greater detail for the House of Commons. Committees regularly invite Ministers to appear before them in order to receive evidence relevant to the study under consideration. These consultations allow Ministers to set out and clarify their points of view, which are often presented in a written brief that sets out the facts. These consultations also give MPs the opportunity to ask questions.

Please note that a limited portion of the information contained within the binders for parliamentary committee appearances may be withheld as per the Access to Information Act. Specifically material relating to personal information, Canada's economic interests and Cabinet confidences will continue to be withheld.

When is the reporting period?

Binders for parliamentary committee appearances must be published, within 120 days after an appearance. When the publication deadline falls on a statutory holiday or weekend, the publication deadline is the first business day following the statutory holiday or weekend.

For questions related to this process, do not hesitate to contact the Access to Information Act Implementation Working Group (ATIAIWG): NC-CS-SM-ATIAIWG-GTMALAI-GD@hrdc-drhc.net