• Substitute Members
• Associate Members
• Other Members

Standing committees are composed of Members of the House of Commons. The large number of Members required to support the committee system means that many Members participate in the work of more than one committee. In addition to their departmental responsibilities, Parliamentary Secretaries are usually members of standing committees to which their responsibilities relate.

In the last Parliament (2004-2005), the rules of the House provided for 12 members on each standing committee. Party representation on committees is roughly proportional to the party standings in the House. The party Whips submit names of Members for each committee to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs to be approved by the House.

Any Member of Parliament who is a member of a committee is entitled to question witnesses, move motions, vote and be counted as part of the quorum.

Substitute members

A substitute member may be designated to replace the permanent member of a standing committee at one or more meetings. The substitute member enjoys the same rights and privileges as the committee member. However, the substitute member loses these privileges should the permanent member of the committee attend the meeting.

Associate members

A list of associate members is established for each committee and these associate members may be named to subcommittees.

Other members

A Member of Parliament who is not a member of a committee may participate in the proceedings at the discretion of the committee but may not move motions, vote or be counted in the quorum.