Frequently Asked Questions

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development is not a government body. It is a parliamentary body, one of 20 “standing” or permanent committees of the House of Commons established by “Standing Orders” of the House. It is composed of elected Members of Parliament from all parties that are represented in the House, and is responsible for examining the activities of the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. The Committee has the authority to study the Department’s policies, programs, bills, objectives and effectiveness.

The Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development is a government body. It was established in 1966 by the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Act. Under the direction of a government Member appointed to the Cabinet as Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, departmental officials develop and implement the policies of the government of the day. The Minister and his or her officials are accountable to Parliament and, through it, to the Committee.

The Committee may, at any time, decide to study any departmental programs or policies. More specifically, the Committee oversees the Department’s activities in at least a couple of important ways. Like every government department and agency, every fiscal year the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development is required to submit to Parliament a statement of how much it will cost to run its programs and administer the Department. Under House of Commons Standing Orders 81(4) and (5), the Department’s annual spending forecasts or “Estimates” (Main and Supplementary) are automatically referred to the Committee for scrutiny. The Committee can study every aspect of the Estimates and call upon the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and his or her officials to account for departmental spending and performance. The Committee has considered the Department’s Main Estimates almost every year since the early 1990s and has studied the Supplementary Estimates on a number of occasions. It can also examine the Departmental Performance Report that is published each fall to review how the Department’s actual performance measured up against expectations for the previous fiscal year.

The Committee can also play an oversight role when it comes to reports of the Auditor General of Canada on various departmental programs and policies. For instance, the Auditor General appeared before the Committee to answer questions about the 2004 report dealing with the Department’s education program and post-secondary support. In recent years the Office of the Auditor General has testified in relation to: a 2003 report dealing with northern affairs and third-party management in First Nations communities; a 2000 report on the Department’s role in education of First Nations students; a 1999 follow-up report on funding arrangements between the Department and First Nations communities; and a 1998 report on comprehensive land claims.

The Committee’s role as a parliamentary body is very different from that of the Department, which is a government body. Committee staff are not generally in a position to answer questions about the Department’s programs or policies. For that kind of information, you should communicate directly with the Department. You are welcome to get in touch with the Committee about Committee-related business. You may want to find out about the Committee’s past or present activities, suggest a topic for future study, or request to appear as a witness. Click on Committees FAQ for more details on how to take part in committee proceedings.

No. The Committee may choose to study these programs from time to time, but this site does not generally provide information on government programs. Program- or policy-related questions should be directed to the appropriate departments. Most often, this will be the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. Other government departments and agencies that are also involved in programs and services for Aboriginal people include:

The Committee does not prepare legislation itself. The bills it examines are usually introduced in the House of Commons on behalf of the government, and referred to the Committee. They deal with subject matters within the Committee’s mandate, typically First Nations, Inuit and northern issues. For instance, during the first session of the 37th Parliament, the Committee examined bills on land claim settlements in the western provinces, devolution of power to Yukon, and institutions of public government in Nunavut. During the 38th Parliament, the Committee dealt with a number of bills related to First Nations economic development, as well as legislation ratifying the comprehensive land claim and self-government agreement of the Tlicho people of the Northwest Territories.

On occasion, the Committee will consider a bill that was introduced and adopted in the Senate first. A recent example was Bill S-24, ratifying a land agreement between the federal government and the Mohawks of Kanesatake. In theory, a private Member’s bill on an Aboriginal matter could be referred to the Committee, although this would be unusual.

Over the years, the Committee has carried out a number of important studies on a variety of issues. In the 1980s and 1990s, they included a review of the Indian Act, the Oka conflict, relocation of Inuit, extinguishment, co-management, education and many others. From the 35th through the 37th Parliaments, the Committee’s agenda was filled with numerous pieces of government legislation. Although no major studies were done over that period, the Committee did undertake shorter-term examinations of various topics, such as housing and economic development. During the 38th Parliament, the Committee studied the issue of matrimonial real property on-reserve and began an inquiry into First Nations specific claims. Shorter studies dealt with the government’s alternative dispute resolution process for residential school victims, the killing of Inuit sled dogs, drinking water in First Nations communities and other matters.

Apart from bills, subjects for study may be referred to the Committee by the House of Commons, or proposed by Committee members, the Minister of Indian Affairs, Aboriginal organizations or individuals, or other members of the public. A majority of the Committee must be in favour of studying the proposed subject.

Not as a general rule. If the Committee is studying one of these subjects, some information might be available from the testimony given at Committee meetings. In general, the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development is a good place to begin looking for this sort of information. Other sites you may find useful include the Department’s regional offices or national Aboriginal organizations.

All Committee members are elected Members of Parliament. Aboriginal Members of Parliament are not automatically assigned to the Committee, but there is usually Aboriginal representation. For instance, Nancy Karetak-Lindell, MP for Nunavut since 1997, has been on the Committee since that time and served as elected Chair of the Committee in 2001 and 2004-2005. In the First Session of the current Parliament, Aboriginal members of the Committee also include Rod Bruinooge, M.P. for Winnipeg South, Gary Merasty, M.P. for Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, and Todd Russell, M.P. for Labrador. Former Aboriginal Members of Parliament who served on the Committee include Ethel Blondin Andrew (N.W.T.), Elijah Harper (Manitoba), Jack Anawak (N.W.T.) and Bernard Cleary (Québec).

Committee members have discussed the possibility of having non-elected Aboriginal representatives sit on the Committee as non-voting members on specific issues. In March 2004, the Committee adopted a Motion that would have enabled limited Aboriginal participation in the Committee’s consideration of bills related to Aboriginal peoples. The Motion ceased to be in effect with the close of the 3rd Session of the 37th Parliament.

The House of Commons and the Senate are the two Houses of Parliament. It is not uncommon for both Houses to establish committees that deal with similar subject matters. However, each House follows its own process in establishing committees and defining their mandates. House of Commons committees are established and operate under the Standing Orders of the House. Senate committees are established and operate under the Rules of the Senate.

Sometimes both the House of Commons Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development and the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples deal with the same subjects. When bills on Aboriginal issues that have been studied by the House Committee reach the Senate, they will usually be re-examined by the Standing Senate Committee. The reverse is also true, when bills related to Aboriginal matters are first introduced in the Senate.

However, unlike the House Committee, the Standing Senate Committee is not necessarily responsible for northern development issues and bills that are unrelated to Aboriginal peoples.