Current affairs in agriculture and the challenges faced by farmers greatly influence the choice of subjects for study by the Committee.  Members of Parliament who sit on the Committee discuss subjects that were submitted to them by groups, associations, individuals, or subjects that the MPs themselves consider important.  The subjects may be examined by the full Committee or by the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure.  The Committee then decides on the relevance and priority of the issues submitted, and asks the Committee staff – the Clerk and analyst(s) – to draft the Committee’s agenda.  Some subjects, such as the review of the Main Estimates and expenditures of the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food and organizations that are part of the Agriculture and Agri-Food portfolio, are recurring, automatically coming back before the Committee from year to year.

Witnesses invited to appear before the Committee may be private citizens, experts, representatives of groups or organizations, lobbyists, public servants, or ministers.  The Committee invites witnesses to appear so that it may gather information related to the subject under review.  The Committee chooses witnesses based on a number of criteria, including the kind of study being undertaken and the time it can commit to it.  When the Committee is unable to hear the testimony of all witnesses who wish to intervene, it may ask them to submit a brief instead of an oral presentation.

With respect to a study or consideration of an issue, members of the Committee suggest appropriate witnesses.  The research staff may add to the list by providing additional choices to the Committee for its approval.  Furthermore, an organization, group, or private citizen that wishes to appear to speak on a subject selected for study by the Committee can contact the Clerk of the Committee at AGRI@parl.gc.ca.

The Committee publishes minutes of proceedings, which record its work and the presentations (reports) given at public meetings; these minutes are available on the Committee’s Web site.  When meetings are televised, they may be viewed on the PARLVU Internet system.

No.  The Committee is a public forum that examines agricultural programs and policies and makes recommendations to the government in order to improve or adjust programs to meet the needs of Canadian farmers.  Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the provincial departments of agriculture are responsible for administering programs and awarding subsidies.

The Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food is independent of the department.  Committee members decide upon the agenda.  The department may certainly suggest that the Committee study certain topics, but the decision to accept or reject these suggestions rests with the Committee.

Many people help to keep the Committee functioning smoothly.  The Committee’s staff is primarily made up of the Clerk and research staff.  Together, they are the Committee’s “institutional memory.”  The Clerk of the Committee is the advisor on procedure and administrative officer for the Committee Chair.  The Clerk does his or her work in constant consultation with the Chair.  As a non-partisan employee who is independent of the Committee, the Clerk serves all Committee members and party representatives impartially.

The Library of Parliament’s Parliamentary Information and Research Service assigns one or more analysts to each committee.  Their tasks, which vary based on the committee’s needs, may include the following, singly or in combination: