Q41. What is a committee?

A41. A committee is a group of nine MLAs who meet regularly to discuss some aspect of government business. Each committee has a different membership and MLAs are assigned to committees by their caucus.

There is lots of good information about committees available on the legislature website.

There are two kinds of committee: a standing committee and a select committee. (I’m not counting Committee of the Whole House, which includes all MLAs, because it’s not at all like the other committees.)

The difference between them is simple: a standing committee is permanent, and a select committee is temporary.

A select committee is formed to address a specific issue. Once its report is submitted, the select committee is dissolved.

The House of Assembly currently has ten standing committees. In alphabetical order, they are: Assembly Matters, Community Services, Health, Human Resources, Internal Affairs, Law Amendments, Private & Local Bills, Public Accounts, Resources & Economic Development, and Veterans Affairs.

Of these, citizens are most likely to encounter the Law Amendments Committee, which is the third stage of the five-stage law-making process. I have written separate posts on what the Law Amendments Committee is, how it really works, and some tips on how to make a more effective presentation.

The Assembly Matters and Internal Affairs committees deal with internal administrative matters such as procedure and funding. I’ve never heard of citizens engaging directly with these committees.

Of the remaining six committees, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is the most important. It has a broad mandate to inquire into accountability for how public funds are spent. I’ve written a separate post about the Public Accounts Committee, and why a couple of changes in late 2018 and early 2019 have significantly reduced its effectiveness.

The other five committees (Community Services, Health, Human Resources, Resources & Economic Development, and Veterans Affairs) generally meet monthly, except in the summer. They sometimes hear from organizations outside government. Unfortunately, these committees have little or no impact on government policy.