Rules of the Legislative Assembly
STANDING AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES
89 (1) Standing Committees
Standing Committees are established by each Assembly and continue in existence unless otherwise ordered.
(2) Appointment of Committees
At its first sitting after a general election, the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning shall be established as including all Members with the exception of those Members appointed to the Executive Council, and the Speaker.
The Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning shall report and recommend, with all convenient speed, Members to comprise the following Standing Committees of the Assembly:
on Economic Development and Environment;
on Government Operations;
on Rules and Procedures;
on Social Development;
and any other Standing and Special Committees as directed by the Assembly.
(3) Terms of reference
The terms of reference for each Standing Committee shall be set out in Appendix 3 – Committee Terms of Reference.
90 Board of Management
At its first sitting after a general election the Assembly shall appoint a Board of Management in accordance with Section 36 of the Legislative Assembly and Executive Council Act.
91 (1) Number of Members
With the exception of the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning, a Committee established pursuant to Rule 89(1) shall consist of not more than six Members.
(2) Alternate Members
Each Standing Committee, with the exception of the Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning, shall also have three alternates, each of whom may be called upon by the Chair to take the place of an absent Committee Member when the absence of a Committee Member results in a lack of quorum. When called upon by the Chair to participate in Committee business, the alternate shall be entitled to vote on any matter arising during that meeting.
92 (1) Special Committees
At any time, the Assembly may appoint a Special Committee for any purpose or to consider any matter referred to it by the Assembly.
(2) Number of Members on Special Committees
A Special Committee established pursuant to Rule 92(1) shall consist of not more than five Members unless otherwise ordered by the Assembly.
93 Rules of Committee
The Rules and procedures of the Legislative Assembly shall be observed in Committees in so far as they are applicable.
94 List of Members
The Clerk shall distribute to every Member a list of the Members comprising the Committees and the Board of Management.
95 (1) First meeting
The Member first named in the motion establishing the membership of any Committee shall call the first meeting of the Committee.
(2) Election of Chairs
At the first meeting, the Committee shall elect a Chair and Deputy Chair, or Co-Chairs, who shall act at the pleasure of the Committee.
(3) Quorum of Committees
The quorum of a Committee shall be a simple majority of Committee Members.
(4) Notice of meetings
Notices of all Committee meetings shall be posted in the Legislative Assembly office and circulated to all Members.
96 (1) Removal of Members
A Member of a Standing or Special Committee who is absent from Committee meetings without cause may be removed from the membership of the Committee by a motion adopted by the Assembly.
(2) Filling vacancies
In the case of a vacancy in the membership of a Standing or Special Committee, the Striking Committee provided for by Rule 89(2) shall propose a successor to the Assembly.
97 Maintaining order in Committee
The Chair shall maintain order in Committee and shall decide all questions of order subject to an appeal to the Speaker.
98 Chair casts deciding vote
The Chair of the Committee shall not vote except to cast the deciding vote in the case of a tie.
99 (1) Members may attend meetings
A Member, who is not a Member of the Executive Council or the Speaker, and who is not a Member of a Committee may attend Standing Committee meetings and may address the Committee after its Members have spoken, according to any limits imposed by the Chair. This does not apply to public meetings of Committee, or when a Member of the Executive Council has been invited to attend a Committee meeting.
(2) Only Committee Members vote
Only Members of a Committee shall vote on any question to be decided by the Committee.
100 (1) Committee reports
Every report of a Standing or Special Committee shall be in writing, signed by the Chair, and shall be presented by the Chair or a Committee Member under the appropriate item in the daily order of business of the Assembly.
(2) Motion to receive report
The Member presenting the report shall move that the report be received by the Assembly.
(3) Report adopted or referred
A report from a Standing or Special Committee may, without notice be,
a) adopted by the Assembly;
b) referred to Committee of the Whole; or
c) referred back to the Committee which presented it.
(4) Report not considered for two days
A report from a Standing or Special Committee shall not be taken into consideration in Committee of the Whole until two sitting days have passed from the presentation of the report.
(5) Response to report
Within 120 calendar days of the conclusion of consideration of a report presented under Rule 100(1) and (2), the Executive Council shall, upon motion of the Committee, table a comprehensive response that addresses the Committee report and any related motions adopted by the House.
101 (1) Powers of Committees
Standing and Special Committees have the power to call for persons and documents and to examine witnesses.
(2) Meetings of Committees
Standing and Special Committees may meet at any time, and shall meet at least once per year.
COMMITTEE DOCUMENTS
102 (1) Committee documents
All documents which come into the possession of a Committee or which come into existence in the course of the conduct of Committee business belong to that Committee before it reports to the Assembly and belong
to the Assembly after the Committee reports to the Assembly, subject to any direction of the Speaker acting on an order of the Assembly.
(2) Disposition of Committee documents
Notwithstanding Rule 102(1), where a Committee does not report to the Assembly before dissolution of the Legislature, all Committee documents belong to the Assembly upon its dissolution subject to:
a) any direction of the Committee as to their disposal;
b) any direction by order of the Assembly as to their disposal; or
c) the direction of the Speaker in the absence of any other direction.