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House of Representatives                                Ch 18                                                 p 690

Time and place of meeting

A committee or a subcommittee may conduct proceedings at any time or place as it sees fit, and whether or not the House is sitting. ¹ Some committees have regular meeting times, but others may meet only as required by the work at hand. Formal notice of each meeting is issued by the committee secretary. The time and place of the next meeting is routinely included on the agenda for each meeting.

Committees normally adjourn to an agreed date or to a date to be fixed by the chair or presiding member. If the committee adj ourns to a specific date, and a change in the date is subsequently found to be necessary, it is incumbent upon the chair to ensure that members are notified and given reasonable notice of the new date which is fixed by the chair. If a meeting is expected to be the committee’s last, it adjourns ‘sine die’. ²

If there is disagreement within a committee concerning the appropriateness of adjourning at a particular time, the matter should be determined by resolution of the committee. However, in circumstances of grave disorder, the chair may suspend or adjourn the meeting without putting a question. These practices reflect those of the House itself. ³

The following provisions of Senate standing order 30 for the convening of meetings apply to joint committees:

Notice of meetings subsequent to the first meeting shall be given by the secretary attending the committee ( a ) pursuant to resolution of the committee, ( b ) on instruction from the Chair or ( c ) upon a request by a quorum of members of the committee.

S.O. 235(c).

That is, without fixing a day for future action or meeting.

S.O. 95.