A parliamentary committee may conduct a public consultation on its own initiative or when requested to do so by the Assembly. This involves inviting individuals and organizations to present their views on a specific subject of public interest. Based on the presentations made during the ensuing public hearing, the Members who sit on the committee can submit their observations, recommendations and findings to the Assembly.
Consultations are of two kinds: general and special. A general consultation solicits input from the general public, and in all cases must be preceded by a public notice. Special consultations only involve the individuals or organizations selected by the committee or the Assembly to take part in the consultation because of their particular knowledge or expertise in the matter under consideration. All consultations held by parliamentary committees are governed by National Assembly Standing Orders 166 to 173.1 (PDF, 2,7 Mb).
When a committee is to hold a general consultation, the committee clerk arranges for a notice to be published in the Gazette officielle du Québec and the major Québec daily newspapers. The notice is also posted on the National Assembly website under the heading General consultations. The notice sets out the subject of the consultation, the date on which public hearings will begin, the procedure for submitting a brief and the deadline for sending a brief, or a request to be heard, to the Committee Secretariat. The notice must be published at least 30 days before that deadline.
The author of a brief is entirely free to choose the layout, length and style of the document.
However, it is a good idea to divide the text into three sections:
A short presentation of the individual or organization submitting the brief gives the committee an opportunity to understand the author's background, gauge the author's representativeness, and determine the relevance of the brief to the subject under consideration.
The brief must express the position of its author as clearly as possible. The opinions and arguments set out must be relevant and factual, since the author may be asked to defend them before the committee during the hearing. It is advisable to highlight opinions and arguments in the brief so that they stand out.
All briefs of more than ten pages must include a summary.
A brief must be on letter-sized paper (21.5 cm by 28 cm, or 8" by 11") and be accompanied by a cover letter that includes the following information: the name, street address, telephone number, fax number and e-mail address of the individual or organization, along with the name and contact details of the person responsible for the file, if applicable.
Please note that unless the committee decides otherwise, briefs are made public, including any personal information they contain, and are posted on the committee website.
A brief, including the summary, must be received by the committee clerk before the deadline. It may be forwarded by fax or e-mail in unlocked PDF format or Word. It may also be mailed or hand delivered to the reception desk of the Committee Secretariat at the following address:
Assemblée nationale
Secrétariat
des commissions
Édifice Pamphile-Le May
1035, rue des
Parlementaires
3e étage
Québec
(Québec)
G1A 1A3
All briefs are forwarded to the committee members, even if the author is not invited to a public hearing. Similarly, all other documents sent to a committee clerk for the purposes of a consultation are made available to the committee members.
Individuals who do not submit a brief in connection with general consultations but who wish to present their views during public hearings may address a request to be heard to the committee clerk. A short summary of the presentation must be submitted with the request.
On the basis of the briefs received, the committee invites certain individuals and organizations to take part in a public hearing. In addition, the committee invites some of the individuals who sent in a request to be heard to take part in a public hearing; a maximum of 45 minutes is allotted for all such presentations.
In the case of a special consultation, it is preferable that the individuals and organizations selected to appear submit a brief. The rules governing the form and content and the sending of the brief are the same as for a general consultation.
At least seven days before a public hearing, the committee clerk convenes the individuals and organizations that the committee will hear. The notice may be shorter in the case of special consultations.
The invitation is made in writing and sets out the date, time, place and length of the hearing, as well as the time allotted for presenting the brief and for discussion with the committee members.
After receiving the invitation, the individual or organization must confirm attendance as soon as possible with the committee clerk, and specify the names and titles of the persons designated to present the brief to the committee.
During this preparatory stage, participants may contact the committee clerk to obtain details on how the hearing will unfold and the general procedure followed during public hearings.
The committee clerks can be reached by phone at
A committee may consult on line at the same time as it holds a general consultation. During an online consultation, all are invited to express their opinion and make comments on the subject under consideration by filling out a questionnaire on the National Assembly website under the heading Online consultations. All comments and answers to the online questionnaire are forwarded to the committee members.
Public hearings held by parliamentary committees are recorded and a verbatim transcript of the proceedings is published in the Journal des débats des commissions. Some hearings are also broadcast on television.
The Journal des débats can be consulted on the Assembly website and in certain public libraries. Transcripts may be obtained by writing to:
Assemblée nationale
Distribution des
documents parlementaires
1020, rue des Parlementaires
Bureau
RC.85
Québec (Québec)
G1A 1A3
Phone: 418 643-2754
A request for a transcript must include the name of the committee that held the consultation, the subject and, if possible, the dates of the hearings.
All briefs filed with a committee, including briefs by individuals or organizations that are not heard at a public hearing, are bound and kept at the Library of the National Assembly. They may also be viewed on the website of each committee.
Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries, Energy and Natural Resources:
capern@assnat.qc.ca
Committee on
Citizen Relations: crc@assnat.qc.ca
Committee on Culture and
Education: cce@assnat.qc.ca
Committee
on Health and Social Services: csss@assnat.qc.ca
Committee on
Institutions: ci@assnat.qc.ca
Committee
on Labour and the Economy: cet@assnat.qc.ca
Committee on Planning
and the Public Domain: cat@assnat.qc.ca
Committee on the
National Assembly: can@assnat.qc.ca
Committee on Public
Administration: cap@assnat.qc.ca
Committee on Public
Finance: cfp@assnat.qc.ca
Committee on
Transportation and the Environment: cte@assnat.qc.ca