Canada

House of Commons

Political system
Parliamentary system
Structure of parliament
Bicameral
IPU membership
Yes

Specialized body - Gender equality

Standing Committee on the Status of Women January 2004

About

Nature
Permanent
Themes
Gender equality

Members

Number of members
All Members 45 years of age or younger
Total 11 1
Male 1 -
Female 10 1

Chairperson(s)
(2021-11)

Person
Karen Vecchio (Female)
Date of birth: 06 Mar 1971
Political affiliation
Opposition

Committee functions

The Committee has the following functions:

Mainstream gender equality into the work of (other) parliamentary committees and of Parliament as a whole
No
Scrutinise all Bills from a gender perspective
No
Scrutinise the Executive’s policy from a gender perspective
Yes
Obtain information from the Executive about the justification for actions or inaction which affect gender equality and women’s rights
Yes
Scrutinise State compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
No
Initiate inquiries of its own choosing
Yes
Scrutinise proposed treaties on gender equality, and other international treaties with implications for gender equality and women’s rights, and report to Parliament thereon, prior to ratification
No
Ascertain and review the Executive’s reasons for not acceding to or ratifying existing international human rights treaties on gender equality and women’s rights
No
Scrutinise the Executive’s response to human rights judgments - of national, regional and international courts – that have gender considerations
No
Monitor the adequacy of the existing national system for the promotion of gender equality
No
Review the allocation and expenditure of funds in the State budget to support measures to promote gender equality and protect women’s rights
Yes
Other important functions, please specify

The House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women “has the broad authority to study the policies, programs, expenditures (budgetary estimates) and legislation of departments and agencies, including Status of Women Canada, that conduct work related to the status of women.”

Though the Committee does not have the power to access places of attention without notice, Members of Parliament have the power to access places of detention on their own.

Committee involvement in international and national reporting mechanisms

Such as the UN Human Rights Council and its' Universal Periodic Review, the UN CEDAW Committee etc.

Consulted in the preparation of the most recent national report to the CEDAW Committee
No
Included in the official delegation which orally presented the most recent national report to the CEDAW Committee
No
Discussed the conclusions and recommendations which the CEDAW Committee adopted as a result
No
Conducted hearings with the Executive about its plans to implement CEDAW conclusions and recommendations
No
Involved in the preparation of national reports to other international or regional mechanisms (Resolution 1325 of the United Nations Security Council on Women, peace and security, the Beijing Platform for action…)
No

Committee powers

The Committee has the power to:

Propose amendments to legislation
Yes
Introduce bills into Parliament
No
Initiate parliamentary debates on its reports or on subjects of its choosing
Yes
Carry out inquiries
Yes
Hold oral evidence hearings
Yes
Compel witnesses to attend
Yes
Compel the production of documents and papers
Yes
Make recommendations to the Executive
Yes
Conduct visits, including visits abroad
Yes
Access places of detention without notice
No

Committee working methods

The Committee:

Adopts an annual or longer-term work plan
Yes
Publishes reports on its work on the parliamentary website
Yes
Usually reaches consensus on the issues on which it reports
No information available
Systematically follows up its reports and recommendations
Yes
Reports regularly to Parliament on its activities
Yes
Number of specialised staff to service committee
4

Cooperation and coordination

The Committee regularly cooperates and coordinates (e.g. through sharing of reports; meetings; joint follow-up action) with:

Other parliamentary committees
No information available
Civil society organisations
No information available
National Human Rights Institution(s) and National Institution(s) for the promotion of gender equality
No information available
Academic institutions, including human rights and gender equality research institutes
No information available
The media
No information available

Contact information for the Committee

Contact / Address
Alexie Labelle, FEWO Committee Clerk
House of Commons, Sixth Floor, 131 Queen Street
Ottawa K1A0A6
ON
Canada
Phone
+1 (613) 995-6119
Fax number
+1 (613) 947-3089
E-mail
Web site

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No