About the Board of Internal Economy

The Board of Internal Economy (the Board) is committed to increasing public understanding about its role and the expenditures of the House of Commons and its Members. To help meet this objective, this section provides detailed information about the Board of Internal Economy. The Board is also working hard to make expenditure and financial reports clearer and easier to access.

Role of the Board

The Board of Internal Economy is the governing body of the House of Commons.

In this capacity, the Board makes decisions and provides direction on financial and administrative matters of the House of Commons, specifically concerning its premises, its services, its staff and Members of the House of Commons.

The Board is responsible for establishing By-laws, policies and guidelines relating to expenditures and resources provided to Members in order to carry out their parliamentary functions. The Board also has the exclusive authority to determine whether expenditures are proper and in accordance with the By-laws, policies and guidelines that have been established. This authority is given to the Board by the Parliament of Canada Act.

How the Board Functions

The Board consists of the Speaker, who acts as Chair, two members of the Privy Council (appointed to the Board by the Government), the Leader of the Opposition or his or her representative, and additional Members appointed in numbers so that there are an equal number of Government and opposition representatives (apart from the Speaker). The Clerk of the House of Commons, who reports to the Speaker, serves as Secretary to the Board.

Decisions of the Board are made on a non-partisan basis. All recognized parties (i.e. those holding at least 12 seats in the House) are given representation on the Board.

The Board designates two spokespersons from its membership: a member of the Government and a member of the Official Opposition. They respond to questions related to the Board's business during Question Period and to enquiries from the media.