Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency (DEDC)

Mandate

On 14 February 2022, the government invoked the Emergencies Act, issuing a declaration of a public order emergency and giving the federal government certain temporary powers.

The Emergencies Act sets out the procedure by which a national emergency can be declared and by which a declaration of emergency can be confirmed, continued, amended and revoked. It also provides for a supervisory role for Parliament.

The declaration of emergency was revoked on 23 February 2022 by proclamation. Under subsection 62(1) of the Emergencies Act, a parliamentary review committee must review the “exercise of powers and the performance of duties and functions pursuant to a declaration of emergency.” Accordingly, this special joint committee was established by motion of the Senate and House of Commons on March 3, 2022.

Summary of Committee Activity

Since its creation in March 2022, the committee has been working towards reporting to both the House and Senate on its study of the review of the exercise of powers and the performance of duties and functions pursuant to the declaration of emergency that was in effect from Monday, February 14, 2022, to Wednesday, February 23, 2022. During the period from April 1 to August 31, 2023, the committee held three meetings for the consideration of a draft report.

Membership (as of August 31, 2023)

Hon. Gwen Boniface (Senate) (Joint Chair), Rhéal Éloi Fortin (Joint Chair), Matthew Green (Joint Chair), Hon. Claude Carignan (Senate) (Vice-Chair), Glen Motz (Vice-Chair), Hon. Peter Harder (Senate), Hon. Dennis Glen Patterson (Senate), Rachel Bendayan, Larry Brock, Yasir Naqvi

Expenditures (April 1 to August 31, 2023)

For general information on the following table, see the “Note to Reader—Expenditures.”

Meetings, Witnesses, Briefs and Reports (April 1 to August 31, 2023)

For general information on the following table, see the “Note to Reader—Meetings, Witnesses, Briefs and Reports.”