I am proud to serve you as the Conservative Government's Chair of the Eastern and Northern Ontario Caucus, which is comprised of the conservative MPs in these areas. This Caucus meets once a week to discuss issues important to Eastern and Northern Ontario.

As your member of parliament, I sit on two committees:

• Public Safety and National Security
• Justice and Human Rights

The Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security has studied, among other issues: sex offender registry, DNA databank, border security study, mental health and addiction in federal corrections, and a comprehensive study of taser use in Canada.

The Justice Committee has worked on issues such as: Identify Theft, Organized Crime, Anti-Terrorism Act Provisions, Credit for Time Served, Auto theft and Property Theft, the 'Faint Hope Clause', Impaired Driving, Credit for pre-trial Custody, Conditional Sentences, and Official Languages in the Supreme Court.

I am also a member of the new Law Enforcement Caucus, which acts as a liaison for law enforcement agencies to the government.

General Committee Information

Committees play a key role in the Parliamentary process. They enable Members to:

• Examine complex matters in detail - this can be done more effectively by a small group than by the entire House of Commons;
• Hear from experts on topics of national concern, and have this evidence placed on the public record; and,
• Examine policies and programs, and increase expertise in specific areas.
• A committee is not a final decision-making body. When it has finished considering a matter, it presents its findings and recommendations in a report to the House of Commons. Committees can influence policies and decision-making and their reports may include a request that the government respond to its recommendations within 120 days.

To go to the House of Commons Committees home page please click here.

For information about preparing a submission to a House of Commons Committee please click here.