Canadian Heritage

The Canadian Heritage committee held its first meeting of the 45th Parliament to elect its chair and vice-chairs and adopt routine motions. Lisa Hepfner was elected chair, Rachel Thomas was elected first vice-chair, and Martin Champoux was elected second vice-chair. The committee then adopted a series of routine motions governing its operations, including the establishment of a subcommittee on agenda and procedure, rules for meetings without a quorum, witness testimony procedures, document distribution, and in-camera meeting protocols. Bernard Généreux raised a concern about ensuring technical tests for witnesses are completed before meetings to protect interpreters' health and safety.

Rachel Thomas moved three motions to adopt reports from the previous session that were not tabled due to prorogation: reports on a national forum on the media, harms caused by illegal sexually explicit material online, and tech giants' intimidation tactics. New members requested time to review these reports before voting. The committee agreed to defer these motions to a future meeting, with discussion about setting a specific date in September.

Thomas also moved a motion to invite the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture to testify for no less than two hours, with department officials for one hour, no later than September 26, 2025. Fares Al Soud suggested the committee first assess its collective priorities before scheduling the minister's appearance. Martin Champoux supported the motion, arguing that meeting the minister early would help the committee plan its work. The motion was left unresolved.