October 13, 2004

Senator Percy Downe of Charlottetown has been appointed to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and reappointed to the Senate Committee on National Finance. “I am pleased to be a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee considering the work it does in areas of trade and foreign relations,” stated Downe. “I also look forward to taking part in the continued work of the National Finance Committee in reviewing government estimates and conducting hearings into equalization payments.”

Senator Downe is also on the Expenditure Review Committee of the Liberal Caucus. The Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs has a mandate of examining legislation and matters relating to foreign and Commonwealth relations, including treaties and international agreements; external trade; foreign aid; defence; and territorial and offshore matters. The Senate Standing Committee on National Finance focuses on the machinery of government. The Committee examines government spending, reviews estimates and specific programs such as equalization payments.

The core of Senate work takes place in the Senate Chamber and its committees. The Senate has a responsibility to examine and revise legislation and represent regional and minority interests. To this end, the Senate often receives representation from many Canadians on proposed bills.

For the fiscal year 2003-2004, Senate Committees met 445 times for over 790 hours. They heard from 1, 284 witnesses and wrote 144 reports.