HomePublic meetings of the Board of Directors
The NCC Board of Directors meets a minimum of four times per year. Since November 2007, the NCC has invited the public to attend these meetings in order to bring more accountability and openness to the NCC’s decision-making process, as well as to further engage the public in NCC initiatives.
These public meetings allow interested observers a chance to see first-hand how decisions are made by the Board and what the process entails.
In order to reach as wide an audience as possible—including Canadians across the country—the meetings are webcast live and archived on the NCC website, under the “Public Board of Directors Meetings” section. The agenda of each meeting is also available in this section, usually one week before the scheduled meeting. Minutes of each meeting are available approximately two months following a scheduled meeting.
In-camera meetings of the Board of Directors
In addition to public meetings, the Board of Directors also meets in-camera in order to deal with matters involving cabinet confidences or sensitive, protected information.
Documents that contain proposals, recommendations or advice to the government are considered cabinet confidences and must be dealt with in-camera. An example of such a document is the NCC’s Annual Report prior to its tabling in Parliament by the Minister.
There are also certain categories of information that are considered protected under the Privacy Act or the Access to Information Act and therefore cannot be discussed in an open forum. This would include, for example, personal information, information obtained from governments in confidence, or commercially sensitive information.
The meeting agenda is available approximately one week before the meeting and the minutes of in-camera meetings are generally available within two months of their adoption by the Board.
Annual General Meeting
The NCC has held an Annual General Meeting (AGM) since 2001. Taking place in the fall and coinciding with the release of the Annual Report, this meeting provides the public access to members of the Board of Directors and aims to share information about the NCC’s work, as well as foster a greater understanding of NCC activities and decisions.
During the meeting, members of the public are able to address their comments and questions directly to the Board, promoting communication and collaboration between the public and the NCC.
Meeting with Interest Groups and the Public
The Meeting with Interest Groups was introduced in 2002 and generally takes place in the spring. The goal of this meeting is to gather ideas and suggestions for future and current NCC initiatives from interest groups and the public. Ideas brought forward through this forum support the NCC in achieving its mandate.
Participants communicate their ideas with the Board of Directors through oral presentations, which are often supported by visual aids. These ideas feed into discussions that occur as part of the NCC’s annual strategic planning process. They are also often considered during the planning process of various projects and during public consultation exercises.
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You can also contact us at any time at:
Public Affairs
National Capital Commission
202–40 Elgin Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 1C7
Phone: (613) 239-5555 or 1 800 704-8227
Fax: (613) 239-5039
E-mail:
Related links:
- Operations Plan 2009 (pdf - 80 Kb)
- Operations Plan 2010 (pdf - 82 Kb)
- Operations Plan 2011 (pdf - 83 Kb)