Six Episcopal Commissions, four Committees and one Council are at the service of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Each Commission and Standing Committee specializes in one pastoral area, to guide and support the Bishops in their ministry. Guided by the work and expertise of the Bishops who serve on it, and of one secretary (consultants and observers can also join the groups), each Commission and Standing Committee studies current events, analyses the needs of the Church in Canada, and organizes projects aimed at supporting our Catholic communities.

Three of the Commissions are national – formed by Bishops equally distributed between the French and English sectors - while the three others are named “sectoral” because they are divided according to the language of the member bishops.

The Canadian Catholic Aboriginal Council, established in 1998 by the Bishops of Canada, encourages Aboriginal leadership in the Christian community, supports healing and reconciliation between Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals, and advises the bishops on Aboriginal questions. Six Aboriginal Catholics from various parts of Canada are members, as well as Most Rev. Claude Champagne, O.M.I., Bishop of Edmundston, and Most Rev. Murray Chatlain, Bishop of Mackenzie-Fort Smith.