The Standing Committee for Family and Life is an advisory body established within the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) by a resolution of the 2020 Plenary Assembly of Bishops, the purpose of which is to assist the Conference as a whole in

• responding to the pastoral needs of married couples and families (children, parents, grandparents and extended family) and assisting them to affirm and strengthen the domestic church in every household;
• proclaiming the Christian teachings on marriage and the family;
• promoting the dignity and sacredness of human life at all stages of life, from conception to natural death;
• responding to new questions raised by contemporary ethical debates (e.g., MAiD, palliative care, gender issues); and
• encouraging the ethical and moral development of new biotechnologies with respect to life and what it means to be human.

In the execution of its mandate, the Standing Committee is supported by the Office for Family and Life, which is at the overall service of the CCCB and collaborates with the other CCCB offices and structures.

The Most Rev. Christian Lépine, Chairman
The Most Rev. Joseph Dabrowski, C.S.M.A.
The Most Rev. Gerard Pettipas, C.Ss.R.
The Most Rev. Christian Rodembourg, M.S.A.
The Most Rev. Paul-Marwan Tabet

In addition to its four Bishop-members, the Standing Committee for Family and Life will include non-episcopal members from both anglophone and francophone parts of the country who are experts in areas related to family and life. The non-episcopal members include ex officio an official delegate of the Knights of Columbus. These non-episcopal members will be appointed by the Permanent Council in 2021, at which time this page will be updated.