Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Social Affairs, Science and Technology
Issue 1 - Evidence
OTTAWA, Wednesday, October 9, 2002
The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology met this day at 3:30 p.m., pursuant to rule 88 of the Rules of the Senate, to organize the activities of the committee.
[English]
Ms. Cathy Piccinin, Clerk of the Committee: Honourable senators, I see a quorum. As the clerk of the committee, it is my duty to preside over the election of the chair of your committee. I am now ready to receive motions to that effect.
Senator Morin: Honourable senators, I move:
That the Honourable Senator Kirby be elected chair of the committee.
Ms. Piccinin: It is moved by the Honourable Senator Morin that the Honourable Senator Kirby be elected chair of this committee. Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
Ms. Piccinin: Senator Kirby, I invite you to take the chair.
Senator Michael Kirby (Chairman) in the Chair.
The Chairman: Honourable senators, I call for a motion for the deputy chair of the committee.
Senator Morin: I move:
That the Honourable Senator LeBreton be elected the deputy chair of this committee.
The Chairman: Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Carried.
Could I have a motion for the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure?
Senator Morin: I move:
That the Subcommittee of the Agenda and Procedure be composed of the chair, the deputy chair and Honourable Senator Cordy.
The Chairman: Is it agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Carried.
Could I have a motion on the next item, please?
Senator Morin: I move:
That the committee print its proceedings and that the chair be authorized to set the number to meet the demand.
The Chairman: Is it agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Carried.
Could I have the next motion, please.
Senator Morin: I move:
That pursuant to rule 89, the chair be authorized to hold meetings to receive and authorize the printing of evidence when a quorum is not present.
The Chairman: Is it agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Carried.
Could I have a motion for the next item, please?
Senator Morin: I move:
That, pursuant to rule 104, the chair be authorized to report expenses incurred by the committee during the last session.
The Chairman: Is it agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Carried.
Could I have a motion for the next item, please?
Senator Morin: I move:
That the committee ask the Library of Parliament to assign research officers to the committee;
That the chair be authorized to seek authority from the Senate to engage the services of such counsel and technical, clerical and other personnel as may be necessary for the purpose of the committee's examination and consideration of such bills, subject matters of bills, and estimates as are referred to it;
That the chair and deputy chair be authorized to retain the services of such experts as may be required by the work of the committee; and
That the chair, on behalf of the committee, direct the research staff in the preparation of studies, analyses, summaries and draft reports.
The Chairman: Is it agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Carried.
Could I have a motion for the next item, please?
Senator Morin: I move:
That, pursuant to section 32 of the Financial Administration Act, authority to commit funds be conferred individually on the chair, the deputy chair and the clerk of the committee; and
That, pursuant to section 34 of the Financial Administration Act, and Guideline 3:05 of Appendix II of the Rules of the Senate, authority for certifying accounts payable by the committee be conferred individually on the chair, the deputy chair and the clerk of the committee.
The Chairman: Is it agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Carried.
Could I have a motion for the next item, please?
Senator Morin: I move:
That the committee empower the chair and the deputy chair to designate, as required, one or more members of the committee and/or such staff as may be necessary to travel on assignment on behalf of the committee.
The Chairman: Is it agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Carried.
Could I have a motion for the next item, please?
Senator Morin: I move:
That the chair and deputy chair be authorized to:
1) determine whether any member of the committee is on ``official business'' for the purposes of paragraph 8(3)(a) of the Senators Attendance Policy, published in the Journals of Senate, on Wednesday, June 3, 1998; and
2) consider any member of the committee to be on ``official business'' if that member is: (a) attending a function, event or meeting related to the work of the committee; or (b) making a presentation related to the work of the committee.
The Chairman: Is it agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Carried.
Could I have a motion for the next item, please?
Senator Morin: I move:
That, pursuant to the Senate guidelines for witnesses expenses, the committee may reimburse reasonable travelling and living expenses for one witness from any one organization and payment will take place upon application, but that the chair be authorized to approve expenses for a second witness should there be exceptional circumstances.
The Chairman: Is it agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Carried.
Could I have a motion for the next item, please?
Senator Morin: I move:
That the chair be authorized to seek permission from the Senate to permit coverage by electronic media of its public proceedings with the least possible disruption of its hearings; and
That the chair and deputy chair be empowered to allow such coverage at their discretion.
The Chairman: Is it agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Carried.
The regular time slot for the meetings is the same, 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and 11 o'clock on Thursdays.
I have four other quick motions that we need to address. The first is to confirm that the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure, otherwise known as the steering committee, for the purposes of the health care study be composed of Senators Lebreton, Morin, Keon and myself, as it has been throughout.
Is there a motion to that effect?
Senator LeBreton: I so move.
The Chairman: Is it agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Carried.
The second motion is that we need to authorize the clerk to submit another budget — which is essentially the budget that has been approved by Internal Economy, but which is now defunct. We still have some money in the budget to carry us through to the end of the health care study; in other words, that we simply continue that budget through for the health care study. We must return to Internal Economy, although informally. They have already told us that that is not a problem, so we need a motion to do that. The amount is actually $54,400.
Senator Morin: I so move.
The Chairman: Is it agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Carried.
Honourable senators will recall that we have engaged Alvin Cader and John Burke as our communications people. We approved that contract before. However, since we are a new committee, I need another motion to support their rehiring.
Senator LeBreton: I so move.
The Chairman: Is it agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Carried.
Finally, the draft of volume 6, which we approved two weeks ago, when we were meeting as a group of senators, needs to be officially adopted by the committee in order that we may release it on October 25.
Senator LeBreton: I so move.
The Chairman: Is it agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chairman: Carried.
I will make a couple of comments. The current target, which the clerk says we can still meet, will be to release the report to the public on October 25. The highlights document will be on every parliamentarian's Web site, the House of Commons and the Senate, at eight or nine o'clock that morning.
The committee will meet in camera at 3:30 p.m., two weeks from today, Wednesday, October 23, to talk about media lines, questions and answers, that kind of thing, so that we are all singing from the same page. Alvin Cader and John Burke will be there.
Let us ensure that we have a motion to meet even if the Senate is sitting, please.
Senator Morin: We have that already.
The Chairman: That is already in the book.
At that meeting, I will take people through the reaction of various provinces. Most of the provinces will have been seen before then, so we will take you through what we see as the lay of the land, which so far is extraordinarily positive, almost spookily positive.
I guess it helps that it is a practical plan. A plan of action is the way one premier put it.
Senator LeBreton: We should continue to emphasize that it is practical, doable and realistic.
The committee adjourned.