Proceedings of the Standing Committee on
Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
Minutes of Proceedings - May 9, 2019
OTTAWA, Thursday, May 9, 2019
(76)
[English]
The Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration met this day at 8 a.m., in room C128, Senate of Canada Building, the chair, the Honourable Sabi Marwah, presiding.
Members of the committee present: The Honourable Senators Batters, Dalphond, Dawson, Dean, Frum, Marshall, Marwah, Moncion, Munson, Omidvar, Plett, Saint-Germain, Smith, Tannas, Tkachuk and Verner, P.C. (16).
Also in attendance: Pascale Legault, Chief Corporate Services Officer and Clerk of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration; Richard Denis, Interim Clerk of the Senate and Clerk of the Parliaments and Chief Legislative Services Officer; Philippe Hallée, Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel; senior Senate officials and other support staff.
Also present: The official reporters of the Senate.
WITNESSES:
Senate of Canada:
Caroline Morency, Acting Director General, Property and Services;
Josée Labelle, LTVP Executive Advisor, Real Property Planning and Projects;
Pierre Lanctôt, Chief Financial Officer, Finance and Procurement Directorate;
Charles Feldman, Parliamentary Counsel, Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel.
Pursuant to rule 12-7(1) of the Rules of the Senate, the committee continued its consideration of financial and administrative matters concerning the Senate's internal administration.
CIBA/2019-05-09/580(P)|211| — Adoption of Minutes of Proceedings
The committee considered the minutes of proceedings of Thursday, May 2, 2019, public portion.
The Honourable Senator Batters moved:
That the minutes of proceedings of Thursday, May 2, 2019 be adopted.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
CIBA/2019-05-09/581(P)|313| — Long Term Vision and Plan — End State Senate Committee Rooms
Caroline Morency made a statement and answered questions on the end state Senate committee rooms.
The Honourable Senator Plett moved:
That a total of ten Senate broadcasting committee rooms are required for the longer term;
That a maximum number of committee rooms should be located in close proximity to the Senate Chamber. Those that cannot be accommodated in the Centre Block will be provided in the Visitor Welcome Centre Complex (East end), East Block and potentially within a third Senator-occupied building;
That all end state committee rooms must have broadcasting. The current committee rooms in the Centre Block that cannot be converted to broadcasting, may be retained as meeting rooms;
That the Senate requires eight (8) medium size committee rooms and 2 large committee rooms in the end state, with one of these large committee rooms including a secure location for Caucus/Group meetings which may accommodate secure discussion areas; and
That the Senate will also have a new large non-broadcasting multipurpose room in the Visitor Welcome Centre Complex to accommodate large group functions and special events.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
CIBA/2019-05-09/582(P)|390| — Report from the Subcommittee on Human Resources — Harassment Prevention Training
The Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Resources, the Honourable Senator Saint-Germain, tabled the third report of the subcommittee as follows:
Thursday, May 9, 2019
The Subcommittee on Human Resources of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration (CIBA) has the honour to table its
THIRD REPORT
On December 7, 2017, your subcommittee was given the mandate by CIBA to conduct a review of the Senate Policy on the Prevention and Resolution of Harassment in the Workplace.
Your subcommittee recommended in its first report:
That the Human Resources Directorate be instructed to coordinate mandatory training on the prevention of harassment in the workplace for all Senators, which takes into account the training provided to Members of Parliament, to be conducted by December 31, 2018;
That all individuals who have supervisory or managerial responsibilities within the Senate Administration attend mandatory training by December 31, 2018;
That Senators' staff, along with employees of the Senate Administration, also attend mandatory training by the end of the fiscal year on March 31, 2019; and
That the Human Resources Directorate report back to CIBA on the participation rate, including the names of all participants of the mandatory training sessions, by April 30, 2019.
This recommendation was adopted by the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration on June 14, 2018.
Information on the participation rate and the list of all participants is appended to this report.
Respectfully submitted,
RAYMONDE SAINT-GERMAIN
Chair
The Honourable Senator Saint-Germain made a statement.
The Honourable Senator Saint-Germain moved:
That, notwithstanding the recommendation in the first report of the Subcommittee on Human Resources, adopted on June 14, 2018, providing that the Human Resources Directorate report back to the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration on the participation rate, including the names of all participants of the mandatory training sessions, the subcommittee report on the participation rates of senators and employees but release only the names of senators who attended the training.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
CIBA/2019-05-09/583(P)|390| — Update to Mandate of Subcommittee on Human Resources
The Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Resources, the Honourable Senator Saint-Germain, made a statement.
The Honourable Senator Saint-Germain moved:
That the Subcommittee on Human Resources be authorized to examine and report on issues related to the bargaining mandates given to the Senate Administration to negotiate collective agreements with unions representing Senate employees; and
That the Senate Administration report back to the Subcommittee on Human Resources at every step of the bargaining process.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
CIBA/2019-05-09/584(P)|190| — Revised Allocation of Caucus/Group and House Officer Budgets for 2019-2020
The Honourable Senator Marwah made a statement on the revised allocations for caucuses and groups and house officer budgets for 2019-2020.
The Honourable Senator Marwah moved:
That, pursuant to the decision of this committee taken on Thursday, February 28, 2019, in relation to additional financial allowances for the fiscal year commencing on April 1, 2019, the allocated amounts shall remain in effect until March 31, 2020.
After debate, the committee agreed that the following be added to the motion after "March 31, 2020'':
, subject to CIBA reviewing the allowances within 60 days of the next federal election.
The question being put on the motion, as amended, it was adopted, on division.
CIBA/2019-05-09/585(P)|341| — Senators' Office Management Policy — One Year Review
Pierre Lanctôt made a statement and answered questions on the proposed changes to the Senators' Office Management Policy (SOMP).
After debate, the Honourable Senator Moncion moved:
That the proposed changes and clarifications to SOMP be referred to the Subcommittee on Senate Estimates for consideration.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
CIBA/2019-05-09/586(P)|341| — Report from the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure — Exemptions to Senators' Office Management Policy for Last 6 Months
The Honourable Senator Marwah tabled the fourteenth report of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure as follows:
Thursday, May 9, 2019
The Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration has the honour to table its
FOURTEENTH REPORT
Pursuant to Section 1.6.2 of the Senators' Office Management Policy, your subcommittee now tables a report on the exemption and exception requests to the policy that it has received and the corresponding decisions since November 22, 2018.
Travel and Living Expenses
Your subcommittee received and denied a request for an exemption to Sections 7.3.2 and 7.1.3 for the former Senator Sibbeston for travel and living expenses occurred during his last trip to Ottawa to conclude his parliamentary functions.
Travel Expenses for Senators' Staff
Your subcommittee received and denied a request from the Policy Advisor to the Honourable Senator Maltais for an exemption to Sections 7.4.6 and 7.8.5 regarding the eligibility criteria for senators' staff to claim travel and living expenses.
Respectfully submitted,
SABI MARWAH
Chair
CIBA/2019-05-09/587(P)|295| — Report from the Subcommittee on Committee Budgets — Post-activity Expenditure Reports of Senate Committees
The Chair of the Subcommittee on Committee Budgets, the Honourable Senator Verner, P.C., tabled the twenty- sixth report as follows:
Thursday, May 9, 2019
The Subcommittee on Committee Budgets of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration has the honour to table its
TWENTY-SIXTH REPORT
In 2007, the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration (CIBA) decided that the Senate Administration would prepare detailed post-activity reports following each committee travel activity. Post-activity reports include a breakdown of the amount requested for each line object in the committee's budget, with the corresponding actual expenditure.
These post-activity reports are reviewed by the committee who incurred the expenses and then by your subcommittee who tables a summary of these reports with CIBA.
In 2014, CIBA agreed to table the summary of post-activity expenditure reports in the Senate, in order to increase the public's understanding of committee budgets and actual expenditures. This responds to our commitment for transparency regarding Senate expenses.
A key principle with committee budgets is that committees cannot exceed the total amount approved by the Senate for a given travel activity. Because of this, committees must always ensure that their budgets contain sufficient funds to pay for all travellers, often long before they have any certainty on the final number of travellers or even the dates of travel. There are several reasons for this:
Because of the approval processes required for all committee budgets, they must be prepared well in advance of the intended travel dates and final itinerary. There can therefore be large variances in the price of certain costs, such as for airline tickets, hotels or buses.
The number of travellers varies from the time the budget is prepared to when actual travel occurs.
For these reasons, budget amounts tend to be higher than the actual expenditures made by committees, with the average percentage of funds spent being around 40% over the past seven fiscal years.
It is important to note however, once an activity has been completed, any surplus funds are clawed back and returned to the central budget for possible redistribution, pursuant to a decision of the Senate from April 3, 2003.
In accordance with the decision of Thursday, March 27, 2014, your subcommittee now tables the following committee post-activity expenditure reports for 2017-18 (1st Session, 42nd Parliament), which are appended to this report:
Aboriginal Peoples (new relationship between Canada and First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples)
Activity 1: Winnipeg, Prince Albert, Île-à-la-Crosse, Buffalo Lake, Siksika, Calgary (public hearings and fact-finding mission)
Budget amount approved $ 216,978
Actual expenditures
$ 97,899
Surplus
$ 119,079
Agriculture and Forestry (acquisition of farmland)
Activity 1: Washington (fact-finding mission)
Budget amount approved $ 58,590
Actual expenditures
$ 29,992
Surplus
$ 28,598
Agriculture and Forestry (climate change on the agriculture, agri-food and forestry sectors)
Activity 1: Halifax and Montreal (public hearings and fact-finding mission)
Budget amount approved $ 115,770
Actual expenditures
$ 49,048
Surplus
$ 66,722
Activity 2: Vancouver and Calgary (public hearings and fact-finding mission)
Budget amount approved $ 159,874
Actual expenditures
$ 89,616
Surplus
$ 70,258
Banking, Trade and Commerce (cyber security and cyber fraud)
Activity 1: New York (conference)
Budget amount approved $ 19,064
Actual expenditures
$ 6,413
Surplus
$ 12,651
Banking, Trade and Commerce (emerging issues of the banking sector and monetary policy of the United States)
Activity 1: New York and Washington (fact-finding mission)
Budget amount approved $ 100,158
Actual expenditures
$ 44,563
Surplus
$ 55,595
Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources (effects of transitioning to a low carbon economy)
Activity 1: St. John’s, Summerside, Saint-André, Saint John, Parrsboro, Halifax) (fact-finding mission)
Budget amount approved $ 104,436
Actual expenditures
$ 60.758
Surplus
$ 43,678
Fisheries and Oceans (Maritime Search and Rescue)
Activity 1: United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway and Denmark (fact-finding mission)
Budget amount approved $ 125,000
Actual expenditures
$ 60,678
Surplus
$ 64,322
Activity 2: British Columbia (public hearings and fact-finding mission)
Budget amount approved $ 96,450
Actual expenditures
$ 23,037
Surplus
$ 73,414
Human Rights (human rights of prisoners in the correctional system)
Activity 1: Brockville, Kingston and Montreal (public hearings fact-finding mission)
Budget amount approved $ 71,250
Actual expenditures
$ 31,726
Surplus
$ 39,524
Activity 2: Kitchener (public hearings and fact-finding mission)
Budget amount approved $ 52,862
Actual expenditures
$ 18,706
Surplus
$ 34,156
Activity 3: Renous and Dorchester, NB (public hearings and fact-finding mission)
Budget amount approved $ 85,484
Actual expenditures
$ 20,500
Surplus
$ 64,984
National Finance (Minister of Finance’s proposed changes to the Income Tax Act)
Activity 1: St. John’s, Halifax, Saint John (public hearings)
Budget amount approved $ 131,725
Actual expenditures
$ 75,775
Surplus
$ 55,590
Activity 2: Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Calgary, Vancouver (public hearings)
Budget amount approved $ 168,975
Actual expenditures
$ 104,586
Surplus
$ 64,389
Official Languages (access to French-language schools and French immersion programs in British Columbia)
Activity 1: Vancouver (conference)
Budget amount approved $ 17,440
Actual expenditures
$ 8,245
Surplus
$ 9,195
Official Languages (Canadians’ views about modernizing the Official Languages Act)
Activity 1: Prince Edward Island (public hearings and fact-finding mission)
Budget amount approved $ 67,400
Actual expenditures
$ 39,019
Surplus
$ 28,831
Activity 2: Winnipeg (public hearings and fact-finding mission)
Budget amount approved $ 68,000
Actual expenditures
$ 34,939
Surplus
$ 33,061
Social Affairs, Science and Technology (role of robotics, 3D printing and artificial intelligence in the healthcare system)
Activity 1: Ottawa (fact-finding mission)
Budget amount approved $ 1,300
Actual expenditures
$ 604
Surplus
$ 696
Transport and Communications (connected and automated vehicles)
Activity 1: Toronto (conference)
Budget amount approved $ 31,304
Actual expenditures
$ 13,065
Surplus
$ 18,239
Activity 2: Waterloo, ON (fact-finding mission)
Budget amount approved $ 54,038
Actual expenditures
$ 11,891
Surplus
$ 42,147
Activity 3: Kanata (fact-finding mission)
Budget amount approved $ 1,800
Actual expenditures
$ 800
Surplus
$ 1,000
Totals for 2017-18:
Travel activities approved: 24
Travel activities completed:
21
Approved budgets:
$ 1,870,053
Actual expenditures:
$ 817,676
Surplus:
$ 1,052,377
JOSÉE VERNER, P.C.
Chair
The Honourable Senator Verner, P.C. made a statement and answered questions.
The Honourable Senator Verner, P.C. moved:
That the report be tabled in the Senate.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
CIBA/2019-05-09/588(P)|341| — Senator Dasko — Survey
Pierre Lanctôt and Charles Feldman each made a statement and answered questions on the survey by Senator Dasko regarding the Senate.
After debate, it was agreed that further debate on this item be adjourned until the next meeting of the committee.
At 9:50 a.m., the committee resumed in camera, pursuant to rule 12-16(1).
At 9:59 a.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the chair.
ATTEST:
Pascale Legault
Chief Corporate Services Officer and Clerk of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
Gérald Lafrenière
Recording Secretary