Journals of the Senate
57 Elizabeth II, A.D. 2008, Canada
Journals of the Senate
2nd Session, 39th Parliament
Issue 46
Thursday, April 3, 2008
1:30 p.m.
The Honourable Noël A. Kinsella, Speaker
The Members convened were:
The Honourable Senators
Adams, Angus, Bacon, Baker, Biron, Brown, Bryden, Callbeck, Campbell, Carstairs, Chaput, Charette-Poulin, Cochrane, Comeau, Cook, Cools, Corbin, Cordy, Cowan, Dawson, De Bané, Di Nino, Downe, Dyck, Eggleton, Eyton, Fairbairn, Fox, Fraser, Furey, Goldstein, Grafstein, Gustafson, Hubley, Jaffer, Johnson, Joyal, Keon, Kinsella, LeBreton, Losier-Cool, Lovelace Nicholas, Mahovlich, McCoy, Mercer, Milne, Moore, Munson, Nolin, Oliver, Peterson, Phalen, Prud'homme, Ringuette, Robichaud, Rompkey, St. Germain, Sibbeston, Smith, Spivak, Stollery, Stratton, Tardif, Tkachuk, Trenholme Counsell
The Members in attendance to business were:
The Honourable Senators
Adams, *Andreychuk, Angus, Bacon, Baker, *Banks, Biron, Brown, Bryden, Callbeck, Campbell, Carstairs, Chaput, Charette-Poulin, Cochrane, Comeau, Cook, Cools, Corbin, Cordy, Cowan, Dawson, *Day, De Bané, Di Nino, Downe, Dyck, Eggleton, Eyton, Fairbairn, Fox, Fraser, Furey, Goldstein, Grafstein, Gustafson, *Harb, Hubley, Jaffer, Johnson, Joyal, *Kenny, Keon, Kinsella, LeBreton, Losier-Cool, Lovelace Nicholas, Mahovlich, McCoy, *Meighen, Mercer, Milne, *Mitchell, Moore, Munson, Nolin, Oliver, Peterson, Phalen, Prud'homme, Ringuette, Robichaud, Rompkey, St. Germain, Sibbeston, Smith, Spivak, Stollery, Stratton, Tardif, Tkachuk, Trenholme Counsell, *Zimmer
PRAYERS
SENATORS' STATEMENTS
Some Honourable Senators made statements.
DAILY ROUTINE OF BUSINESS
Presentation of Reports from Standing or Special Committees
The Honourable Senator Di Nino presented the following:
Thursday, April 3, 2008
The Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade has the honour to present its
FOURTH REPORT
Your committee, to which was referred Bill C-293, An Act respecting the provision of official development assistance abroad, has, in obedience to the order of reference of Wednesday, December 12, 2007, examined the said Bill and now reports the same without amendment. Your committee appends to this report certain observations relating to the Bill.
Respectfully submitted,
CONSIGLIO DI NINO
Chair
Observations Appended to the Fourth Report of the Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade
The Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade is supportive of the principle and general intent of Bill C-293, An Act respecting the provision of official development assistance abroad. Regrettably, however, Bill C-293 has a number of shortcomings that need to be highlighted. First, the bill's overarching emphasis on poverty reduction should be supplemented by a focus on economic development and the achievement of prosperity in aid-recipient countries. The former often seems to treat the symptoms of the poverty while the latter attempts to tackle the root of the problem: the need for dynamic, growing economies and job creation in poor countries. As the committee learned in its recent study on Africa, there will be no progress in lowering poverty in these countries without trade and investment driven economic growth and job creation. Foreign aid should be provided to help aid-recipient countries develop self-sustaining economies.
Second, although the purpose of the bill is to legislate that all Official Development Assistance (ODA) be allocated for poverty reduction, the term "poverty reduction'' itself is not defined in the bill's interpretation section. As such, the bill has no clear test as to what is a contribution to poverty reduction. That is a curious omission, and one that should be corrected.
Third, Bill C-293 does not set specific criteria for recipient countries to satisfy in order to obtain Canadian aid. This is unfortunate given that Canada has one of the world's most geographically diffuse aid programs in the world, with its aid having little impact in each country.
Fourth, it is not clear in clause 4(1)(b) of the bill how the Minister disbursing ODA would determine whether the aid funding "takes into account the perspectives of the poor.'' Some clarification is in order on that point.
Fifth, Bill C-293 calls for federal government ministers providing ODA to consult with "governments, international agencies and Canadian civil society organizations'' before aid projects are implemented. This provision is problematic in that not only could it become a burdensome requirement on the ministers involved and lead to additional costly delays in decision-making, it could also open up the possibility that those parties not included in consultations could take legal action because of their exclusion. One also needs to question the usefulness, and the risks involved, of having to consult with repressive governments who may not welcome the presence and activities of Canadian aid organizations since in certain countries, non-governmental organizations are perceived as threats to government authority.
Sixth, the bill's reporting and transparency provisions would result in a duplication of reports that are already available to the public and a costly waste of time for government officials. Moreover, the requirement that the Government of Canada publicly provide a summary of any representation by Canadian representatives of the Bretton Woods Institutions (e.g., World Bank, International Monetary Fund) is at odds with these institutions' confidentiality policies, could curtail the flow of confidential information and could undermine the relationship that Canada has with the countries (Ireland, countries within the Caribbean Community) that it also represents at these institutions.
Finally and of great importance, even though the short title of Bill C-293 is the Official Development Assistance Accountability Act, there is nothing in clause 4 of the bill that would make the "competent minister'' disbursing ODA accountable to the Canadian taxpayer in his or her delivery of aid. There is no mention at all, for example, of providing ODA in an effective and efficient manner and with due recognition of Canadian aid capabilities at a time when Canadian aid is being increasingly delivered in an invisible manner through large, often bureaucratic multilateral institutions and international non-governmental organizations. As one witness pointed out to the committee, Bill C- 293 "appears to be silent on the topics of aid effectiveness, results and value'' and is rather light in the area of accountability.
Despite the fact that the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)'s annual budget exceeds $3 billion and the agency is the source of a full 80% of Canada's ODA, its' only legal mandate is in a one-paragraph insertion in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Act. Bill C-293, designed primarily to legislate that all Canadian ODA be allocated to "poverty reduction,'' does not fix this deficiency. The bill contains no explicit legislative mandate for the aid agency, complete with objectives that can be monitored by parliamentarians.
The committee is convinced that what is really required is a bill that would provide such a comprehensive legal mandate for CIDA. This new legislation should be crafted in a way that improves the overall accountability, transparency, and effectiveness of that aid agency, with the accountability framework going beyond simply reporting statistics. The committee sincerely hopes that such legislation will materialize in the near future so that CIDA can become the leading development organization that Canadians would like it to be.
The Honourable Senator Di Nino moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Keon, that the bill be placed on the Orders of the Day for a third reading at the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
The Honourable Senator Stratton presented the following:
Thursday, April 3, 2008
The Standing Senate Committee on National Finance has the honour to present its
ELEVENTH REPORT
Your committee, to which was referred Bill S-219, An Act to amend the Public Service Employment Act (elimination of bureaucratic patronage and establishment of national area of selection) has, in obedience to the order of reference of Tuesday, December 11, 2007, examined the said Bill and now reports the same with the following amendment:
New clause 4, page 1: Add after line 27 the following:
"4. Section 3 comes into force on a day, not later than July 1, 2009, to be fixed by order of the Governor in Council.''.
Respectfully submitted,
TERRY STRATTON
Deputy Chair
The Honourable Senator Stratton moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Tkachuk, that the report be placed on the Orders of the Day for consideration at the next sitting.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Tabling of Reports from Inter-Parliamentary Delegations
The Honourable Senator Cordy tabled the following:
Report of the Delegation of the Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association respecting its participation at the 67th Rose-Roth Seminar, held in Belgrade, Serbia, from October 25 to 27, 2007.—Sessional Paper No. 2/39-511.
ORDERS OF THE DAY
GOVERNMENT BUSINESS
Inquiries
Order No. 1 was called and postponed until the next sitting.
Reports of Committees
Orders No. 1 and 2 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
OTHER BUSINESS
Senate Public Bills
Orders No. 1 to 13 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Grafstein, seconded by the Honourable Senator Day, for the second reading of Bill S-206, An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (clean drinking water).
After debate,
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted, on division.
The bill was then read the second time, on division.
The Honourable Senator Grafstein moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Mahovlich, that the bill be referred to the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
Commons Public Bills
Orders No. 1 to 5 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Reports of Committees
Orders No. 1 to 6 were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Other
Orders No. 4, 8, 3, 7 (inquiries), 11 (motion), 11 (inquiry), 6 (motion), 13 (inquiry), 88, 68, 3, 69, 79, 4, 78 (motions), 10 (inquiry), 62 and 76 (motions) were called and postponed until the next sitting.
Resuming debate on the inquiry of the Honourable Senator Carstairs, P.C., calling the attention of the Senate to the reasons for the high attrition rate of Foreign Service Officers and others who serve in Canadian Embassies abroad, most particularly the failure of this and past governments to recognize the rights of the partners of these employees.
After debate,
Further debate on the inquiry was adjourned until the next sitting in the name of the Honourable Senator Andreychuk.
MOTIONS
The Honourable Senator Fraser moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator De Bané, P.C.:
That the papers and evidence received and taken, and the work accomplished by:
(a) the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs during the First Session of the Thirty-eighth Parliament relating to Bill S-21, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (protection of children); and
(b) the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights during the First Session of the Thirty-ninth Parliament relating to Bill S-207, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (protection of children);
be referred to the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs for the purposes of its consideration of Bill S-209, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (protection of children), during the current session.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
With leave,
The Senate reverted to Government Notices of Motions.
With leave of the Senate,
The Honourable Senator Comeau moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Di Nino:
That when the Senate adjourns today, it do stand adjourned until Tuesday, April 8, 2008, at 2 p.m.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
REPORTS DEPOSITED WITH THE CLERK OF THE SENATE PURSUANT TO RULE 28(2):
Report of the Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet to the Prime Minister on the Public Service of Canada for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008, pursuant to the Public Service Employment Act, S.C. 2003, c. 22, ss. 12 "127'' and 13. —Sessional Paper No. 2/39-508.
Reports of the Royal Canadian Mint for the year ended December 31, 2007, pursuant to the Access to Information Act and to the Privacy Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. A-1 and P-21, sbs. 72(2). —Sessional Paper No. 2/39-509.
Summary of the Corporate Plan for 2008-2012 of the Atlantic Pilotage Authority, pursuant to the Financial Administration Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. F-11, sbs. 125(4).—Sessional Paper No. 2/39-510.
ADJOURNMENT
The Honourable Senator Comeau moved, seconded by the Honourable Senator Gustafson:
That the Senate do now adjourn.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
(Accordingly, at 2:51 p.m. the Senate was continued until Tuesday, April 8, 2008, at 2 p.m.)
Changes in Membership of Committees Pursuant to Rule 85(4)
Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce
The name of the Honourable Senator Lapointe substituted for that of the Honourable Senator Biron (April 2).
The names of the Honourable Senators Meighen, Nolin, Biron and Dawson substituted for those of the Honourable Senators Gustafson, Meighen, Lapointe and Massicotte (April 3).
Standing Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade
The name of the Honourable Senator De Bané substituted for that of the Honourable Senator Dallaire (April 3).