Skip to main content
Previous Section Next Section

REPORT TO THE HOUSE

Friday, December 1, 1995

The Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs has the honour to present its

ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTH REPORT

The Committee recommends, pursuant to Standing Orders 104 and 114, that the following Member be added to the list of Associate Members of the Standing Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs:

Harper (Calgary West/Calgary-Ouest)

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Issue No. 54 which includes this report) is tabled.

Respectfully submitted,

PETER MILLIKEN, M.P.

Chairman.

REPORT TO THE HOUSE

Thursday, December 7, 1995

The Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs has the honour to present its

ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH REPORT

The Committee recently received a proposal from Treasury Board regarding a change to the votes contained in the Estimates. At the Committee's request, the Sub-Committee on the Business of Supply reviewed this matter, and held a meeting at which it heard from officials of the Treasury Board Secretariat and from the Office of the Auditor General.

Treasury Board officials presented a document entitled Operating Budgets and the Vote Structure. This document explains the reasons for altering an aspect of the votes in the Estimates and proposes that a new Operating Expenditures Vote be introduced for the 1996-97 Main Estimates. This new vote would contain items of minor capital expenditure currently included in separate capital votes. Treasury Board officials stated that by making this change, Parliament would be presented with a more accurate view of the way departments and agencies expend the funds that are allocated to them. Furthermore, they indicated that if this change is made, public service managers would be given enhanced flexibility to match available funds with existing priorities. They also indicated that this proposed change is an interim measure that would be in place until the government adopts a new accounting system.

Officials from the Office of the Auditor General have advised the Sub-Committee that the change being proposed by Treasury Board Secretariat is largely administrative in nature and that it is designed to make it easier to manage government departments and agencies. They also assured the Sub-Committee that Parliament's ability to scrutinize and approve the expenditure plans of government should not be diminished by a change of this kind.

After receiving a report from the Sub-Committee on the Business of Supply and careful consideration of the issue, the Committee has concluded that it has no objections to the proposal being made by Treasury Board Secretariat at this time. The Committee, however, does have some concerns over the potential effect this change may have on parliamentary scrutiny of the Estimates and on accountability, and about the nature of the expenses to be included as "minor capital." The Sub-Committee, which is currently engaged in a comprehensive review of the business of supply, may make recommendations with regard to this proposal on completion of its work. Pursuant to its mandate under Standing Order 108(3)(a), the Committee intends to monitor these changes.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Issue No. 54 which includes this report) is tabled.

Respectfully submitted,

PETER MILLIKEN, M.P.

Chairman.

REPORT TO THE HOUSE

Friday, December 8, 1995

The Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs has the honour to present its

ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTH REPORT

The Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs wishes to convey its dismay regarding the treatment by the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs of Bill C-69, the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act. Members of the four largest parties represented in the House of Commons have expressed their distress at the interference of Senators in electoral matters and the unnecessary delay in dealing with this legislation. In the interests of cooperation between the two chambers and, ultimately, service to the Canadian public, the Committee feels compelled to express its serious concerns regarding the handling of Bill C-69 by the Senate.

Bill C-69 was the product of a new and important procedure whereby a parliamentary committee was given the mandate to prepare and bring in a bill. Bill C-69 was not an initiative of the government or the cabinet, but of the elected representatives of Canadians: it was the product of a long process involving members of all parties. While not all Members agreed with every provision in the bill, they all supported the process and wish to preserve its integrity.

Bill C-69 deals with electoral matters, and it has long been recognized by members of the Senate that such matters are inherently the special responsibility and prerogative of the elected House. As Senator Jacques Flynn, former Leader of the Government in the Senate and Minister of Justice and Attorney General in the 1979-80 Progressive Conservative Government, said when introducing similar legislation in the Senate in 1985, "this is an area that almost exclusively concerns the House of Commons, and I think that we as a non-elected chamber and as appointed legislators are hardly in a position to tell the members of the House of Commons how they should proceed to draw the boundaries of their electoral districts". The Senate, as is its right, passed Bill C-69 with amendments. The House accepted one of these proposed changes, but rejected the others for the reasons set out in the Message of June 20, 1995. For the Senate to continue to insist on its amendments and not agree to withdraw them over the clear objections of the elected House is highly irregular. This is particularly true in the case of a bill involving electoral matters.

The Message back from the House of Commons was delivered on June 20, 1995. This Message was referred to the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, which did not meet until July 10, 1995, and the majority of the Members decided on July 11, 1995 that further study of Bill C-69 was necessary. The Committee tabled a report in the Senate indicating that some issues in the bill remain obscure, and recommending that "these issues be examined in depth and that the Committee hold further hearings." This report was adopted, on division, by the Senate on July 12, 1995. The Committee, however, did not hold any meetings on Bill C-69 until November 21, 1995. The delay in the consideration of this matter in a timely manner has caused considerable confusion and inconvenience with respect to which electoral boundaries legislation will apply for the next federal general election, as well as generating considerable work for many Members of Parliament, Elections Canada and others regarding the proposed redistributions by the electoral boundaries commissions.

The Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, therefore, wishes to express its view that the delays imposed by certain members of the Senate in respect of a bill dealing with the electoral affairs of the House of Commons are contrary to developed precedent and principle. Not all Members or parties supported Bill C-69, but they are united in vigorously upholding the position that the decision of the elected representatives should prevail in the ultimate passage of such legislation.

The Committee urges the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs to proceed with Bill C-69 without further delay, and to forthwith adopt the bill in accordance with the Message of June 20, 1995. On September 26, 1995, a letter along the lines of this report was sent by the Chairman of the Committee to the Chairman of the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, with copies to the Speakers of the House of Commons and the Senate.

The Committee recommends that a message be sent to the Senate to acquaint their Honours of the contents of the present report.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Issue No. 54 which includes this report) is tabled.

Respectfully submitted,

PETER MILLIKEN, M.P.

Chairman.

REPORT TO THE HOUSE

Wednesday, December 13, 1995

The Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs has the honour to present its

ONE HUNDRED AND NINTH REPORT

Pursuant to its mandate under Standing Order 108(3)(a) (iii) and further to the Standing Committee on Human Rights and the Status of Disabled Persons' request to the Committee, the Committee recommends:

That, the English version of Standing Orders 104 (2) (k) and 108 (3) (c) be amended by deleting the words "Human Rights and the Status of Disabled Persons" and by substituting therefor, the words:

The Committee recommends that the Clerk be authorized to make the necessary consequential alterations to the Standing Orders.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Issue No. 54 which includes this report) is tabled.

Respectfully submitted,

PETER MILLIKEN, M.P.

Chairman.

REPORT TO THE HOUSE

Wednesday, December 13, 1995

The Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs has the honour to present its

ONE HUNDRED AND TENTH REPORT

Officials from the Treasury Board Secretariat have proposed to table, on a trial basis, revised Part III documents for the 1996-97 fiscal year for six departments: Transport Canada, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Fisheries and Oceans, Revenue Canada, and Natural Resources Canada.

The Sub-Committee on the Business of Supply met twice on 7 December 1995 with officials from Treasury Board Secretariat, the Office of the Auditor General, and Mr. Ronald J. Duhamel, M.P., who was present in his capacity as the Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and as Chair of the parliamentary working group on the revision of the Estimates.

The witnesses from the Treasury Board Secretariat explained that the Secretariat has been working closely with the six departments in a trial effort to produce Part III documents designed to answer the information needs of Parliament in a more efficient and effective manner. On the basis of the progress that has been made to date, it was deemed appropriate to present the results to the House for the upcoming fiscal year.

Mr. Duhamel advised the Sub-Committee that the parliamentary working group examining the revision of the Estimates has met with officials from Treasury Board Secretariat on several occasions. He indicated that the working group encourages and supports the initiatives undertaken by the Secretariat. Ron Thompson, of the Office of the Auditor General, also indicated that the initiative has the support of his Office. The Office also supports plans to evaluate the trial Part III documents, will monitor the initiative, and will examine the results as part of its future audit work.

The Committee has some concerns regarding this proposal, concerns that it expects to see addressed. The Committee believes that the revised documents should be constructed within a framework that will allow departments the necessary degree of flexibility while at the same time requiring them to report certain kinds of information consistently, succinctly, and according to clear standards. Thus, it is expected that Treasury Board Secretariat will develop general guidelines for the departments governing the production of the revised Part III documents.

It is the Committee's firm conviction that the primary focus of any revisions to the Estimates and other related material must be on the needs of Parliament. It is noted that the Treasury Board Secretariat intends to conduct an evaluation of the revised documents after their presentation to the House and the appropriate standing committees. The Committee believes that an evaluation plan must be established in advance and must be based on criteria that are clear and commonly understood. The Committee also expects that, as part of this evaluation process, Treasury Board Secretariat will assess which of the revised Part III documents best meets the needs of Parliamentarians and will make any appropriate revisions to future documents on that basis. To this end, the evaluation process must include careful, ongoing consultation with the standing committees that will be receiving the revised Part III documents. The Committee and its Sub- Committee on the Business of Supply intends to monitor developments in this area and expects the Treasury Board Secretariat to report back to them on the steps being taken in response to these concerns.

Finally, in the process of conducting its study, the Committee's Sub-Committee on the Business of Supply has been examining ways in which Parliamentarians might be encouraged to become more closely involved in the supply process. Two recent changes offer this possibility. The new Standing Order 81.8 gives standing committees the opportunity to examine and report on the long-term expenditure plans of departments. The tabling of "outlook" documents with standing committees at the same time that the Estimates are presented is intended to facilitate this process. Treasury Board Secretariat, as part of its initiative to revise the Estimates documents, intends to allow departments the option of combining their outlook documents with the Part III documents. While the Committee is generally favourable to this procedure on a trial basis, it is concerned that it be accomplished in a manner that will not interfere with the ability of Parliamentarians to understand and comment on the future expenditure plans and priorities of departments. In particular, information from the outlook documents must be integrated into the Part III documents in a way that allows standing committees to review and report on them separately, and have an input into the following year`s budget.

Following close consideration of this proposal, and subject to the above reservations and expectations, the Committee reports its agreement with the direction being taken by the Treasury Board Secretariat in it reform of the Estimates project, and that the following departments -- Transport Canada, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Fisheries and Oceans, Revenue Canada, and Natural Resources Canada -- table, on a trial basis, revised Part III documents for the 1996-97 fiscal year, for consideration by the appropriate standing committees of the House of Commons.

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Issue No. 54 which includes this report) is tabled.

Respectfully submitted,

PETER MILLIKEN, M.P.

Chairman.

REPORT TO THE HOUSE

Wednesday, December 13, 1995

The Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs has the honour to present its

ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVENTH REPORT

In accordance with its Order of Reference of Wednesday, May 17, 1995, the Committee has considered Bill C-319, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (reimbursement of election expenses), and has agreed to report it with the following amendment:

Clause 1

Strike out lines 10 to 19, on page 1, and substitute the following therefor:

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Issue No. 54 which includes this report) is tabled.

Respectfully submitted,

PETER MILLIKEN, M.P.

Chairman.

REPORT TO THE HOUSE

Wednesday, December 13, 1995

The Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs has the honour to present its

ONE HUNDRED AND TWELFTH REPORT

In accordance with its mandate under Standing Order 92(1), your Committee has selected from among the items for which an order of precedence was established on or after Tuesday, November 28, 1995, the following as votable items:

Bill C-353 - Mr. McTeague

Motion M-461 - Ms. Meredith

A copy of the relevant Minutes of Proceedings (Issue No. 54 which includes this report) is tabled.

Respectfully submitted,

PETER MILLIKEN, M.P.

Chairman.

Next Section

;