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Board of Internal Economy meeting

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Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

A meeting of the Board of Internal Economy of the House of Commons was held on Tuesday, August 12, 2014 at 10:00 a.m., in Room 340-S, Centre Block.

In the Chair: The Honourable Andrew Scheer, Speaker of the House of Commons

Present: The Honourables Peter Van Loan, John Duncan, Rob Merrifield and Dominic LeBlanc; Mr. Philip Toone; Mrs. Nycole Turmel

Secretary to the Board: Audrey O’Brien, Clerk of the House of Commons

Also Present: Richard Denis, Deputy Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel; Mark Watters, Chief Financial Officer; Pierre Parent, Chief Human Resources Officer; Robin Kells, Secretariat

Legal Matter

The Deputy Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel provided an update on the process with respect to an application to Federal Court.

Satellite Offices

The Board discussed the manner in which its meetings are conducted.

After discussion, with Mr. Toone and Mrs. Turmel dissenting, the Board determined that some Members inappropriately used parliamentary resources for certain employment, telecommunication and travel expenses. After reviewing information relating to place of work and duties, the Board concluded that the employees in question were not working in a parliamentary office or a constituency office, and therefore the use of parliamentary resources for employment, telecommunication and travel expenses contravenes the Members By-law . Further to this conclusion, the Board:

  • Noted that the House Administration has provided the Board with evidence that several Members of the NDP submitted false information about the place of work of certain employees;
  • Noted that the House Administration has provided an analysis of information provided by Nycole Turmel, M.P. on July 22, 2014, and that this analysis pertains only to the type of work performed in satellite offices, and does not address concerns about engaging staff to work in locations not authorized by the Members By-law;
  • From a review of the actual information relating to the place of work, the Board concluded that the employees were not working in a constituency office or parliamentary office and therefore expenditures for employment and related expenses were not a proper use of parliamentary funds as being contrary to the Members By-law, which requires staff to be employed in a constituency office or a parliamentary office;
  • Noted that the NDP continues to engage in the practice of hiring staff to work in locations not authorized by the Members By-law despite the ongoing review of this matter by the Board;
  • Directed the House Administration to prepare for the consideration of the Board a range of specific options for remedy with respect to each of the Members who contributed to the employment or remuneration of pooled staff who were not located in a constituency office or a parliamentary office. These options should take into consideration information relating to salaries, travel, hospitality, furniture, equipment, material or other goods or services provided to those Members and their employees;
  • Noted that the Board and the Administration do not have the capacity to verify the NDP submissions asserting that the nature of work performed in satellite offices was exclusively parliamentary in nature;
  • Noted that the question of whether work performed in satellite offices may have constituted an “in kind” donation to a political party contrary to the Canada Elections Act is a matter for Elections Canada, not the Board, and therefore directs the Speaker to refer all relevant information in the possession of the Board to the Chief Electoral Officer, as he did in the case of the NDP mailings earlier this year.

The Board directed the House Administration to provide advice on appropriate remedies at its next meeting.

The meeting was adjourned.

Audrey O’Brien
Secretary to the Board