PACP Committee Report

Tuesday, November 21, 2006
(Meeting No. 28)

The Standing Committee on Public Accounts met in camera at 3:23 p.m. this day, in Room 269, West Block, the Chair, The Hon. Shawn Murphy, presiding.

Members of the Committee present: David Christopherson, Brian Fitzpatrick, Jean-Yves Laforest, Mike Lake, Hon. Shawn Murphy, Richard Nadeau, Pierre Poilievre, Marcel Proulx, Yasmin Ratansi, David Sweet, John Williams and Borys Wrzesnewskyj.

In attendance: Library of Parliament: Brian O’Neal, Analyst; Alex Smith, Analyst.

The Committee proceeded to the consideration of matters related to Committee business.

It was agreed, — That the Seventh report of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts be concurred in which reads as follows:

That a meeting of the Committee be held at the earliest opportunity to have Officials of the Department of Public Works and Government Services appear before the Committee on the subject of accommodation at Place Victoria, in Montreal.

That Dr. C.E.S. Franks should go ahead and prepare a Discussion Paper on the ongoing study of Roles and Responsibilities of the Secretariat of the Treasury Board and that he could have informal discussions with officials of the Treasury Board to that effect.

At 3:48 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 3:49 p.m., the sitting resumed in public.

On motion of David Christopherson, it was agreed, — That the evidence and documentation presented to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts during the hearings on the November 2003 Report of the Auditor General, chapters 3, 4 and 5 as well as the testimony of Charles Guité on July 9, 2002, meeting no. 64 of the 1st Session of the 37th Parliament, be deemed received by this Committee in this session.

On motion of John Williams, it was agreed, — That the Committee request the Library of Parliament to draft a comparative report on discrepancies in the testimony of those individuals who appeared before both the Committee’s hearings on the November 2003 Report of the Auditor General as well as the testimony of Charles Guité on July 9, 2002, meeting no. 64 of the 1st Session of the 37th Parliament and before the Gomery Commission and,

That the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel of the House of Commons do provide the Committee with guidance on a legal issue related to the evidence contained in this comparative report.

At 3:59 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 4:00 p.m., the sitting resumed in camera.

It was agreed, — That the draft report (as amended) on the Status Report of the auditor General of Canada of May 2006, on Chapter 4 (Canadian Firearms Program) be adopted as the Tenth report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.

That the Clerk and analysts be authorized to make such editorial and typographical changes as necessary without changing the substance of the Report.

That the Chair be authorized to table the Report in the House.

That, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the Committee request that the Government provide a comprehensive response to this Report.

It was agreed, — That a dissenting opinion be appended to the 10th Report after the signature of the Chair and that the opinion shall be in both official languages and no greater than two pages, and shall be filed with the Clerk of the Committee no later than a week from today.

The Committee commenced consideration of draft report no. 11, Chapter 2 (National Defence — Military Recruiting and Retention).

At 5:16 p.m., the Committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.

Georges Etoka
Clerk of the Committee