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Board of Internal Economy meeting

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Meeting Minutes

Thursday, November 19, 2020

A meeting of the Board of Internal Economy of the House of Commons was held on Thursday, November 19, 2020, at 11:03 a.m., in Room 035-B, West Block.

In the Chair:The Honourable Anthony Rota, Speaker of the House of Commons

Present:The Honourables Mark Holland, Dominic LeBlanc, Ginette Petitpas Taylor and Pablo Rodríguez; Mr. Gérard Deltell, Mr. Blake Richards, Ms. Claude DeBellefeuille and Mr. Peter Julian

Secretary to the Board: Charles Robert, Clerk of the House of Commons

Also Present: Michel Patrice, Deputy Clerk, Administration; Philippe Dufresne, Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel; Stéphan Aubé, Chief Information Officer; Daniel Paquette, Chief Financial Officer; Michelle Laframboise, Chief Human Resources Officer; Robyn Daigle, Director, Members' HR Services; Jeremy LeBlanc, Acting Clerk Assistant and Director General, International and Interparliamentary Affairs; Eric Janse, Clerk Assistant, Committees and Legislative Services Directorate; Patrick McDonell, Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons; Gregory Dack, Acting Deputy Director, Security Project Management and Technical Operation; Paul Mellon, Chief of Operations and Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms; Richard Emery, Assistant Commissioner, Federal Policing, National Security and Protective Policing, RCMP; Bruce Kirkpatrick, Officer-in-charge, Protective Operations, RCMP; Nathalie Vinette, Divisional Intelligence Officer, Protective Intelligence Unit, National Division, RCMP; Guillaume La Perrière-Marcoux, Secretariat

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The minutes of the meeting of October 22, 2020, were adopted and approved for tabling.


BUSINESS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The Board noted correspondence distributed since its last meeting.


SUSTAINING THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS AND FACILITY ASSETS FROM THE LONG-TERM VISION AND PLAN

Stéphan Aubé, Chief Information Officer, presented a request for funding to maintain, support, operate, and life-cycle the building components and connectivity assets related to the Long Term Vision and Plan that are associated with the transfer of custodianship from Public Services and Procurement Canada to the House of Commons, and, with Daniel Paquette, Chief Financial Officer, answered questions.


The Board approved the following funding to sustain the assets:

(a) Sustaining Connectivity Assets (excluding employee benefit plans):

• Fiscal year 2021-2022: $18,408,088

• Fiscal year 2022-2023: $20,721,617

• Fiscal year 2023-2024 and subsequent years: $20,546,853

(b) Sustaining Component Assets (excluding employee benefit plans):

• Fiscal year 2021-2022: $9,701,303

• Fiscal year 2022-2023: $9,690,218

• Fiscal year 2023-2024 and subsequent years: $9,724,133


FUNDING STABILIZATION

Enhanced services provided by Finance Services and Human Resources Services

Daniel Paquette, Chief Information Officer, presented a proposal for funding to stabilize recently enhanced services provided by Finance Services (FS) and Human Resources Services (HRS) in support of legislative changes or improved service delivery to Members, and with Michelle Laframboise, Chief Human Resources Officer, and Robyn Daigle, Director, Members' HR Services, answered questions.


The Board approved permanent funding of $1,207,030 (excluding employee benefit plans) to stabilize the recently enhanced services offered by FS and HRS, as follows:

• Financial Planning and Resource Management – permanent funding for four full-time equivalents in the amount of $518,444 (including salaries and operating costs);

• Constituency Office Lease Services – permanent funding for three full-time equivalents in the amount of $272,865 (including salaries and operating costs);

• Occupational Health and Safety – permanent funding for four full-time equivalents in the amount of $317,791 (including salaries and operating costs); and

• Members’ Orientation Program – permanent funding for one full-time equivalents in the amount of $97,930 (including salaries and operating costs).


Enterprise Resource Planning Program and business renewal

Daniel Paquette, Chief Financial Officer, presented a proposal for permanent funding to stabilize resourcing within the Office of the Deputy Clerk, Administration, and HRS following the implementation of a comprehensive enterprise resource planning (ERP) and business renewal initiative that was undertaken as a result of the replacement of the outdated finance and human resources system software.


The Board approved permanent funding of $865,938 (excluding employee benefit plans) to stabilize resourcing for the ERP Program, as follows:

• Permanent funding for 4 full-time equivalents in the amount of $493,410 (including salaries and operating costs) for the ERP Program; and

• Permanent funding for 5 full-time equivalents in the amount of $372,528 (including salaries and operating costs) for HRS.


JOINT INTERPARLIAMENTARY COUNCIL REPORT – PARLIAMENTARY ASSOCIATIONS’ ACTIVITIES AND EXPENDITURES FOR 2019-2020

The Board took note of the 2019–2020 Parliamentary Associations’ Activities and Expenditures Report and Jeremy LeBlanc, Acting Clerk Assistant and Director General, International and Interparliamentary Affairs, answered questions.


2019-2020 ANNUAL REPORT ON COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES

The Board took note of the 2019–2020 annual report on Committee Activities and Expenditures and Eric Janse, Clerk Assistant, Committees and Legislative Services Directorate, answered questions.


In accordance with the provision of Standing Order 121(4), the Board agreed that the Speaker proceed with the tabling of the report in the House of Commons as soon as practicable.


At 11:55 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 12:00 p.m., the sitting resumed in camera.


SECURITY MATTERS

The Board discussed security matters.


PAY PROVISIONS FOR THE LAW GROUP AT THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

The Board approved a request to extend the economic increases and wage adjustments agreed upon by the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) and the Association of Justice Counsel (AJC) for all counsel within the core public administration to counsel at the House of Commons, in accordance with the applicable terms and conditions of employment for legal and legislative counsel at the House of Commons, and to include the funding for these increases in the Main Estimates.


The Board approved the following:

• That the economic increases and wage adjustments negotiated by the TBS and the AJC for all counsel within the public administration be extended to legal and legislative counsel at the House of Commons as follows:

• Effective April 1, 2018, a 2.0% economic increase and a 0.8% wage adjustment;

• Effective April 1, 2019, a 2.0% economic increase and a 0.2% wage adjustment;

• Effective April 1, 2020, a 1.5% economic increase; and

• Effective April 1, 2021, a 1.5% economic increase.

• That permanent funding in the amount of $173,798 be included in the 2021–2022 Main Estimates.


LEGAL MATTERS

The Board approved the payment of legal fees of a Member, calculated at the rates approved by the Board for legal counsel, and subject to the invoices being reviewed by the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel.


The meeting was adjourned.

Charles Robert
Secretary to the Board of Internal Economy