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Board of Internal Economy meeting

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Meeting Minutes

Thursday, December 1, 2022

A meeting of the Board of Internal Economy of the House of Commons was held on Thursday, December 1, 2022, at 11:06 a.m., in Room 225-A, West Block.

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

Present: The Honourables Mark Holland, Dominic LeBlanc Steven MacKinnon, Andrew Scheer and Kerry-Lynne Findlay; Ms. Ruby Sahota, 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; Michel Bédard, Interim Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel; Eric Janse, Deputy Clerk, Procedure; Ian McDonald, Clerk Assistant, Committees and Legislative Services Directorate; Scott Lemoine, Principal Clerk, Committees and Legislative Services Directorate; Yassine Aouididi, Senior Digital Project Manager; Jeremy LeBlanc, Clerk Assistant and Director General, International and Interparliamentary Affairs; Marie-Eve Belzile, Principal Clerk, Parliamentary Exchanges and Protocol; Paul St George, Chief Financial Officer; Sylvie Lafontaine, Director, Decision Support and Financial Planning; Michelle Laframboise, Chief Human Resources Officer, Annie Carpentier, Deputy Director, Members’ HR; Pat McDonell, Sergeant-at-Arms; and Michelle Tittley, Secretariat

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The minutes of the meeting of November 17, 2022, were approved for tabling.


BUSINESS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The Board discussed the virtual committees dashboard and requested that subsequent reports include information on the number of witnesses participating in-person or by videoconference and those who participated by video without passing the usual audio quality tests.

The Board also discussed the report on the joint audio quality tests conducted in the Chamber and committee rooms by the Administration, independent specialists, the National Research Council of Canada and the Translation Bureau. Yassine Aouididi, Senior Digital Product Manager, Ian McDonald, Clerk Assistant, and Scott Lemoine, Principal Clerk, Committees and Legislative Services Directorate answered questions.


INTERPRETATION SERVICES

Michel Patrice, Deputy Clerk, Administration, updated the Board on responses to questions for which answers were requested during an appearance by the Translation Bureau before the Board on September 29, 2022, and answered questions with Ian McDonald, Clerk Assistant, Committees and Legislative Services Directorate, Scott Lemoine, Principal Clerk, Committees and Legislative Services Directorate, and Yassine Aouididi, Senior Digital Product Manager.

The Board agreed to invite Nathalie Laliberté, Acting CEO, Translation Bureau, to appear at the next meeting of the Board.


SUPPORTING COMMITTEE OPERATIONS

Ian McDonald, Clerk Assistant, Scott Lemoine, Principal Clerk, both from the Committees and Legislative Services Directorate presented a proposal to fund two resources, previously funded on a temporary basis, permanently as of April 1st, 2023, to support committee operations.

Accordingly, the Board approved permanent funding for two additional full-time equivalents (FTEs) and related costs as follows, excluding EBPs:

• $187,780 for 2023-2024 and subsequent years.


INCREASE TO THE PARLIAMENTARY EXCHANGES BUDGET

Jeremy LeBlanc, Clerk Assistant and Director General, International and Interparliamentary Affairs, and Marie-Ève Belzile, Principal Clerk, Parliamentary Exchanges and Protocol, presented a submission on behalf of the Speakers of the Senate and House of Commons for additional funding to support the activities of Parliamentary Exchanges for the current fiscal year and a permanent increase to its annual budget starting from the next fiscal year, and answered questions.

The Board requested that a revised proposal for the increase to the Parliamentary Exchanges budget be presented at the next meeting.


QUARTERLY FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE SECOND QUARTER OF 2022-2023

Paul St George, Chief Financial Officer presented the Quarterly Financial Report for the Second Quarter of 2022–2023.

The Board also received the Quarterly Financial Report for the first quarter of 2022–2023.


PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PILOT PROJECT FOR EMPLOYEES OF MEMBERS, HOUSE OFFICERS AND NATIONAL CAUCUS RESEARCH OFFICES

Michelle Laframboise, Chief Human Resources Officer presented a progress report on the Professional Development Pilot Project for the employees of Members, House Officers and national caucus research offices (NCROs), and presented a submission to seek the Board’s approval to make this project permanent. Together with Annie Carpentier, Deputy Director, Members’ HR, they answered questions.

The Board approved the following effective April 1, 2023:

1. the Professional Development Pilot Project as a permanent and centrally funded initiative, and its expansion to include House Officers’ and NCROs’ employees;

2. the following annual budget for professional development:

A) an allocation of $5,000 for each Member;

B) an allocation of up to $1,000 for each employee of a House Officer and an NCRO, based on House Officers’ and NCROs’ employee counts on April 1 each year;

3. amendments to the Members By-law; and

4. permanent funding of $1,941,000 in the 2023-2024 Main Estimates.


At 12:22 p.m., the meeting was suspended.

At 12:29 p.m., the meeting resumed in camera.


SECURITY MATTERS

Patrick McDonell, Sergeant-at-Arms, presented a recommendation on costs related to the off-precinct security pilot project and answered questions with Michel Patrice, Deputy Clerk, Administration.

The Board approved that, at the request of a Member and on an exceptional basis, the cost of the on-site security presence for an event hosted by that Member outside of the parliamentary precinct may be fully charged to the central budget if the following conditions are met:

1. the RCMP or police of jurisdiction confirms that it is not able to provide protection services to the Member after assessing the threat or risk to the Member’s security;

2. the SAA-CS’ security assessment of the event reveals a sufficient security concern that requires on-site security presence; and

3. the Chief Financial Officer, in consultation with the SAA-CS, determines that the on-site security cost would create undue financial pressure to the Member’s Office Budget.

The Board also approved that Members may submit such exception requests up to 15 days following the date of an event.


EMPLOYMENT MATTERS

The Board discussed an employment matter.


The meeting was adjourned at 12:42 p.m.

Charles Robert
Secretary to the Board of Internal Economy