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Board of Internal Economy meeting

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Meeting Minutes

Thursday, June 15, 2023

A meeting of the Board of Internal Economy of the House of Commons was held on Thursday, June 15, 2023, at 11:02 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

Acting Secretary to the Board: Eric Janse, Acting Clerk of the House of Commons

Also Present: Mr. Chris d’Entremont, Co-Chair, Joint Interparliamentary Council; Michel Patrice, Deputy Clerk, Administration; Michel Bédard, Interim Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel; Jeffrey LeBlanc, Acting Deputy Clerk, Procedure; Jeremy LeBlanc, Clerk Assistant and Director General, International and Interparliamentary Affairs; Dominic Laporte, Chief Executive Officer, Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada; Matthew Ball, Vice-President, Service to Parliament and Interpretation, Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada; Ian McDonald, Clerk Assistant, Committees and Legislative Services Directorate; Scott Lemoine, Principal Clerk, Committees and Legislative Services Directorate; Stéphan Aubé, Chief Information Officer; Paul St George, Chief Financial Officer; José Fernandez, Deputy Chief Financial Officer; Sylvie Lafontaine, Senior Director, Decision Support and Financial Planning; Andrew Newman, Audit Partner and Office Manager, Ottawa, KPMG; Jonathan Généreux, Audit Manager, KPMG; Michelle Tittley, Secretariat

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The minutes of the meeting of May 18, 2023, were approved for tabling.


BUSINESS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The Board took note of correspondence distributed since its last meeting.


CPA CONFERENCE SURPLUS UTILIZATION

Mr. Chris d’Entremont, Co-Chair, Joint Interparliamentary Council, presented a proposal to seek approval from the Senate Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration (CIBA) and the Board of Internal Economy (BOIE) of the House of Commons with respect to the unused contributions provided by the Senate and the House of Commons to the Canadian Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) for the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference.

With Jeremy LeBlanc, Clerk Assistant and Director General, International and Interparliamentary Affairs, Mr. d’Entremont answered questions.

The Board declined the request to use the federal portion of the surplus from the conference to pay for the annual contribution of the Canadian Branch to the Canadian Region of the CPA and to use the savings generated to finance other association activities.


INTERPRETATION RESOURCES

Dominic Laporte, Chief Executive Officer, Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada; Ian McDonald, Clerk Assistant, Committees and Legislative Services Directorate; and Stéphan Aubé, Chief Information Officer, appeared before the Board and, along with Matthew Ball, Vice-President, Service to Parliament and Interpretation, Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada; and Scott Lemoine, Principal Clerk, Committees and Legislative Services Directorate, answered questions.

The Board requested additional information from the House Administration.


2022–2023 ANNUAL REPORT ON COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES

The Board took note of the 2022–2023 Annual Report on Committee Activities.

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


REPORT TO CANADIANS 2023

Eric Janse, Acting Clerk of the House of Commons, presented the Report to Canadians 2023, and answered questions.

The Board approved the report for tabling in the House by the Speaker.


2022–2023 ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT AND REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF BUDGET CARRY-FORWARD TO FISCAL 2023–2024

Paul St George, Chief Financial Officer, presented the 2022–2023 Annual Financial Report and audited financial statements, and Andrew Newman, Audit Partner, KPMG, presented the House of Commons Audit Findings Report for the year ended March 31, 2023, and answered questions with Jonathan Généreux, Audit Manager, KPMG.

The Board agreed to proceed in camera, without the participation of House Administration officials, to allow its members to discuss the audited financial statements and address any questions or concerns from the auditor and members.


At 12:45 p.m., the meeting was suspended.

At 12:50 p.m., the meeting resumed in camera.


The Board approved that the operating budget carry-forward of up to $19,762,766 be included in the House of Commons’ Supplementary Estimates (B) for 2023–2024.

PAYMENT OF LEGAL FEES OF A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

The Board approved the payment of legal fees of a Member of Parliament up to an amount not exceeding $20,000, calculated at the rates approved by the Board for legal counsel and subject to the accounts being reviewed by the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel.


DISCLOSURE OF CONTRACTS

The Board discussed requests for exceptions to proactive disclosure under the Access to Information Act.


The meeting was adjourned at 1:05 p.m.

Eric Janse
Acting Secretary to the Board of Internal Economy