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Board of Internal Economy meeting

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Meeting Minutes

Thursday, December 7, 2023

A meeting of the Board of Internal Economy (Board) of the House of Commons was held on Thursday, December 7, 2023, at 11:07 a.m., in Room 225-A, West Block.

In the Chair: The Honourable Greg Fergus, Speaker of the House of Commons

Present: The Honourables Karina Gould, Steven MacKinnon, Andrew Scheer and Kerry Lynne Findlay; Ms. Ruby Sahota, Mr. Mark Gerretsen, Ms. Claude DeBellefeuille and Mr. Peter Julian

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

Also Present: Paul St George, Chief Financial Officer; José Fernandez, Deputy Chief Financial Officer; Ian McDonald, Clerk Assistant, Committees and Legislative Services Directorate; Scott Lemoine, Principal Clerk, Committees and Legislative Services Directorate; Guillaume La Perrière, Director, Accessibility Implementation; Jeremy LeBlanc, Clerk Assistant and Director General, International and Interparliamentary Affairs; Michel Bédard, Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel; Stéphan Aubé, Acting Deputy Clerk, Administration; Michelle Tittley, Secretariat

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The minutes of the meeting of November 23, 2023, were approved as amended for tabling.


BUSINESS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS

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


QUARTERLY FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE SECOND QUARTER OF 2023–2024

Paul St George, Chief Financial Officer, supported by José Fernandez, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, presented the Quarterly Financial Report for the Second Quarter of 2023–2024.

The Board also received the Quarterly Financial Report for the First Quarter of 2023–2024.


PROPOSED 2024–2025 MAIN ESTIMATES

Paul St George, Chief Financial Officer, supported by José Fernandez, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, presented the proposed 2024–2025 Main Estimates, and answered questions.

The Board approved the proposed 2024–2025 Main Estimates for the House of Commons in the amount of $623.6 M to be submitted to Treasury Board, and took note of the $107M for services received without charge to be included in the operating budget for reporting purposes only.


INTERIM BUDGET FOR THE SPECIAL JOINT COMMITTEE ON MEDICAL ASSISTANCE IN DYING

Scott Lemoine, Principal Clerk, Committees, supported by Ian McDonald, Clerk Assistant, Committees and Legislative Services Directorate, presented a proposal to obtain funding for the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying.

The Board approved an interim budget of $50,000 to finance the activities of the special joint committee. The funding is to be shared using the usual formula between the Senate (30%, i.e. $15,000) and the House of Commons (70%, i.e. $35,000), and the House’s portion is to be allocated from the 2023–2024 global budget envelope for standing committees.


PROGRESS REPORT ON THE HOUSE OF COMMONS ACCESSIBILITY PLAN FOR 2023

Guillaume La Perrière, Director, Accessibility Implementation, presented a progress report on the implementation of the House of Commons Accessibility Plan 2023–2025, and answered questions.


OSCE CONFERENCE BUDGET

Jeremy LeBlanc, Clerk Assistant and Director General, International and Interparliamentary Affairs, provided an update on the budget deficit of $649,000 incurred during the 30th Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, held in Vancouver, British Columbia, from June 30 to July 4, 2023, and answered questions.

It was agreed to fund these costs from existing 2023–2024 funding in the Senate and House of Commons, divided according to the usual formula (Senate 30% and House of Commons 70%).


TRAVEL EXPENSES

Before moving in camera, the Board noted that, at a future meeting, it would examine the difference in reimbursement for travel expenses for Members travelling to and from Ottawa using an electric vehicle versus an internal combustion vehicle.


At 11:53 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 11:56 a.m., the sitting resumed in camera.


LEGAL MATTERS

The Board discussed the rates for outside counsel under the Legal Fees Policy of the Board of Internal Economy and agreed that they be amended as follows:


1. That the rates be updated in accordance with the variation of the consumer price index (CPI) between September 2013 and September 2023.

2. That the rates be subsequently adjusted annually in accordance with the variation of the consumer price index (CPI).

3. That the Board be authorized to approve different rates in circumstances other than “exceptional circumstances,” provided that the rates are fair and reasonable under the circumstances, based, inter alia, on the following criteria: the complexity of the matter, the experience of the counsel, the importance of the matter, the result achieved, and the local market rates for legal services.

4. That the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel be authorized to approve different rates for requests under $10,000 considering the same criteria.

The Board approved the payment of legal fees incurred by a Member of Parliament in the amount of $1,582.57, as an exception under the Legal Fees Policy of the Board of Internal Economy.

The Board instructed the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel to prepare a revised version of the Legal Fees Policy of the Board of Internal Economy reflecting these changes for pro forma approval at the next meeting of the Board.



The meeting was adjourned at 12:19 p.m.

Eric Janse
Acting Secretary to the Board of Internal Economy