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Board of Internal Economy meeting

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Meeting Minutes

Thursday, March 3, 2022

A meeting of the Board of Internal Economy of the House of Commons was held on Thursday, February 17, 2022, at 11:00 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, Steven MacKinnon and Ms. Ruby Sahota; Mr. John Brassard, Mr. Blaine Calkins, 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; Eric Janse, Deputy Clerk, Procedure; Ian McDonald, Clerk Assistant, Committees and Legislative Services Directorate; Scott Lemoine, Principal Clerk, Committees; Stéphan Aubé, Chief Information Officer; Lucie Séguin, Chief Executive Officer, Translation Bureau; Matthew Ball, Vice-President, Services to Parliament and Interpretation Sector, Translation Bureau; Paul St George, Chief Financial Officer; Elaine Valiquette, Senior Director, Financial Planning and Resource Management; José Fernandez, Deputy Chief Financial Officer; Michelle Laframboise, Chief Human Resources Officer; and Guillaume La Perrière-Marcoux, Secretariat

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

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


BUSINESS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS

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

The Board requested a report on security measures for the Parliamentary Precinct area following the recent protest that blocked Wellington Street and other areas of the city. The Administration will present a report for discussion at a future Board meeting


TRANSLATION BUREAU – RESOURCE UTILIZATION FOR SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETATION

Lucie Séguin, Chief Executive Officer, and Matthew Ball, Vice-President, Services to Parliament and Interpretation Sector, of the Translation Bureau, continued their presentation and, along with Stéphan Aubé, Chief Information Officer, and Ian McDonald, Clerk Assistant, Committees and Legislative Services Directorate, answered questions.

The Board invited a written brief from the union representing interpreters, the Canadian Association of Professional Employees, following their offer to share information on the discussion about resource utilization for simultaneous interpretation.


QUARTERLY FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE THIRD QUARTER OF 2021–2022

Paul St George, Chief Financial Officer, presented the Quarterly Financial Report for the Third Quarter of 2021–2022.

The Board requested that the Administration prepare a report on the number of House employees temporarily reassigned to tasks related to the COVID-19 pandemic.


TEMPORARY EXPENDITURE MEASURES (COVID-19)

The Board approved the extension of the following temporary expenditure measures until June 30, 2022:


• Inclusion of the following content in Members’ advertisements, householders, constituency mail and externally printed materials of fewer than 5,000 copies:

• information (i.e. website addresses, telephone numbers and logos) and/or COVID-19–related messages from local community, government or not for profit organizations of interest to constituents; and

• solicitations of donations for registered Canadian charities on matters related to COVID 19.

• Reimbursement of reasonable residential high-speed Internet service costs for Members’ employees who are working from home in support of parliamentary functions, as a charge to the Member’s Office Budget.

The Board approved the extension of the additional 10% to the advertising limit until March 31, 2023. It also directed the Administration to conduct a full analysis of the continued value of these temporary expenditure measures and related limits in support of Members’ parliamentary functions, and to return to the Board with recommendations.


At 12:30 p.m., the meeting was suspended.

At 12:33 p.m., the meeting resumed in camera.


COVID-19 PREVENTIVE MEASURES

The Board approved the easing of preventative measures related to COVID-19 within the House of Commons precinct, including:

Non-essential parliamentary activities

As of March 11, 2022, previously suspended non-essential parliamentary activities will resume in the House of Commons precinct. Where circumstances warrant, there may still be situations where the capacity of certain rooms will need to be limited or controlled.

Public visitor access to the House of Commons precinct

Public visitor access will begin in a progressive manner allowing sufficient time for services to stabilize their operations and ensure adequate resources to implement any remaining preventative measures.

Public visitor access will resume in two stages:

• Week of April 25, 2022: Reopening of the public gallery in the Chamber and resumption of public access to committee meetings

• Week of May 16, 2022: Resumption of guided tours and general public access

Committee travel

Decisions relating to committee travel by individual committees, confirmed by the Liaison Committee (which is responsible for allocating committee funds previously approved by the Board) and then approved by the House of Commons, will resume, taking into consideration the public health situation.

Use of masks

The current measures regarding the use of masks in the House of Commons precinct have been extended until June 23, 2022. Therefore:

• It is mandatory for any person, including Members and their staff, political research office employees, Administration employees, members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery, parliamentary business visitors, and members of the general public to wear a mask or face covering in the House of Commons precinct, except at workstations or desks where two-metre physical distancing is possible.

Masks or face coverings must be worn in the following precinct areas:

• The Chamber and committee rooms, except when the Member is at their place during parliamentary proceedings

• Galleries

• Members’ offices and Administration offices, excluding workstations/desks where two-metre physical distancing is possible

• Building entrances

• Elevator lobbies

• Hallways, including common hallways within House Administration work areas

• Washrooms

• Locker rooms

• Cafeterias and canteens

• Indoor parking lots

• Elevators and escalators

• Stairways

• Meeting rooms and multipurpose rooms

• Collaboration spaces

• Lunchrooms and kitchenettes

The requirement to wear a mask or face covering does not apply to:

• The Chamber and committee rooms when Members are at their place during parliamentary proceedings. However, it is strongly recommended that Members wear a mask / face covering when they are at their place during parliamentary proceedings.

• Members and other individuals participating in a press conference, including scrums, where two metre physical distancing measures have been implemented.

• Workstations/desks in Members’ offices and Administration offices where two-metre physical distancing is possible.

The following persons are exempted from wearing a mask / face covering:

• A person who has a medical condition that precludes the safe wearing of a mask / face covering or who is unable to put on or remove the mask / face covering without the assistance of another person.

• A person who needs to temporarily remove the mask / face covering to consume food or drink.


The Board agreed to review the measures regarding the use of masks in the House of Commons precinct after April 11, 2022.



The meeting was adjourned at 1:01 p.m.

Charles Robert
Secretary to the Board of Internal Economy