Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources

Issue 1 - Evidence, February 22, 2001

The Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources met this day at 9:15 a.m. to organize the activities of the committee.

[English]

Mr. Michel Patrice (Clerk of the Committee): Honourable senators, there is a quorum. As clerk of your committee, it is my duty to preside over the election of the chair. I am ready to receive a motion to that effect.

Senator Spivak: Honourable senators, I nominate Senator Taylor.

Mr. Patrice: Are there any other nominations?

It is moved by the Honourable Senator Spivak that the Honourable Senator Nicholas Taylor do take the chair. Is it agreed, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

Senator Nicholas W. Taylor (Chairman) in the Chair.

The Chairman: Honourable senators, thank you for your inspiring vote of confidence.

The second item of business is the election of the deputy chair.

Senator Finnerty: I move that Senator Spivak be the deputy chair.

The Chairman: Any further nominations?

There being no other nominations, Honourable Senator Spivak will be the Deputy Chair.

We turn now to the third item, the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure. We need a third person for the steering committee, in addition to the chairman and the deputy chairman.

Senator Spivak: I nominate Honourable Senator Kenny.

The Chairman: Is it agreed, honourable senators?

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

The Chairman: Carried.

We turn now to the motion to print the committee's proceedings, item 4.

Senator Christensen: I so move.

The Chairman: Is it agreed honourable senators?

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

The Chairman: Carried.

We turn now to the motion for authorization to print meetings if a quorum is not present -- item 5 on our agenda.

Senator Banks: I so move.

The Chairman: Is it agreed, honourable senators?

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

The Chairman: Carried.

We turn now to the motion for the financial report -- item 6 on our agenda.

Senator Christensen: I so move.

The Chairman: Is there a question?

Senator Kenny: What is the financial report, please?

Mr. Patrice: In the second session of the 36th Parliament, with respect to its examination of legislation, the committee expenses were $56,000, of which $38,000 were for witnesses' expenses. For its special studies on energy, environment and natural resources, the figure was $77,000. That includes, for example, the fact-finding mission to Washington and Atlanta.

The Chairman: Any questions on the financial report?

All those in favour of the motion?

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

The Chairman: Carried.

We turn now to the motion for research staff, which is item 7 on our agenda.

Senator Watt: I so move.

The Chairman: All those in favour?

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

The Chairman: Carried.

We turn now to the motion for authority to commit funds and certify accounts pursuant to Financial Administration Act -- this is item 8 on our agenda.

Senator Finnerty: I so move.

The Chairman: All those in favour?

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

The Chairman: Carried.

We turn now to the motion for travel, which is item 9 on our agenda.

That the committee empower the Chair to designate, as required, one or more members of the Committee and/or such staff as may be necessary to travel on assignment on behalf of the Committee; and

That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be authorized to:

1) determine whether any members of the Committee is on "official business" for the purposes of paragraph 8(3)(a) of the Senators Attendance Policy, published in the Journals of the Senate on Wednesday, June 3, 1998; and

2) consider any member of the Committee to be on "official business" if that member is: (a) attending a function, event or meeting related to the work of the Committee; or (b) making a presentation related to the work of the Committee.

Senator Christensen: I so move.

The Chairman: All those in favour?

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

The Chairman: Carried.

We now turn to the motion for travelling and living expenses, and this is item 10 on our agenda, honourable senators.

Senator Buchanan: I so move.

The Chairman: All those in favour?

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

The Chairman: Carried.

We now turn to item 11, the motion for electronic media coverage of public meetings.

Senator Cochrane: I so move.

The Chairman: All those in favour?

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

The Chairman: Carried.

Senator Kenny: Honourable senators, before we move to item 12, I would like to recommend that we complete the work of the study that was underway, namely, nuclear safety, and study issues relating to energy, the environment and natural resources generally. I would suggest that we amend the report to reflect that.

Therefore, I move:

That item 12 be struck and that we replace it with a motion that the Committee continue and complete its study on nuclear energy that was commenced in the previous session, and that the Committee also have a mandate to study issues relating to energy, the environment and natural resources generally.

The Chairman: All those in favour?

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

The Chairman: Carried.

We turn now to the subject of time slot for meetings. We seem only to have two slots per week. We heard Senator Cools the other day in the chamber raising the question of privilege in regard to appointing a senator to two committees that meet at the same time.

Senator Kenny: I raised this issue at Internal Economy. Their traditional meeting time is 8:30 a.m. on Thursdays. That committee does not like publicity at all; 8:30 is a crazy time slot given that they are trying to avoid publicity. As we learned last session, the time to have meetings if you want media coverage is in the mornings.

There should be a further discussion, notwithstanding Senator Cool's question, that we take Rules and Internal Economy and committees that do not want media coverage and move them into time slots that are awkward for the media to cover. For the committees that do want to media coverage, we should move them into the time slots that are convenient for the media to cover.

Do we want to go ahead with a 5:00 p.m. time slot in the full and certain knowledge that we will never see a reporter at that committee?

Senator Finnerty: What other times are available in the morning?

Senator Kenny: I do not know.

Senator Spivak: In order for senators from the West to be here on a Tuesday morning, we must leave on a Monday. I often arrive in Ottawa on a Monday, but I do not want that to always be the case. That is the problem.

We ought to ensure that we meet in a room that has access for television coverage. Many people watch our proceedings and they are educational. Half a loaf is better than no loaf at all. If we meet Wednesday mornings, it would be better.

Senator Kenny: That coincides with caucus.

Senator Spivak: That is different. I am not opposed to it. If that is the will of the committee, then I will live with it.

Senator Kenny: I want senators to think about that.

The Chairman: For those of us from the West, 8:30 in the morning is still 6:30 in the morning. I am not a morning person.

Senator Cochrane: I have a conflict with Aboriginal Affairs. That committee meets Tuesday evenings at 5:30.

Senator Christensen: They meet Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. and Tuesdays at 9:00 a.m.

Senator Kenny: I have a conflict with Internal Economy.

The Chairman: Let us go at 5:00 p.m., otherwise we will be in conflict with Internal Economy. Perhaps the committee chairs can talk about switching. In other words, if we switch with Internal -- we take their 8:30 a.m. on Thursdays and they take our 5:00 p.m. time slot on Tuesdays -- they might go for that.

I do not have much choice but to say 5:00 p.m. right now.

Senator Kenny: Could we ask the clerk to scout around for empty committee rooms and also to take into account committee assignments and see what possibilities might arise?

Senator Spivak: Also, we want to ensure that we get the rooms that can be televised for legislation and for special study. Mr. Patrice was quite successful at that in the past.

Senator Kenny: There are four possible television rooms right now -- across the hall, in the East Block, and two in the Victoria Building. Any one of those four rooms would give us a shot.

Senator Spivak: The Banking Committee does not always want to be televised. I do not know why. Perhaps they have changed their mind.

The Chairman: We will ask Mr. Patrice to investigate the availability of rooms that are set up to televise meetings and to investigate other time slots. Our present schedule stands, that we meet on Tuesdays at 5 p.m. and Thursdays at 8:30 a.m., in Room 257, East Block.

Is it agreed that we go in camera now?

Hon. Senators: Agreed.

The committee continued in camera.