Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Social Affairs, Science and Technology
Issue 1 - Evidence - June 15, 2011
OTTAWA, Wednesday, June 15, 2011
The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology met this day at 4:17 p.m., pursuant to rule 88 of the Rules of the Senate, to organize the activities of the committee.
[English]
Jessica Richardson, 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.
[Translation]
I am ready to receive a motion to that effect.
[English]
Senator Cordy: I move that Senator Ogilvie be the chair of this committee.
Ms. Richardson: It is moved by the Honourable Senator Cordy that the Honourable Senator Ogilvie do take the chair of this committee.
Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
Ms. Richardson: I invite Senator Ogilvie to take the chair.
Senator Kelvin Kenneth Ogilvie (Chair) in the chair.
The Chair: Thank you all very much.
I have greatly enjoyed working with all of you who have been on the committee previously. I look forward to working with you in the future as we continue to deal with important issues before this committee. It was a pleasure being part of this committee, and I hope it will continue to be so for all of us. I will welcome your input on all occasions and, unless you have major suggestions for me, I will tend to run the committee meetings as I did when I substituted as chair.
I would encourage us all to keep the preambles to our questions as short as possible. The longest one that I recorded last year was four and a half minutes, and the answer was three and a half minutes. Things like that make a great difference in terms of the ability of everyone to have a question.
I will defer to the committee for questions, except towards the end in cases where there are issues on which I feel that I really need to ask a question. I will look to the committee to be efficient in preambles so that everyone on the committee can ask questions.
With that, and with the decision that you have just taken, I will move back to the agenda, unless there are other observations at this point.
Senator Champagne: That was a good preamble.
Senator Dyck: Did you use your scientific lab timer?
The Chair: I have kept my eyes on a very scientific timer at certain times. We will continue to use that. I cannot take credit for it, but I intend to avail myself of it.
Moving to item 2 on the agenda, the election of the deputy chair, is there a motion?
Senator Seidman: I move that Senator Eggleton be deputy chair of this committee.
The Chair: It has been moved that Senator Eggleton be named deputy chair of this committee. Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Adopted. Thank you.
Under item 3, I will be seeking a mover of the following:
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be composed of the chair, the deputy chair, and one other member of the committee, to be designated after the usual consultation; and
That the subcommittee be empowered to make decisions on behalf of the committee with respect to its agenda, to invite witnesses, and to schedule hearings.
Do I have a mover of that motion?
Senator Callbeck: So moved.
The Chair: Thank you, Senator Callbeck.
It has been moved by the Honourable Senator Callbeck. Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Carried.
I now have to pleasure to inform you that the decision under the motion, that is, after the usual consultation, is that Senator Seidman will be the third member of the subcommittee.
Welcome to the committee, Senator Seidman.
Senator Seidman: Thank you.
The Chair: We need a motion with regard to publishing the committee's proceedings. I will seek a mover of the following:
That the committee publish its proceedings; and
That the chair be authorized to set the number of printed copies to meet demand.
Do I have a mover?
Senator Martin: So moved.
The Chair: Thank you, Senator Martin.
It has been moved by the Honourable Senator Martin that the motion be adopted. Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Carried.
Motion 5 is with regard to the holding of meetings and the ability to receive evidence when quorum is not present. The motion is:
That, pursuant to rule 89, the chair be authorized to hold meetings, to receive and authorize the publication of the evidence when a quorum is not present, provided that a member of the committee from both the government and the opposition be present.
Senator Champagne: I so move.
The Chair: Senator Champagne, thank you very much.
It has been moved by the Honourable Senator Champagne that the motion be adopted. Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Carried.
Motion 6 is with regard to the financial report. I will seek a mover:
That the committee adopt the draft first report, prepared in accordance with rule 104.
That is in your documents. It is the financial statement on our business up until now.
Senator Seidman: I so move.
The Chair: It has been moved by Senator Seidman that the committee adopt the motion. Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Carried.
On research staff, I will seek a mover:
That the committee ask the Library of Parliament to assign analysts to the committee;
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be authorized to retain the services of such experts as may be required by the work of the committee; and
That the chair, on behalf of the committee, direct the research staff in the preparation of studies, analyses, summaries, and draft report.
Senator Demers: I so move.
The Chair: It has been moved by the Honourable Senator Demers that the motion be adopted. Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Carried.
I would now invite the analysts and those named under this authority to join us at the table.
Welcome.
Karin Phillips, Analyst, Library of Parliament: Honourable senators, I am Karin Phillips. I am with the Library of Parliament. Brian and I will be working together in the interim and I am quite happy to be working on the Senate side. I have been working on the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health for the past few years.
The Chair: After I introduce Brian O'Neal, I will ask each member of the committee to identify themselves to these two distinguished members at our table.
Brian O'Neal, would you introduce yourself.
Brian O'Neal, Analyst, Library of Parliament: Honourable senators, my name is Brian O'Neal. I am management level in the library. I have been acting as the lead analyst for this committee, but now the torch is being passed to Karin Phillips. I am absolutely certain that she will do a superb job for you.
The Chair: Welcome to you both. Starting with Senator Seidman, I will ask you, honourable senators, to identify yourselves.
Senator Seidman: I am Judith Seidman, a senator from Montreal, Quebec.
Senator Cordy: I am Jane Cordy, from Nova Scotia.
Senator Merchant: I am Pana Merchant, from Saskatchewan.
Senator Dyck: I am Lillian Dyck, from Saskatchewan.
Senator Callbeck: I am Catherine Callbeck, from Prince Edward Island.
Senator Demers: I am Jacques Demers, from Montreal, Quebec.
Senator Champagne: I am Andrée Champagne, from Quebec.
Senator Raine: I am Senator Greene Raine, from British Columbia. I am sitting in for Senator Verner, from Quebec.
Senator Braley: I am Dave Braley, from Ontario. I live in Burlington.
Senator Martin: I am Yonah Martin, from Vancouver, B.C., home of the Canucks.
The Chair: Thank you very much.
We will move on to motion 8, which is authority to commit funds and certify accounts. I will seek a mover:
That, pursuant to section 7, chapter 3:06 of the Senate Administrative Rules, authority to commit funds be conferred individually on the chair, the deputy chair, and the clerk of the committee;
That, pursuant to section 8, chapter 3:06 of the Senate Administrative Rule, authority for certifying accounts payable by the committee be conferred individually on the chair, the deputy chair, and the clerk of the committee; and
That, notwithstanding the foregoing, in cases related to consultants and personnel services, the authority to commit funds and certify accounts be conferred jointly on the chair and the deputy chair.
Do I have a mover of this motion?
Senator Merchant: I so move.
The Chair: Thank you, Senator Merchant.
It has been moved by Senator Merchant that the motion adopted. Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Carried.
On motion 9, travel, I will seek a mover:
That the committee empower the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure 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.
Do I have a mover?
Senator Braley: I so move.
The Chair: Senator Braley has moved the motion. Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Carried.
On motion 10, designation of members travelling on committee business, I will seek a mover:
That this Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be authorized to:
1) determine whether any member 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 an event or meeting related to the work of the committee; or (b) making a presentation related to the work of the committee; and
That the subcommittee report at the earliest opportunity any decisions taken with respect to the designation of members of the committee travelling on committee business.
Senator Braley: I so move.
The Chair: Thank you, Senator Bailey.
The motion has been moved. Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Carried.
Motion 11 is on travelling and living expenses of witnesses. I seek a mover:
That, pursuant to the Senate guidelines for witness expenses, the committee may reimburse reasonable travelling and living expenses for one witness from any one organization and payment will take place upon application, but that the chair be authorized to approve expenses for a second witness should there be exceptional circumstances.
Senator Cordy: I so move.
The Chair: It has been moved by Senator Cordy that we adopt the motion. Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Carried.
On motion 12 I shall seek a mover:
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be empowered to direct communications officer(s) assigned to the committee in the development of communications plans where appropriate and to request the services of the Senate Communications Directorate for the purpose of their development and implementation; and
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be empowered to allow coverage by electronic media of the committee's public proceedings with the least possible disruption of its hearings at its discretion.
Senator Dyck: I so move.
The Chair: It has been moved by Senator Dyck that the motion be approved. Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Carried.
Item 13 is with regard to staff present at in camera meetings. I shall seek a mover:
That each committee member be allowed to have one staff person present at in camera meetings unless there is a decision for a particular meeting to exclude all staff.
Senator Champagne: I so move.
The Chair: It has been moved by the Honourable Senator Champagne that the motion be adopted. Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Carried.
Finally, on item 14, we note for the record that the time slots for our regular meetings are Wednesdays at 4:15 to 6:15 p.m. and Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. That is noted for the record.
There is some other business and I would like to move in camera for those items of business.
Is it agreed that we move in camera?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Thank you very much.
(The committee continued in camera.)