Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Social Affairs, Science and Technology
Issue 1 - Evidence - November 7, 2013
OTTAWA, Thursday, November 7, 2013
The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology met this day at 10:31 a.m., pursuant to rule 12-13 of the Rules of the Senate, to organize the activities of the committee.
[English]
Jessica Richardson, Clerk of the Committee: Honourable senators, as clerk of your committee, it is my duty to preside over the election of a chair.
[Translation]
I am ready to receive a motion to that effect.
[English]
Senator Chaput: I move the name of Senator Ogilvie as chair.
Ms. Richardson: It is moved by the Honourable Senator Chaput that the Honourable Senator Ogilvie do take the chair.
[Translation]
Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
[English]
Ms. Richardson: I declare the motion carried, and I invite the Honourable Senator Ogilvie to take the chair.
Senator Kelvin Kenneth Ogilvie (Chair) in the chair.
The Chair: Thank you all very much. Welcome to the first meeting of our committee, which is simply an organizational meeting.
I am very pleased to welcome two new members to our committee: Senators Chaput and Bellemare. We have also a couple of new members who were unable to join us today; those who are here today are the only ones who indicated that they would be able to join us today.
With that, colleagues, as the clerk has already indicated, this meeting is the organizational meeting. There are certain standard motions that we require to be moved, and the first one has already been dealt with by the clerk. I will now proceed through the order that you have received, and I would welcome a motion for the approval of the deputy chair.
Senator Seidman: I would like to nominate Senator Eggleton as deputy chair.
The Chair: Colleagues, it has been duly nominated that the Honourable Senator Eggleton be elected as the deputy chair. Are there any other nominations? Hearing none, I put the question: Are you in agreement?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: It is approved by the committee that the Honourable Senator Eggleton will be the deputy chair of the committee.
We will now proceed to the other standard motions, now that we have the chair and deputy chair approved. I will ask for a mover for 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.
Is there a mover for that motion?
Senator Eaton: I so move.
The Chair: Are you prepared to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I will now inform the committee that the so-called ``usual consultation'' has occurred between the parties, and Senator Seidman is designated by both parties as the third member of the steering committee.
Senator Chaput: Good choice.
The Chair: I would now seek a mover of a motion that the committee publish its proceedings. Senator Enverga. Thank you, senator.
Are you in agreement with the motion moved by Senator Enverga?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Thank you very much.
We now have a motion for authorization to hold meetings and to receive evidence when a quorum is not present. I need a senator to move:
That pursuant to rule 12-17, 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.
Is there a mover?
Senator Seidman: I so move.
The Chair: I can inform the committee that we have not had to use this process in the time that I have been chair of the committee.
Senator Chaput: Quorum consists of how many members?
The Chair: Four. That is by regulation of the Senate.
Senator Seidman moved that motion. Are you in agreement, colleagues?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Thank you very much.
I would now like a senator to move that the committee publish its proceedings.
Ms. Richardson: You just did that.
The Chair: Wait now.
Ms. Richardson: Financial report. We are up to 6.
The Chair: I think we should revert to whether we have the right chair. Okay, we are moving faster than the chair can handle here.
Would a senator be prepared to move that the committee adopt the draft first report, prepared in accordance with rule 12-26(2)? That is a financial report. Is there a mover?
Senator Seth: I so move.
The Chair: Are you in agreement?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Next is research staff. I seek a senator to move:
That the committee ask the Library of Parliament to assign analysts to the committee;
That the chair be authorized to seek authority from the Senate to engage the services of such counsel and technical, clerical, and other personnel as may be necessary for the purpose of the committee's examination and consideration of such bills, subject-matters of bills, and estimates as are referred to it;
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 committee, direct the research staff in the preparation of studies, analyses, summaries, and draft reports.
Senator Seidman: So moved.
The Chair: Are you in agreement?
Hon. Senators: Yes.
The Chair: That's approved.
Motion 8 concerns the authority to commit funds and certify accounts. I would seek a senator to move that motion. Thank you. It has been moved by Senator Chaput:
That, pursuant to —
Shall I dispense?
Hon. Senators: Dispense.
The Chair: Are you in agreement?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Next is motion 9. I seek a senator to move:
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.
Senator Enverga: I so move.
The Chair: It is moved by Senator Enverga. Is that agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: That is agreed and adopted. Thank you, colleagues.
I seek a senator to move Motion No. 10, the designation of members travelling on committee business. Senator Seidman. Is that agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Number 11 concerns travelling and living expenses of witnesses. Senator Seth moves:
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.
Is that agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I now seek a mover of Motion No. 12 concerning communications. It is moved by Senator Chaput:
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be empowered to direct communication 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 purposes 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.
Are you agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Agreed. Thank you very much, colleagues.
I remind you that the time slot for regular meetings is Wednesday from 4:15 to 6:15 p.m., and Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Any extension beyond those times requires majority approval of the committee. That is understood by the committee; that is our standard operating procedure.
I would remind committee members that when we have two sessions in one meeting they are each one hour and that to go beyond an hour requires majority approval of the committee. That is for the orderly operation of the committee.
We do have other business of a routine nature to deal with this morning. The first item is the one that empowers your staff, and so I will read it:
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.
Are you in agreement with that motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Thank you very much. It is our standard operating procedure.
For the benefit of our new members, I want to remind the committee as a whole that we are almost three quarters of the way through an order of reference approved by the Senate, but because we were interrupted by this last prorogation, we are required to return that order of reference to the Senate in order to complete our business. You have the order of reference before you, and it is:
That the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology be authorized to examine and report on prescription pharmaceuticals in Canada, including, but not limited to . . . .
You will see four items there, each of which we have dealt with as a single study. The first two have been completed and the reports approved by the Senate. The third one has been completed and the draft report has been approved by the steering committee. The last step is for it to come to the committee as a whole.
It is not a long report. It is in the vicinity of 20 pages. The first report was the most lengthy. It set up the whole issue, and then the next three have followed in line. It will not be heavy reading for new members. I should inform them and remind returning senators that they received it on paper in June before we rose, so you have had it through the summer. It is 26 pages exactly.
I would also remind you that we are not able to deal with that and should not provide the new members of the committee with copies until such time as I put this motion before the Senate and it is approved. This motion is the standard motion that gives us authority to take into account all the evidence we have collected up to this point and to proceed with that. If you are in agreement, I will introduce it into the Senate today. It would be on the Order Paper for discussion during the first meeting after our break.
Are you in agreement?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Thank you very much, colleagues.
Perhaps I could give you a little heads up on our agenda. As you all know, we have only had, to this point, one item referred to us, but we are going to have a heavy agenda of bills between now and the time we rise in December. We have had referred to us already certain sections of the expenditures bill. Three sections have been referred to us. Two of them should be very short. They simply deal with membership on certain organizations, but they require the approval of Parliament.
The third one is a little bit longer. I simply want to indicate that the steering committee will be dealing with those items and will be making recommendations for the agenda to deal with those as expeditiously as possible. The reason I raise it is that the Senate has set a deadline. We are required to deal with it by November 29.
Senator Eaton: So this is from the expenditures that went to Finance last June?
The Chair: That is correct.
Senator Eaton: So you do not want us to do any reading during our break week on what the three could be.
The Chair: The three I know. They were brought into the Senate by the government; it referred three sections to us.
Senator Seidman: Could you tell us now?
The Chair: We can certainly tell you. I don't remember them off the top of my head, but perhaps Sonya can remind you of those numbers.
Sonya Norris, Analyst, Library of Parliament: They are from Bill C-4, Part 3, Divisions 5, 10 and 11.
The Chair: I will obviously be discussing this with the steering committee and getting their advice, but it is possible that we will see two of them as relatively straightforward issues. The steering committee will look a third one in terms of the depth, but those will obviously be the first items on our agenda.
Senator Seth: It is a government bill?
The Chair: Yes.
Senator Seth: What about our private discussion of topics that we gave you before prorogation?
The Chair: There is no way we will get to any of those before we rise for Christmas. Those will be issues for us in the new year. However, I can inform you that — no, I can't inform you about anything on them because we will have to discuss them in the new year.
Senator Enverga: Can we add something, or is that it? We can't make any more changes?
The Chair: Any senator can, at any time, suggest to the steering committee a topic for discussion.
Senator Seth: But those have to be introduced again after prorogation.
The Chair: Yes, they essentially disappear. Everything on the Order Paper and agenda disappears with prorogation, so they have to be brought back. The first chance we will get to deal with them will be in the new year.
Senator Seth: Okay.
(The committee adjourned.)