Proceedings of the Standing Committee on
Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
Issue No. 20 - Evidence - May 24, 2018
OTTAWA, Thursday, May 24, 2018
The Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration met this day at 8:30 a.m., in public and in camera, pursuant to rule 12-7(1), to consider financial and administrative matters.
Senator Larry W. Campbell (Chair) in the chair.
[English]
The Chair: Good morning and welcome to the Thursday morning meeting of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration. My name is Larry Campbell, and I’m a senator for British Columbia. If I could ask senators to introduce themselves.
Senator Tkachuk: David Tkachuk, Saskatchewan.
Senator Marshall: Elizabeth Marshall, Newfoundland and Labrador.
[Translation]
Senator Saint-Germain: Raymonde Saint-Germain from Quebec.
[English]
Senator Plett: Don Plett, Manitoba.
Senator Tannas: Scott Tannas, Alberta.
Senator McCoy: Elaine McCoy, Alberta.
[Translation]
Senator Verner: Josée Verner from Quebec.
Senator Moncion: Lucie Moncion from Ontario.
[English]
Senator Mitchell: Grant Mitchell, Alberta.
[Translation]
Senator Pratte: André Pratte from Quebec.
Senator Dawson: Dennis Dawson from Quebec.
[English]
The Chair: Thank you very much.
Item No. 1 on the agenda is the minutes from the last meeting. A copy of the minutes has been included in your package. Are there any questions or changes? Can I have a motion to adopt the minutes?
Senator Tkachuk: So moved.
The Chair: Senator Tkachuk. Seconded by Senator Marshall. All those in favour? Opposed? Carried.
Item No. 2 is the report from the Subcommittee on Committee Budgets, and this will be given to us by Senator Verner.
[Translation]
Senator Verner: Honourable senators, I have the honour of presenting the nineteenth report of the Subcommittee on Committee Budgets, which includes the recommended release of funds for three committee budgets.
Before talking about this, I would like to give you an update on the committee budgets. The funds budgeted for the 2018-2019 year total $2,382,000. We have set aside $500,000 for expenses related to witnesses and their travel to Ottawa, which leaves $1,882,000 for committee budgets.
To date, this year, $312,024 have been released for committee activities.
[English]
The subcommittee met earlier this week to review three budget requests. In reviewing these requests, the subcommittee would like to draw your attention to the issue of travel dates. While it is not the mandate of this subcommittee to base their decisions on when a committee wishes to travel, it has been brought to the subcommittee’s attention that recently some committee activities have been cancelled, due in part to their choice of travel dates being in conflict with the Senate sitting schedule.
The subcommittee would therefore like to remind all honourable senators to be mindful of these potential conflicts and to consult with respective leaderships well in advance in order to avoid cancellation costs, or unnecessarily tying up allotments from the budget for committee travel.
[Translation]
That being said, we met with the Deputy Chair of the Official Languages Committee. She submitted a budget request for expenses of $94,100 for a fact-finding mission and public hearings in New Brunswick. This activity is planned for October 2018. The mission is part of their study on Canadians’ views about modernizing the Official Languages Act. The request seeks travel funds for nine senators. The committee also asked for funds to include two staff members from the offices of the chair and the deputy chair on this mission.
[English]
The subcommittee would like to remind senators that all committees are able to have staff travel with them to assist in carrying out their parliamentary functions by using their own travel points. However, the sum also permits committees to include the expenses of chair and deputy chair staff in their committee budget requests. The subcommittee has already indicated that they will consider each request on a case-by-case basis.
Having carefully considered this request, the subcommittee feels that the interests of the committee will be best served by including the senators’ staff in their budget.
[Translation]
According to the information we have been given, the subcommittee recommends that the amount of $94,100 be approved.
We also met with the Chair of the Agriculture and Forestry Committee, who submitted a budget request for expenses of $17,320 for a one-day fact-finding mission to Plessisville, Quebec. This mission is part of their study on how the value-added food sector can be more competitive on the global markets. The committee is requesting travel funds for eight senators, and funds to include two staff members from the offices of the chair and the deputy chair on this mission.
Once more, the subcommittee has studied this request carefully, and believes that including these members of the senators’ staff will serve the best interests of the committee. According to the information provided, the subcommittee recommends that the amount of $17,320 be approved.
Finally, we also studied a request from the Aboriginal Peoples Committee for $1,900 in general expenses to organize an event called Youth Indigenize the Senate.
The committee is anticipating expenses: hospitality expenses for meals and gifts, honoraria for artists and other miscellaneous expenses. This third annual event, organized by the committee, will take place on June 6, 2018. By all accounts, the last two events were a success.
According to the information provided, the subcommittee recommends that the amount of $1,900 be approved. Consequently, your subcommittee recommends that $113,320 be released today. From the $1,882,000 set aside, this brings us to a total of $427,594 in funds released to date.
Unless there are questions, I recommend that the report be adopted.
Senator Pratte: On which basis did the subcommittee justify or agree that two senators’ staffers travel with the committees, for the Official Languages Committee and the Agriculture Committee?
Senator Verner: For the Official Languages Committee, the topic of the study is one that will draw the attention of many minority groups, specifically groups in provinces other than Quebec. When senators travel to New Brunswick to meet minority groups, they are very frequently asked to give interviews and to speak in public. Pursuant to our Rules, there will be no more than three people to manage communications and to ensure outreach for all minority groups.
Senator Pratte: Is it the same reasoning for the Agriculture Committee?
Senator Verner: For the Agriculture Committee, we are talking about bus transportation for two employees; we cannot say that it is a major expense.
Senator Pratte: It is not very expensive.
Senator Verner: No. It is not as if they had asked us to go to China with a number of employees. We accepted their request on this basis.
Senator Pratte: Thank you.
[English]
The Chair: It was moved by Senator Verner that the report be adopted. Is that agreed, honourable senators?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Thank you, carried.
Item No. 3 is the report from the Subcommittee on Human Resources. This is an oral report.
Senator Saint-Germain: Thank you, Mr. Chair.
[Translation]
It is my pleasure to present to you the report of the Subcommittee on Human Resources on the review of the Senate Policy on the Prevention and Resolution of Harassment in the Workplace.
On April 18, 2018, I was elected chair of the subcommittee, and I took on, in collaboration with the other members, the priority issue of reviewing the policy on harassment.
In addition, I wish to sincerely thank the other subcommittee members, Senator Jaffer, Senator Moncion and Senator Tkachuk, and particularly the deputy chair, Senator Tannas, for his close collaboration and his involvement. I also want to thank Daniel Charbonneau, the clerk of the subcommittee, for his great availability and his diligent work in preparing future committee business, as well as the Library of Parliament, which provided the subcommittee with two analysts, including a lawyer specialized in labour law, during its consultations.
The Senate is determined to fight and prevent all forms of harassment. We need to make sure that all allegations of harassment are taken seriously in complete confidentiality, impartiality and fairness for all parties: the complainants and the accused.
The events of the past year, which was indelibly marked by the #MeToo movement, have only strengthened the Senate’s resolve to make the current harassment policy even more robust.
In fact, the five members of the subcommittee wish to commend the quality of the work that led to the adoption of the policy on harassment in 2009, which replaced the one from 1993. Despite the exhaustive nature of this policy, which notably includes specific definitions of both harassment and sexual harassment, I remain convinced that it can be improved, particularly with regard to the procedures around handling allegations of harassment. These procedures must reflect the best and most recent practices on the issue.
The subcommittee will therefore be leading intensive consultations before the summer adjournment, and I am pleased to inform you that we have enlisted both the internal expertise of the Senate, which is abundant and substantial, and the expertise of independent experts. This will be done at practically no cost.
We will invite various individuals who will contribute to our mandate, including female senators, representatives of unionized employees, representatives of employees of senators’ offices and independent expert witnesses. They will give their opinions to the subcommittee in four meetings that will take place on May 29, June 5, June 12 and June 19, 2018.
The experts’ testimony for the June 12 and 19 meetings will be open to the public and televised, in order to promote the transparency of the process. However, the testimony of female senators, representatives of unionized employees and representatives of employees of senators’ offices will be in camera, as agreed with staff members, to establish a climate of trust in which witnesses will be able to express themselves freely and openly on sometimes sensitive issues. We must take into account that some could be intimidated by the presence of cameras, as well as that of their colleagues and bosses.
I also wish to thank the Working Group on Senators’ Services and all the employee representatives we’ve consulted, who have worked diligently and very professionally so that we can hold these intensive consultations.
In closing, I wish to point out that we have implemented an interim measure, in collaboration with the Human Resources Directorate and parliamentary counsel, to facilitate the complaint resolution process until the policy changes are adopted. This accommodation is consistent with the policy’s current procedures, but provides an adjustment we have deemed necessary: Labour relations advisors from the Human Resources Directorate will, upon request from an employee, be able to organize a meeting outside the parliamentary precinct in order to ensure the highest possible level of confidentiality. Notwithstanding the administration’s duty of confidentiality, complainants’ sincere belief in a confidential complaint process is paramount, so that victims of harassment no longer fear the consequences of speaking out.
It is our duty to ensure and promote, in all respects, a healthy and harassment-free workplace. Our goal is to make the Senate of Canada an exemplary employer in all of these respects.
Our consultations will be intensive. We plan to finish them at the end of June, to work with the administration during the summer, to finalize the necessary considerations, and to prepare a report that we will submit during the first weeks after Parliament returns.
Thank you. I am available for any questions you may have.
[English]
Senator Marshall: Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. And thank you for that, Senator Saint-Germain.
When you talk about meeting with representatives of the union, Senate staff, senators, et cetera, how will those individuals be selected? If someone is interested in appearing, can they request to appear or is there already a selection process?
Senator Saint-Germain: We have had the selection process. The working group on senators’ services, which is the working group recognized by CIBA has been consulted as well as the representatives of the two unions and other staff of the administration that are not represented by unions. They were all in agreement with the way that we are working. Their appearance is in camera. It is the way they have been selected.
However, any employee who would consider that he or she has something to tell the committee we are open to receiving these employees in camera. Personally, as the chair of the committee, I’m open to receiving any employee who would deem it important to speak to me personally either in my office or elsewhere where this employee would deem it is more appropriate to meet me.
Senator Marshall: Thank you very much.
The Chair: Any other questions? Thank you very much, Senator Saint-Germain. This is long overdue and I think that after receiving your information I think it’s moving forward well.
We will now move in camera.
(The committee continued in camera.)