THE STANDING SENATE COMMITTEE ON ABORIGINAL PEOPLES
EVIDENCE
OTTAWA, Wednesday, December 2, 2020
The Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples met by videoconference this day at 8:11 p.m. [ET], pursuant to rule 12-13 of the Rules of the Senate, to organize the activities of the committee.
[English]
Andrea Mugny, Clerk of the Committee: Honourable senators, 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 Coyle: I would like to nominate Senator Dan Christmas for chair of this committee.
Ms. Mugny: Thank you, Senator Coyle. Are there any other nominations?
It is moved by the Honourable Senator Coyle that the Honourable Senator Christmas do take the chair of this committee. Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
Ms. Mugny: I declare the motion carried. I invite Senator Christmas to take the chair.
Senator Dan Christmas (Chair) in the chair.
The Chair: Thank you, Ms. Mugny and committee members. I know it is getting late, especially for those of us on the East Coast. We will try to do this as painlessly as possible.
First, I want to acknowledge that we are meeting this evening, technically, on the unceded land of the Algonquin and Anishinaabe peoples.
I take the chair of APPA in deep gratitude of the work of those who preceded us. APPA was formed in 1989, some 21 years ago. I’m the tenth chairperson and the seventh Indigenous person to hold the position. I really look forward to continuing the great work that has happened in the past.
I was also very pleased to see the membership of this committee. We have the leader of the CSG with us tonight, the government liaison. We have a former chair of APPA. We have five Indigenous leaders from across the country, and other representatives from different parts of Canada. It strikes me that we have a lot of talent and a lot of experience at this table.
I understand the proposed agenda for this organization meeting was previously circulated. We have 12 motions to consider this evening, most of which are routine motions that will enable this committee to begin operations. Once we get to the routine motions, I will be seeking a proposer of the motion, then I will read the motion, and then I will ask the committee for a vote.
If you wish to make a comment, please use the raise hand feature or just physically raise your hand on the screen and Ms. Mugny and I will try to make note.
The next item on the agenda is the election of the two deputy chairs. We will do the election for each deputy chair separately. I am ready now to receive a motion to elect the first deputy chair.
Senator Pate: Mr. Chair, I move the election of Senator Francis as a deputy chair.
The Chair: Thank you. The Honourable Senator Kim Pate moved:
That the Honourable Senator Brian Francis be elected a deputy chair of this committee.
All those in favour of the motion? Are you agreed?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried. I am now ready to receive a motion for the second deputy chair.
Senator Tannas: I move that the Honourable Senator Dennis Patterson be elected a deputy chair of this committee.
The Chair: The Honourable Senator Scott Tannas moved:
That the Honourable Senator Dennis Patterson be elected a deputy chair of this committee.
Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried.
Senator Patterson: Thank you.
The Chair: Deputy chairs, do you have any comments before we move on?
Senator Patterson: Thank you for the confidence that has been placed in me. I’m honoured to be on the committee and very pleased to work with Senator Christmas and Senator Francis on this important committee.
Senator Francis: I would like to say thank you as well. I’m honoured to be working with such a great group of senators, including yourself, Senator Christmas. I look forward to working together. I appreciate it.
The Chair: I’m looking forward to working with you and the whole committee.
We now have some routine motions to adopt.
Motion 3 deals with the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure.
First, the motion to create the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure, known as the steering committee. For this session, it is agreed that all four parties and groups would have a representative on the steering committee. Do I have a proposer for this motion?
Senator Patterson: I so move.
The Chair: The Honourable Senator Patterson moved:
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be composed of the chair, the deputy chairs 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 it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried.
Motion 4 is to publish the committee’s proceedings. Do I have a proposer for motion 4?
Senator Hartling: I so move.
The Chair: The Honourable Senator Hartling moved:
That the committee publish its proceedings.
Honourable senators, is it your pleasure to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried. Do I have a proposer for motion 5, which deals with the financial report?
Senator Patterson: I so move.
The Chair: The Honourable Senator Patterson moved:
That the committee adopt the draft first report, prepared in accordance with rule 12-26(2).
Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt this motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried.
Motion 6 deals with research staff. Do I have a proposer for motion 6?
Senator Pate: So moved.
The Chair: The Honourable Senator Pate moved:
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 the committee, direct the research staff in the preparation of studies, analyses, summaries, and draft reports.
Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt this motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried.
I would now like to invite our analysts to turn on their camera.
Brittany Collier has worked as an analyst for the Library of Parliament for the last five years. She has worked primarily with the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples and has also supported the work of some House of Commons committees.
It’s great to have you, Brittany. Do you want to make a few comments?
Brittany Collier, Analyst, Library of Parliament: Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Good evening senators. It is so nice to see all of you today and I hope you’re doing well.
As analysts, there are a number of ways that Sara and I can provide research support to the committee. Some of the things that we do include, for example, providing senators with personalized briefings about the previous work of the committee. We also prepare draft committee reports, prepare some work plans and draft witness lists for the committee’s consideration, and we also prepare briefing notes with suggested questions.
I’m looking forward to working with all of you. It’s great to meet you.
The Chair: Thank you, Brittany.
Sara Fryer has worked as an analyst at the Library of Parliament for the past four years. She has served parliamentarians on several standing and special committees at the House of Commons and the Senate of Canada. Previously, she worked in research, audit and evaluation in the non-profit and private sectors.
Great to have you, Sara. Do you wish to say a few words?
Sara Fryer, Analyst, Library of Parliament: Hello, everyone. We missed you and I’m really happy to be working with you again and to see your faces. Thank you for having us.
The Chair: Thank you, Sara.
On to motion 7, authority to commit funds and certify accounts. Do I have a proposer for motion 7?
Senator Coyle: So moved.
The Chair: The Honourable Senator Coyle moved:
That, pursuant to section 7, chapter 3:05 of the Senate Administrative Rules, authority to commit funds be conferred individually on the chair, the two deputy chairs, and the clerk of the committee;
That, pursuant to section 8, chapter 3:05 of the Senate Administrative Rules, authority for certifying accounts payable by the committee be conferred individually on the chair, the two deputy chairs, 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 two deputy chairs.
Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried.
Motion 8 deals with travel. Do I have a proposer for motion 8?
Senator Tannas: So moved.
The Chair: The Honourable Senator Tannas moved:
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.
Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt this motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried.
Motion 9, designation of members travelling on committee business. Do I have a proposer for this motion?
Senator Pate: So moved.
The Chair: The Honourable Senator Pate moved:
That the 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.
Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt this motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried.
Motion 10, travelling and living expenses of witnesses. Do I have a proposer for motion 10?
Senator Patterson: So moved.
The Chair: The Honourable Senator Patterson moved:
That, pursuant to the Senate guidelines for witness expenses, the committee may reimburse reasonable travelling and living expenses of one witness per organization upon application, but that the chair be authorized to approve expenses of a second witness from the same organization should there be exceptional circumstances.
Honourable senators, is it your pleasure to adopt this motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried.
Motion 11 deals with communications. Do I have a proposer for motion 11?
Senator Coyle: So moved.
The Chair: The Honourable Senator Coyle moved:
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be empowered to direct communications officer(s) assigned to the committee in the development of communications plans and products where appropriate and to request the services of the Senate Communications Directorate for the purposes of the promotion of their work; 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 proceedings, at its discretion.
Honourable senators, is it your pleasure to adopt this motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried.
Now I would invite Siofra McAllister to turn on her video. She graduated from Trinity College Dublin and worked in journalism and NGO communications before joining the Senate in 2018. She has supported APPA since then, working on communications products for the committee’s most recent study and helping to organize the annual “Indigenize the Senate” event.
Great to have you back. Do you wish to say a few words?
Siofra McAllister, Communications Officer, Senate of Canada: I’m so glad to be back. As you mentioned, I will be supporting the committee for all your communication needs at every point, from news releases to press conferences, to outreach events and other campaigns. I’m really happy to be back. Thank you.
The Chair: Thank you, Siofra. It’s good to have you back as well.
Item 12 is other business. We have completed the adoption of the routine motions. I wish to propose an additional motion to allow for senators’ staff at in camera committee meetings.
Do I have a proposer for that motion?
Senator Pate: So moved.
The Chair: It is moved by Senator Pate:
That each committee member be allowed to have one staff person present at in camera meetings, unless otherwise agreed to by the committee.
Honourable senators, is it your pleasure to adopt this motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried.
At a future meeting of the steering committee, we will discuss guidelines to ensure the security of virtual in camera meetings, and then we will ask our staff to take the necessary steps to ensure they are followed.
That concludes our agenda for this evening. As for next steps, I will be seeking a meeting of the members of the steering committee to discuss the proposed future business of APPA. I have spoken individually to each of the steering committee members over the past week or so but we have not yet met as an entire group, so shortly, after our first meeting of steering, we will call for a full meeting of the APPA committee to discuss our future business.
In the meantime, please feel free to contact any of us on the steering committee to share your thoughts about the work that we propose to undertake.
Are there any comments or questions at this point?
Senator Pate: Yes, Mr. Chair. There have been a number of groups, particularly Indigenous women’s groups, that have reached out to some of us about recognizing the contributions of Senator Lillian Dyck. In light of the fact that we didn’t have an opportunity to do that because of the pandemic, I’m wondering if the steering committee might consider at least part of one of the meetings allowing some of those folks to come in virtually and to celebrate Lillian’s commitment and her leadership on APPA.
The Chair: Thank you, Senator Pate. That’s an excellent suggestion. We’ll certainly bring that to steering and we’ll discuss it further.
Any other comments or questions? Hearing none, I declare the meeting adjourned. Thank you very much, everyone, for staying with us at a very late hour.
(The committee adjourned.)