THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON INTERNAL ECONOMY, BUDGETS AND ADMINISTRATION
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
OTTAWA, Thursday, October 8, 2020
(02)
[English]
The Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration met in camera by videoconference this day at 11:02 a.m., the Chair, the Honourable Sabi Marwah presiding.
Members of the committee present by videoconference: The Honourable Senators Black (Ontario), Dean, Dupuis, Forest, Gagné, Jaffer, Marshall, Martin, Marwah, Moncion, Munson, Pate, Plett, Saint-Germain, Seidman, Smith and Tannas (17).
Other senators present by videoconference: The Honourable Senators Dalphond and Omidvar (2).
In attendance by videoconference: Pascale Legault, Chief Corporate Services Officer and Clerk of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration; Richard Denis, Interim Clerk of the Senate and Clerk of the Parliaments and Chief Legislative Services Officer; Philippe Hallée, Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel; senior Senate officials and other support staff.
Also present: The official reporters of the Senate.
WITNESSES:
Senate of Canada:
The Honourable Senator Patricia Bovey;
The Honourable Senator Donald Neil Plett.
House of Commons:
Francis Drouin, Member of Parliament for Glengarry — Prescott — Russell.
International and Interparliamentary Affairs:
Jeremy LeBlanc, Acting Clerk Assistant and Director General.
Pursuant to rule 12-7. (1) of the Rules of the Senate, the committee continued its consideration of financial and administrative matters concerning the Senate’s internal administration.
At 12:28 p.m., the committee suspended.
At 12:29 p.m., the committee resumed in public.
The Chair introduced all senators that were present.
CIBA/2020-10-08/023(P) — Adoption of Minutes of Proceedings from September 24, 2020
The Honourable Senator Munson moved:
That the Minutes of Proceedings of Thursday, September 24, 2020, be adopted.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted on the following vote:
YEAS
The Honourable Senators
Black (Ontario), Dean, Forest, Gagné, Jaffer, Marshall, Martin, Marwah, Moncion, Munson, Pate, Plett, Saint-Germain, Seidman, Smith, Tannas — [16]
NAYS
NIL
ABSTENTIONS
NIL
CIBA/2020-09-24/024(P) — Funding Request from the Joint Interparliamentary Council
The Honourable Senator Plett and Francis Drouin each made a statement on a request from the Joint Interparliamentary Council (JIC) for additional temporary funding to host the 48th Annual Session of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie in Montreal, Quebec, from July 7 to 12, 2022.
Francis Drouin and Jeremy LeBlanc answered questions.
After debate, the Honourable Senator Plett moved:
That approval be granted to host the 48th Annual Session of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie in Montreal, in July 2022; and
That the temporary funding, excluding EBP, be approved as follows:
- $27,948 for 2020-2021
- $178,101 for 2021-2022
- $1,097,008 for 2022-2023
That the temporary funding for the fiscal years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 be absorbed from the anticipated budget surpluses of Associations; and
That the temporary funding be shared using the usual formula (30% Senate, 70% House of Commons) between the Senate ($390,917) and the House of Commons ($912,140).
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted on the following vote:
YEAS
The Honourable Senators
Black (Ontario), Dean, Dupuis, Forest, Gagné, Jaffer, Marshall, Martin, Marwah, Moncion, Munson, Pate, Plett, Saint-Germain, Seidman, Smith, Tannas — [17]
NAYS
NIL
ABSTENTIONS
NIL
CIBA/2020-09-24/025(P) — Report from the Artwork & Heritage Advisory Working Group
The chair of the Artwork & Heritage Advisory Working Group, the Honourable Senator Bovey, presented the first report of the advisory working group as follows:
08-10-2020
The Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group (AHAWG) of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration (CIBA) has the honour to present its:
FIRST REPORT
On June 25, 2020, the Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group was reestablished and authorized to:
- exercise delegated authority to act on behalf of the committee on matters related to the Senate Policy on Heritage Assets and Works of Art;
That the advisory working group be composed of 4 senators working collectively;
That the following senators be named as members of the advisory working group:
The Honourable Senator Bovey;
The Honourable Senator Forest-Niesing;
The Honourable Senator Stewart Olsen; and
The Honourable Senator White;
That the advisory working group be empowered to elect a chair;
That the advisory working group be required to submit an annual plan for purchase, disposal, repair and restorations of heritage assets and works of art and a related annual financial forecast to the committee for approval; and
That the advisory working group be required to report its decisions and recommendations to the committee on a quarterly basis.
Your Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group now reports as follows:
Chair
On August 11, 2020 the members of the AHAWG elected the Honourable Senator Bovey to be the chair of the advisory working group.
Terms of Reference
On September 21, 2020, the members of the AHAWG adopted its Terms of Refence.
Honouring Canada’s Black Artists
On September 18, 2020, works by Winnipeg’s Yisa Akinbolaji and Vancouver’s Chantal Gibson were installed outside of the Senate antechamber. The display honours the contributions of Black artists from across Canada. Yisa Akinbolaji’s Stolen Identities (2018) and Chantal Gibson’s Who’s Who in Canada 1927; A Historical In(ter)vention will remain on display until June 2021. Pending approval of funding, the intention is to continue the display by featuring the works of artists from various parts of Canada on a rotating basis.
Yisa Akinbolaji was born in Nigeria and moved to Winnipeg in 1997. His work blends Nigerian and Canadian history and culture. This can be seen in Stolen Identities where Manitoba poplars and Louis Riel’s portraits are mixed with Nigerian forms and colours. As Senator Bovey said in the Chamber,
“Throughout the work, rhythmic recurring circles echoing the dream catcher call for respect and understanding among cultures.”
Chantal Gibson was born in Quebec, has ancestral roots in Nova Scotia and currently lives in Vancouver. Her Altered Book Series asks the viewer to re-consider published Canadian histories and reflect on the missing voices. The artist explains, “So there are new rules for the kinds of old books that used to hold our entire histories — books that are used to speak for everybody. And the takeaway is, one book can no longer speak for everyone. My books are kind of talking back.”
To provide the public with access, Senate Communications has published an article on the works of art and developed a video about the installation.
The cost was approved by CIBA at $5,000 for this installation. Because of construction issues and external art handling contracts to receive the works in Ottawa, issues not known to the Working Group in advance, Senate Administration required a further $3,500.
Funding Forecast
On September 21, 2020, the members of the AHAWG endorsed Heritage & Curatorial Services (HCS)’s forecast for restoration and repair spending in the 2020-21 fiscal year. HCS is seeking approval from CIBA to spend $50,000 on artwork conservation and $50,000 on furniture restoration during the balance of this fiscal year. The details of the planned expenditures are outlined in the briefing note.
HCS is seeking increased flexibility in the scope of work to accommodate changes resulting from the pandemic (i.e. increased costs for supplies) and unanticipated damage to the Senate’s Heritage Collection.
At present, there are no planned purchase or disposal costs for the current fiscal year.
Future Work
During the past several fiscal years the focus of the work of the Advisory Working Group has been the de-canting and move of the Senate collection to the new Senate of Canada Building and/or to the new storage area. Thus, the goal for that period was the care and conservation during the move and new installation of works.
With this complete, work will now focus on the interpretation of the art and heritage pieces in the Senate’s collection and responsibility; the development of appropriate representation of works from across Canada in the Senate of Canada Building itself; and increasing the awareness and importance of the collection to, and for, Canadians. The project initiatives below address representation of regional and cultural diversities in the Senate of Canada Building.
National Curatorial Interpretation of Works in the Senate Collection: To increase interpretive content related to the Senate’s collection and highlight regional connections, the AHAWG intends to invite curators from across Canada to write about specific pieces on display at the Senate. The content will be made available to the public through various communication channels. Discussions with the AHAWG, Senate Communications and HCS are ongoing to finalize the project plan. An update will be made in the next AHAWG report to CIBA. The scope of work will assist in bringing knowledge of the Senate’s collection to wider Canadian audiences.
Gap-Analysis of Indigenous Art in the Senate: To enhance the display of artwork by Indigenous artists, the AHAWG intends to engage the services of an Indigenous curator to analyze the current presentation of Indigenous art, and make recommendations for appropriate, cross-Canada Indigenous representation. It is hoped that the report will be submitted by the end of February 2021, enabling the AHAWG to develop an implementation strategy for the next several years. The report will be presented to the AHAWG and then to CIBA to provide a foundation for requesting loans and/or purchases over the next several fiscal years and to seek the necessary funds to support the recommendations.
The analysis is currently forecasted at a maximum of $5,000; however, an update will be made in the next AHAWG report to CIBA when a quote has been obtained.
Contract for Artwork Restoration Unintentionally Contracted Without Prior Review by CIBA
In 2019, HCS issued a contract for conservation services valued at $6,900 based on a misunderstanding of an approval from CIBA. The mistake was identified during a review of contracts from the 2019-20 fiscal year. To prevent this issue in the future, HCS staff will ensure that all presentations to Senate committees are clear in terms of what is being requested, and that committee decisions are more closely reviewed to ensure a solid understanding of the implications. Any discrepancy between staff’s understanding of the decision and what has been stated in a committee decision will be clarified with the appropriate Senate committee. In addition, HCS will seek ratification by CIBA for its decisions for conservation work based on the AHAWG’s mandate from CIBA. Also, the Procurement team will ensure such ratification was obtained before issuing any Purchase Order.
Respectfully submitted,
Patricia Bovey |
Josée Forest-Niesing |
Carolyn Stewart Olsen |
Vernon White |
Chair |
Member |
Member |
Member |
The Honourable Senator Bovey made a statement and answered questions.
After debate, the Chair moved:
That the report be adopted.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted on the following vote:
YEAS
The Honourable Senators
Black (Ontario), Dean, Dupuis, Forest, Gagné, Jaffer, Marshall, Martin, Marwah, Moncion, Munson, Pate, Plett, Saint-Germain, Seidman, Smith, Tannas — [17]
NAYS
NIL
ABSTENTIONS
NIL
CIBA/2020-09-24/026(P) — Report from Audit Subcommittee
It was agreed that this item be deferred to the next CIBA meeting.
CIBA/2020-09-24/027(P) — Request to Make the CIBA Agenda Public
The Chair and Gérald Lafrenière each made a statement about a request from the Honourable Senator McPhedran to publish the CIBA agenda.
The Honourable Senator Tannas moved:
That the public portion of the agenda be published one hour before the start of the meeting on the CIBA web page.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted on the following vote:
YEAS
The Honourable Senators
Black (Ontario), Dean, Dupuis, Forest, Gagné, Jaffer, Marshall, Martin, Marwah, Moncion, Munson, Plett, Saint-Germain, Seidman, Smith, Tannas — [16]
NAYS
NIL
ABSTENTIONS
The Honourable Senator
Pate — [1]
At 1:08 p.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the chair.
ATTEST:
Pascale Legault
Chief Corporate Services Officer and Clerk of the Standing Committee on
Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
Gérald Lafrenière
Recording Secretary