THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON INTERNAL ECONOMY, BUDGETS AND ADMINISTRATION
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS
OTTAWA, Thursday, June 3, 2021
(13)
[English]
Pursuant to the order of the Senate of March 30, 2021, the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration met this day by videoconference, at 11:30 a.m., the Chair, the Honourable Sabi Marwah, presiding. This meeting is considered to have taken place in the parliamentary precinct.
Members of the committee present by videoconference: The Honourable Senators Campbell, Carignan, P.C., Dawson, Dean, Forest, Forest-Niesing, Jaffer, Marshall, Marwah, Moncion, Munson, Plett, Saint-Germain, Seidman and Tannas (15).
Other senator present by videoconference: The Honourable Senator Bovey (1).
Participating in the meeting: Pascale Legault, Chief Corporate Services Officer and Clerk of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration; Gérald Lafrenière, 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 (by videoconference):
Senate of Canada:
The Honourable Senator Patricia Bovey, Chair, Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group;
Caroline Morency, Director General, Property and Services Directorate;
Tamara Dolan, Project Coordinator, Heritage and Curatorial Services.
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.
The Chair made a statement.
The Chair introduced all senators that were present.
CIBA/2021-06-03/160(P) — Adoption of Minutes of Proceedings from May 27, 2021 (public)
The committee considered the Minutes of Proceedings from May 27, 2021 (public).
The Honourable Senator Campbell moved that the Minutes of Proceedings of Thursday, May 27, 2021 (public), be adopted.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
CIBA/2021-06-03/161(P) — Report from the Advisory Working Group on Artwork and Heritage Assets
The chair of the Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group, the Honourable Senator Bovey, presented the second report of the advisory working group as follows:
Thursday, June 3, 2021
The Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group (AHAWG) of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration (CIBA) has the honour to table its
SECOND REPORT
On November 19th, 2020, the AHAWG 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 AHAWG now reports as follows:
Items For Information
Chair
On November 24th, 2020 the members of the AHAWG re-elected the Honourable Senator Bovey to be the chair of the advisory working group.
National Curatorial Interpretation of Works in the Senate Collection
To increase interpretive content related to the Senate’s collection and create regional connections in the art community, the AHAWG invited curators from each province and territory to write about specific pieces on display at the Senate. The articles were received within the 2020-21 fiscal year and will be shared with the public on the Senate’s social media platforms and website in the spring/summer of 2021.
The total project costs came to $11, 188.60. The project budget was increased by $1,188.60 to translate texts into indigenous languages. Funds from within Heritage and Curatorial Services (HCS)’s budget was reallocated to cover the additional costs.
National Museum and Gallery Lending Program
The AHAWG is launching a Museum and Gallery Lending Program for B30 in the Senate of Canada Building. The objective of the program is to visual represent Canada’s regional diversity within the Senate. Every year, the Senate will partner with a museum or gallery in Canada and display a selection of works in the committee room.
The program will be guided by the following principles:
- Regional Diversity - Within a 5-year period, representation of Western Canada, Central Canada, Eastern Canada and Northern Canada will be included.
- Official Languages Act — Within a 5-year period, representation of regions, communities and/or artists of both official languages will be included.
- Museums and Galleries — Within a 5 year period, loans would be created with both museums and galleries in Canada.
For the first year, the AHAWG has invited Quamajuq, also known as the Indigenous Art Centre, at the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) to display works at the Senate.
Items For Approval
Gap-Analysis of Indigenous Art in the Senate
The AHAWG obtained the services of Greg Hill to provide recommendations to enhance the Senate’s practices for displaying artwork by indigenous artists. Mr. Hill is the Audain Curator of Indigenous Art at the National Gallery of Canada (NGC). He was originally by the NGC hired in 2000 as an assistant curator in Canadian Art becoming their first Indigenous curator. During his time at the NGC, he was curated exhibitions and written catalogues for artists such as Noval Morrisseau (2006), Carl Beam (2010), Alex Janvier (2016) Daphne Odjig (2009), Robert Davidson (2007) and Charles Ednshaw (2012). He also co-curated Sakahan: International Indigenous Art (2013 and 2019) which displayed artwork by Indigenous artists from across the world. In his own artwork, Mr. Hill examines colonialism, nationalism and concepts of place and community in his Kanyen’kehaka (Mohawak) and French ancestry.
Mr. Hill submitted his final report in March 2021. Based on the report’s recommendations, the AHAWG is seeking approval to:
- Table the report at CIBA; and
- Change the name of the Aboriginal Peoples Room to Indigenous Peoples Committee Room.
The AHAWG is studying the recommendations for further implementation at the Senate.
Policy on Artwork and Heritage Assets
The Senate’s current policy guiding the management of the Senate’s Artwork and Heritage Collection was approved in 2000. Since that time, the policy requirements have not been updated to reflect current Senate practices. To ensure the prudent stewardship of the collection on behalf of Canadians, a revised policy has been drafted for review. The policy seeks to:
- Establish the governance structure for the management of the Senate’s Artwork and Heritage Collection;
- Establish the roles and responsibilities related to the management of the Senate’s Artwork and Heritage Collection; and
- Guide the management practices at the Senate.
The policy update was endorsed by the AHAWG on May 4th, 2021.
The AHAWG is seeking approval from CIBA on the proposed Policy on Artwork and Heritage Assets.
2021-22 Forecast, Conservation and Restoration
The members of the AHAWG endorsed HCS’s forecast for restoration and repair spending in the 2021-22 fiscal year (See Appendix A). HCS is seeking approval from CIBA to spend $95,850 for restoration and repair and $14,150 in contingency, only if required, during the 2021-22 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. directives for limiting access to the Senate Precinct, increased costs for supplies, timeline changes) and unanticipated damage to the Senate’s Artwork and Heritage Collection.
At present, there are no planned purchase or disposal costs for the current fiscal year.
Respectfully submitted,
|
Patricia Bovey |
Josée Forest-Niesing |
Carolyn Stewart Olsen |
Vernon White |
|
Chair |
Member |
Member |
Member |
The Honourable Senator Bovey made a statement and, together with Tamara Dolan, answered questions.
After debate, it was moved by the Honourable Senator Forest-Niesing that:
That the report of Mr. Greg Hill be tabled before the committee;
That the name of the Aboriginal Peoples Room be changed to the Indigenous Peoples Committee Room;
That the proposed Policy on Artwork and Heritage Assets be approved; and
That $95,850 be approved for restoration and repair of the Senate’s Artwork and Heritage Collection for the 2021-22 fiscal year, with a $14,150 contingency.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
CIBA/2021-06-03/162(P) — Report from the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure — Room Allocation Policy
The Honourable Senator Marwah presented the Ninth Report of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure on the updated Senate Room Allocation Policy on behalf of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration.
Thursday, June 3, 2021
The Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration has the honour to present its
NINTH REPORT
The Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure has reviewed the updated Senate Room Allocations Policy.
The purpose of this updated policy is to eliminate redundancy and clarify policy requirements, roles and responsibilities, as well as the management of priorities to reserve a room and facilities.
Key modifications include:
- The format of the policy has been modified such that the terms and conditions for the use of Senate rooms and facilities now reside in an annexed declaration form, which has been developed to ensure that sponsors and their sponsored hosts understand and agree to the policy requirements and their respective obligations.
- Requirements have been clarified with respect to authorizing the use of Senate rooms.
- Should multiple requests to use the same venue at the same time be received, the updated policy provides guidance on which request is to be prioritized over another.
- The conditions related to alcohol have also been enhanced to include the mandatory requirement for it to be served by individuals who have completed the Government of Ontario’s Smart Serve training (or any other provincial equivalent).
- A subsection has been added requiring the authorization from the Steering Committee or Executive Committee, as applicable, for animals, other than service animals, to be permitted in Senate rooms or facilities.
The subcommittee recommends adoption of this policy by the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration, that a communiqué be sent to advise all senators and staff of the updated policy and further recommends that it come into force immediately.
Respectfully submitted,
SABI MARWAH
Chair
Caroline Morency made a statement and answered questions on the proposed policy changes.
After debate, it was moved by the Honourable Senator Marshall that the Ninth Report of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be adopted.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
CIBA/2021-06-03/163(P) — Purchase of Multipurpose Paper and Specialty Paper
Caroline Morency made a statement and answered questions regarding the competitive process for the purchase of multipurpose paper and specialty paper.
CIBA/2021-06-03/164(P) — Deadline Extension Request — Advisory Working Group on Diversity and Inclusion Training
The chair made a statement and answered questions regarding Senator Moodie’s request to extend the deadline to the terms of reference from June 30, 2021, to September 30, 2021.
After debate, it was moved by the Honourable Senator Jaffer that the reporting date of the Advisory Working Group on Diversity and Inclusion Training be extended from June 30, 2021, to September 30, 2021.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
At 12:13 p.m., the committee suspended.
At 12:14 p.m., the committee resumed in camera, pursuant to rule 12-16. (1).
At 1:20 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
Keli Hogan
Recording Secretary