Proceedings of the Standing Committee on
Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
Minutes of Proceedings - May 31, 2018
OTTAWA, Thursday, May 31, 2018
(58)
The Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration met this day at 8:01 a.m., in room 160- S, Centre Block, the deputy chair, the Honourable Jim Munson, presiding.
Members of the committee present: The Honourable Senators Batters, Campbell, Carignan, P.C., Dawson, Jaffer, Marshall, Mitchell, Moncion, Munson, Plett, Pratte, Saint-Germain, Tannas, Tkachuk and Verner, P.C. (15).
Also in attendance: 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; Jacqueline Kuehl, Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel; and other senior Senate officials.
Also present: The official reporters of the Senate.
WITNESSES:
KPMG:
Andrew Newman, Partner, Audit Leader, Public Sector Audit.
Senate of Canada:
Pierre Lanctôt, Chief Financial Officer, Finance and Procurement Directorate;
Claudie Besner, Director, Financial Systems, ERP and Business Analysis.
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.
CIBA/2018-05-31/445(P)|214| — Adoption of Minutes of Proceedings
The committee considered the Minutes of Proceedings of Thursday, May 24, 2018, public portion.
The Honourable Senator Jaffer moved:
That the Minutes of Proceedings of Thursday, May 24, 2018, public portion, be adopted.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
CIBA/2018-05-31/446(P)|230| — Report from the Subcommittee on Audit
The Chair of the Audit Subcommittee, the Honourable Senator Moncion, tabled the tenth report of the subcommittee as follows:
Thursday, May 31, 2018
The Audit Subcommittee of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration has the honour to table its
TENTH REPORT
Your subcommittee has reviewed the Summary of Results: Audit of Financial Reporting Application Conversion and Related General IT Controls of the Senate of Canada in support of the audit of the financial statements of the Senate of Canada for the year ended March 31, 2018, and now tables these results for information. The audit was conducted in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards by the professional services firm of KPMG.
Respectfully submitted,
LUCIE MONCION
Chair
The Honourable Senator Moncion and Andrew Newman made statements and, together with Pascale Legault, answered questions.
At 8:17 a.m., the committee suspended.
At 8:31 a.m., the committee resumed in public, the chair, the Honourable Senator Campbell, presiding.
CIBA/2018-05-31/447(P)|295| — Twentieth Report of the Subcommittee on Committee Budgets
The Chair of the Subcommittee on Committee Budgets, the Honourable Senator Verner, P.C., presented the twentieth report of the subcommittee as follows:
Thursday, May 31, 2018
The Subcommittee on Committee Budgets of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration has the honour to present its
TWENTIETH REPORT
Your subcommittee recommends the release of the following amounts for fiscal year 2018-19:
Agriculture and Forestry (special study on value-added food sector)
Activity 1: Paris, France and Amsterdam, the
Netherlands$ — Total $ — Aboriginal Peoples (special study on the new relationship between Canada and First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples)
Activity 1: Western Arctic $237,640 Activity 2: British Columbia $ — Total $237,640 (includes funds for public hearings and a fact- finding mission, as well as approval for sole source for charter flight; includes funds for 8 senators to travel - decision on Activity 2 deferred)
Arctic (Special study on changes in the Arctic)
Activity 1: Western Arctic (Yellowknife,
Gjoa Haven, Cambridge Bay, Kugluktuk,
Tuktoyaktuk, Inuvik, Whitehorse)$349,238 Total $349,238 (includes funds for a fact-finding mission, as well as approval for sole source for charter flight; includes funds for 9 senators and 2 senator staff to travel)
Human Rights (special study on issues relating to the human rights of prisoners in the correctional system)
Activity 1: Saskatchewan and Manitoba $122,960 Activity 2: Scotland and Norway $ — Total $122,960 (includes funds for public hearings and a fact- finding mission, as well as approval for sole source for charter flight; includes funds for 6 senators and 1 senator staff to travel - decision on Activity 2 deferred)
Your subcommittee, in keeping with the claw back process that is already in effect, recommends that any unexpended funds allocated today for specific travel before the end of October 2018 be returned to the central committees' budget, to ensure that funds are not tied up unnecessarily.
These funds would again be made available for redistribution to all committees for travel in the Fall of 2018, upon application to the Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration.
Respectfully submitted,
JOSÉE VERNER
Chair
The Honourable Senator Verner, P.C., made a statement and answered questions.
The Honourable Senator Verner, P.C., moved:
That the report be adopted.
After debate, the question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
CIBA/2018-05-31/448(P)|216| — Tenth Report of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure
The Chair of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure, the Honourable Senator Larry Campbell, tabled the tenth report of the subcommittee as follows:
Thursday, May 24, 2018
The Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration has the honour to table its
TENTH REPORT
Pursuant to Section 1.6.2 of the Senators' Office Management Policy, your subcommittee now tables a report on the exemption and exception requests to the policy that it has received and the corresponding decisions since November 1, 2017.
1. Increase to Office Budget
Your subcommittee received and approved a request for an exemption to Section 8.4.1 for an increase to the prorated office budget of the Honourable Senator Raine in the amount of $6,100.
2. International Travel
Your subcommittee received and denied a request for an exemption to Section 7.6 for international travel to Iceland from the Honourable Senator Lankin.
3. International Travel
Your subcommittee received and denied a request for an exemption to Section 7.6 for international travel to Iceland from the Honourable Senator McPhedran.
4. International Travel
Your subcommittee received and denied a request for an exemption to Section 7.6 for international travel to Iceland from the Honourable Senator Moncion.
5. International Travel
Your subcommittee received and approved a request for an exemption to Section 7.6 for international travel to Iceland from the Honourable Senator Pate in the amount of $5,462.
6. International Travel
Your subcommittee received and approved a request for an exemption to Section 7.6 for international travel to Thailand and Cambodia from the Honourable Senator McPhedran in the amount of $6,889.
Respectfully submitted,
LARRY W. CAMPBELL
Chair
The chair made a statement and answered questions.
CIBA/2018-05-31/449(P)|365| — Subcommittee on Diversity: Extension Request
The Honourable Senator Jaffer moved:
That the mandate of the Subcommittee on Diversity be extended from May 31, 2018 to June 30, 2018.
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
CIBA/2018-05-31/450(P)|233| — Membership Change of the Joint Interparliamentary Council
The Honourable Senator Jaffer moved:
That the Honourable Senator Gold replace the Honourable Senator MacDonald as a Senate representative on the Joint Interparliamentary Council (JIC).
The question being put on the motion, it was adopted.
At 9:11 a.m., the committee suspended.
At 9:15 a.m., the committee proceeded in camera, pursuant to rule 12-16(1).
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.
CIBA/2018-05-31/452(C)|231| — First Report of the Subcommittee on the Long Term Vision and Plan
It was agreed:
That the committee authorize the Finance and Procurement Directorate to initiate a formal Request for Proposal process to obtain potential bids for a food service contract to manage and operate the Government Conference Centre (GCC) cafeteria and to provide catering services for committee rooms and other special events in the GCC and 1 Wellington.
Pursuant to rule 15-7(1) and subsection 12(1) of the Ethics and Conflict of Interest Code for Senators, a declaration of private interest was made as follows:
The Honourable Senator Jaffer, by oral declaration, regarding the motion for a Request for Proposal for a food service contract to manage and operate the Government Conference Centre (GCC) cafeteria and to provide catering services for committee rooms and other special events in the GCC and 1 Wellington.
It was agreed that the motion and the declaration of private interest be published in the public minutes.
At 10:14 a.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
Daniel Charbonneau
Recording Secretary