Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
National Finance
Issue 1 - Evidence - December 8, 2015
OTTAWA, Tuesday, December 8, 2015
The Standing Senate Committee on National Finance met this day at 6:10 p.m. to organize the activities of the committee.
[English]
Shaila Anwar, Clerk of the Committee: Honourable senators, I see that we have a quorum. As the clerk of your committee, it's my duty to preside over the election of the chair.
[Translation]
I am ready to receive a motion to that effect.
[English]
Senator L. Smith: I nominate Senator Joseph Day.
Ms. Anwar: It is moved by the Honourable Senator Smith that Senator Day do take the chair of this committee.
Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
Ms. Anwar: The motion is carried.
Senator Joseph A. Day (Chair) in the chair.
The Chair: Colleagues, thank you very much.
The next item of business would be to have a motion to appoint someone as deputy chair.
Senator Eaton: May I make a motion that Senator Smith be deputy chair?
The Chair: It is moved that Senator Smith be deputy chair. Are there any other nominations?
[Translation]
Senator Chaput: The motion does not have to be supported.
[English]
The Chair: I'll ask one more time. Are there any other nominations? Hearing none, I declare Senator Smith as the deputy chair of this committee.
Congratulations and thank you.
Colleagues, I wonder if I might have a motion to agree that the organization of this particular committee that existed prior to the adjournment for the election continue for the purposes of this particular work that we're doing during this week.
Senator Mockler: I move, Mr. Chair, the directives you're giving us.
The Chair: Thank you. That way we won't have to go through those 10 pages of items, because everything will remain the same and it's a matter of public record.
All those in favour of that motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: Contrary?
Motion carried unanimously.
Is there anything else that we need to do at this organizational meeting, other than to welcome you, Ms. Anwar, to the National Finance Committee?
Ms. Anwar: Did you want to have a discussion on future business or go in camera or have a steering committee meeting?
The Chair: Senator Smith and I have already had discussions in terms of this week.
Has everybody seen the Supplementary Estimates (B)? This is the document that we're going to be studying over the next three days. I think we can finish this on Thursday night if we can get witnesses and find some meeting times. We can meet at any time.
What we normally do is bring the government departments in who are asking for more funds. It's Treasury Board; Immigration is the large one; Parliamentary Protective Service; and the House of Commons for salary increases. So there are four witnesses we will bring.
We have Shaila working on trying to arrange those witnesses. I'm suggesting tomorrow at 12:15 until 1:45. That will give us 15 minutes to go to the chamber. We'll be there, if anyone has got any business, and then at 2:30 to 4:30 if we can have witnesses.
Senator Eaton: So 2:30 to 4:30.
The Chair: We will work on those times if we can have witnesses.
[Translation]
Senator Hervieux-Payette: Why can't we have the meeting at 9 a.m. or 10 a.m.?
The Chair: Because the opposition group is meeting tomorrow morning. You do not remember Wednesday?
Senator Hervieux-Payette: No.
The Chair: You have completely forgotten it.
[English]
Ms. Anwar: The one comment with that time frame is that the government witnesses are appearing before the House of Commons committee.
The Chair: I understand that. We'll have to find some other witnesses who can come in. I am sure there are people who will have comments on some of these, especially the Immigration side: "Are we doing enough, or should we be doing more?" We will try to have some witnesses.
Senator Eaton: Do we work tomorrow night?
[Translation]
Senator Hervieux-Payette: No, there is a party.
[English]
The Chair: No, there is a Christmas party.
For tomorrow, those are the only time slots we have. We'll see how we do tomorrow in terms of witnesses, but on Thursday —
Senator Eaton: We could sit until six o'clock.
The Chair: On Thursday, we could meet in the morning and afternoon, and I'm hoping we will finish this, have a report that we can report back either Thursday night or first thing Friday morning. Friday morning is a nine o'clock sitting.
Then there's a supply bill that goes along with this. So we'll get this in and our report Thursday night or Friday, and then deal with the supply bill.
Anyone that has any witnesses or anyone that's commented on any of the issues, it would be very helpful if you could give us the names and the contacts.
Ms. Anwar: As soon as possible.
Senator Mockler: On the matter we dealt with previously, Mr. Chair, since we're asking to put in place the legality of the former Finance Committee, would it not be proper to recognize —
[Translation]
— the subcommittee whose members used to be Senator Day and Senator Smith? Was Senator Eaton its third member?
The Chair: Very good. Thank you, it's done.
[English]
Typically, the organizing rules say "after consultation." All that consultation has been done. Senator Eaton is the third member of the steering committee.
Thank you, Senator Mockler.
You will hold that office for three days.
Senator Eaton: Listen, it's better than nothing.
The Chair: Exactly.
Are there any other points? This meeting is, therefore, concluded.
(The committee adjourned.)