Proceedings of the Subcommittee on Cities
Issue 1 - Evidence, February 25, 2009
OTTAWA, Wednesday, February 25, 2009
The Subcommittee on Cities of the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology met this day at 4:50 p.m., pursuant to rule 88 of the Rules of the Senate, to organize the activities of the subcommittee.
[English]
Keli Hogan, Clerk of the Committee: Honourable senators, as clerk of your subcommittee, it is my duty to preside over the election of a chair. I am ready to receive a motion to that effect.
Senator Cordy: I nominate Senator Eggleton as the chair of the subcommittee.
Ms. Hogan: Are there any other nominations? Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
I declare the motion carried and invite Senator Eggleton to the chair.
Senator Art Eggleton (Chair) in the Chair.
The Chair: Thank you very much. I appreciate your support. We are back where we were in the last Parliament. Everybody is back in the same position, except the deputy chair of this committee will be a different person during this session.
As I indicated, we do have the tradition of one party in the chair and the other party in the deputy chair, and I have had an expression of interest from Senator Segal to sit as the deputy chair of the subcommittee. Nomination? Senator Martin, of Senator Segal. Are there any other nominations? I declare that Senator Segal is the deputy chair of the committee.
I am trying to remember, who was the third person last time?
Ms. Hogan: There was not a third person, and there should not be. There should just be the chair and the deputy chair. Usually it is just the chair and the deputy chair.
The Chair: I was going to suggest Senator Cordy. We are not supposed to do that?
Ms. Hogan: No.
The Chair: Subcommittees do not have steering committees. That is news to me. All right. Let us move along.
The next motion concerns the decisions regarding agenda, witnesses and hearings. That is agreed.
The fourth motion concerns the printing of the subcommittee's proceedings. Senator Martin. That is agreed.
The fifth motion concerns the authorization to hold meetings. Senator Dyck. That is agreed.
The sixth motion concerns research staff. Senator Cordy. It is agreed.
The seventh motion concerns the authority to commit funds and certify accounts. Senator Martin. That is agreed.
Senator Fairbairn, you are not on the subcommittee, but thanks anyway.
Senator Fairbairn: Then I can go.
The Chair: Number eight concerns travel. Senator Dyck. Agreed, carried.
Number nine concerns designation of members travelling on subcommittee business. Senator Cordy. That is agreed. Carried.
Number 10 concerns travelling and living expenses of witnesses. Senator Martin. That is agreed. Carried.
Number 11 deals with electronic media coverage of public meetings. Senator Dyck. That is agreed.
Number 12 concerns our time slot for meetings, as previously discussed in this plan. I would say, though, with respect to the travel, that it would be subject to a further report on the details of the travel. As I indicated to Senator Segal, we will attempt to curtail some of it, particularly with regard to the professional part and the government part, subject to a further report, which of course must then be submitted to the Internal Economy Committee to be approved. With that qualification, is the time slot for meetings agreed? Carried.
Other business? I have the same motion about staff that each committee member be allowed to have staff persons present during in camera meetings unless there is a decision for a particular meeting to exclude all staff. Senator Cordy. Is that agreed? Carried.
Are there any other issues? There being none, I declare the meeting adjourned.
(The committee adjourned.)