THE STANDING SENATE COMMITTEE ON BANKING, TRADE AND COMMERCE
EVIDENCE
OTTAWA, Wednesday, December 15, 2021
The Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce met with videoconference this day at 6:32 p.m. [ET], pursuant to rule 12-13 of the Rules of the Senate, to organize the activities of the committee.
[English]
Kalina Waltos, Clerk of the Committee: Honourable senators, as clerk of your committee, it is my duty to preside over the election of the chair. I am ready to receive a motion to that effect.
Senator C. Deacon: Madam Clerk, I would be honoured if I could be the person to nominate Senator Pamela Wallin to be the chair of the Banking, Trade and Commerce Committee in the Forty-forth Parliament.
Ms. Waltos: Thank you, Senator Deacon. Are there any other nominations? Seeing no other nominations, it is moved by the Honourable Senator Deacon that the Honourable Senator Wallin do take the chair of this committee. Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
Ms. Waltos: I declare the motion carried and invite the Honourable Senator Wallin to take the chair of this committee.
Senator Pamela Wallin (Chair) in the chair.
The Chair: Thank you, honourable senators. This is a genuine pleasure and a genuine honour, and I thank you for agreeing to this. I’m very much looking forward to it. Our agenda, I know, will be busy.
Senator Ringuette: I want to take this occasion to say that you have just made Senate history. The Senate Banking Committee is the oldest committee of the Senate, and tonight is the first time that this committee is being chaired by a woman. Congratulations, Pamela. You have made history. Thank you.
Senator C. Deacon: Fantastic.
The Chair: Thanks very much, Senator Ringuette. It is an important moment on that score, certainly, because it is the longest-standing committee. Thank you all again to my colleagues for helping to change the story a little bit here. That’s great.
I think we can proceed now to the election of a deputy chair, and I am ready to receive that motion. Are there any nominations?
Senator Woo: It’s my pleasure to nominate Senator Colin Deacon — known in the ISG as the Atlantic Deacon — to be deputy chair of this committee.
The Chair: Are there any other nominations? Seeing none, I will ask that if you oppose this motion please say “no.” I hear no such words, so I will declare the motion carried. Congratulations, Atlantic Colin Deacon.
Senator C. Deacon: Also known as the lesser Deacon. Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and I am thrilled to serve with you in this regard.
The Chair: That is wonderful.
I’m going to remind everybody, as we carry on, that even though we are meeting here on Zoom, not everything is completely confidential, either here or when we go in camera. Unlike Senator Marshall, who just may be changing the conversation, I think the rest of us will take a page from her book and be careful. I’m just teasing you, Senator Marshall. We have Senator Yussuff with us now. We went ahead and took on your duties. Senator Woo stepped in.
Senator Yussuff: My gosh. My duties disappeared just like that.
The Chair: Just like that. You weren’t there right at the moment, so we just moved along.
Senator Yussuff: With sincere honour, I thank Senator Woo for covering for me.
The Chair: That’s great, and welcome. We’re glad you’re here.
Senator Yussuff: Thank you.
The Chair: We do have some routine motions to consider. They are consistent with all past practices.
The first motion is to create the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure, known, of course, as the steering committee. For this session, it was agreed that all four parties and groups would have a representative on the steering committee. Do I have a mover for motion 3?
Senator Larry Smith has moved this. Can you all hear Senator Smith?
Senator C. Deacon: We didn’t hear him, no.
The Chair: The Honourable Senator Smith has moved:
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be composed of the chair, the deputy chair and two other members of the committee, to be designated after the usual consultations; and
That the subcommittee be empowered to make decisions on behalf of the committee with respect to its agenda, to invite witnesses, and to schedule hearings.
If you oppose this motion, please say “no.” I declare this motion carried.
It is my understanding that consultations have taken place and that the two other members of steering will be Senator Bellemare and Senator Smith. Congratulations and welcome.
Do I have a mover for motion 4?
Senator C. Deacon: I would be honoured to do so.
The Chair: Okay, Senator Deacon.
Senator C. Deacon: I move that the committee publish its proceedings.
The Chair: The Honourable Senator Deacon moved:
That the committee publish its proceedings.
If you oppose the motion, please say “no.” Hearing none, I declare that motion carried.
As per rule 12-26(2), each committee must table a report on the expenses incurred during the previous session, 43-2. The draft report was prepared by the clerk and distributed by email. Do I have a mover for the motion regarding that?
Senator Yussuff: So moved.
The Chair: The Honourable Senator Yussuff moved:
That the committee adopt the draft first report prepared in accordance with rule 12-26(2).
If anyone opposes the motion, please say “no.” Hearing none, I declare the motion carried.
I am now looking for a mover for motion 6.
[Translation]
Senator Bellemare: I propose motion 6, which concerns research staff. Do I need to repeat?
[English]
The Chair: I will read it out, yes. Thank you, Senator Bellemare.
The Honourable Senator Bellemare moved:
That the committee ask the Library of Parliament to assign analysts to the committee;
That the chair be authorized to seek authority from the Senate to engage the services of such counsel and technical, clerical, and other personnel as may be necessary for the purpose of the committee’s examination and consideration of such bills, subject-matters of bills, and estimates as are referred to it;
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be authorized to retain the services of such experts as may be required by the work of the committee; and
That the chair, on behalf of the committee, direct the research staff in the preparation of studies, analyses, summaries, and draft reports.
If you oppose the motion, please say “no.” Hearing nothing, I will declare this motion carried.
I will now introduce the committee’s analysts. They are Adriane Yonge and Andrew Barton. Welcome. We’ve appreciated your efforts for a very long time on this committee.
Do I have a mover for motion 7, which is the authority to commit funds and certify accounts?
Senator Gignac: I so move.
The Chair: The Honourable Senator Gignac moved:
That, pursuant to section 7, chapter 3:05 of the Senate Administrative Rules, authority to commit funds be conferred individually on the chair, the deputy chair, and the clerk of the committee;
That, pursuant to section 8, chapter 3:05 of the Senate Administrative Rules, authority for certifying accounts payable by the committee be conferred individually on the chair, the deputy chair, and the clerk of the committee; and
That, notwithstanding the foregoing, in cases related to consultants and personnel services, the authority to commit funds and certify accounts be conferred jointly on the chair and deputy chair.
It’s on our shoulders. If you oppose the motion, please say “no.” Thank you. I declare the motion carried.
Do I have a mover for motion 8 regarding travel?
Senator Loffreda: I so move.
The Chair: The Honourable Senator Loffreda moved:
That the committee empower the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure to designate, as required, one or more members of the committee and/or such staff as may be necessary to travel on assignment on behalf of the committee.
If anyone opposes this motion, please say “no.” Thank you. I declare this motion carried.
Do I have a mover for motion 9 regarding the designation of members travelling on committee business?
Senator C. Deacon: So moved.
The Chair: The Honourable Senator Deacon has moved:
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be authorized to:
1) determine whether any member of the committee is on “official business” for the purposes of paragraph 8(3)(a) of the Senators Attendance Policy, published in the Journals of the Senate on Wednesday, June 3, 1998; and
2) consider any member of the committee to be on “official business” if that member is: (a) attending an event or meeting related to the work of the committee; or (b) making a presentation related to the work of the committee; and
That the subcommittee report at the earliest opportunity any decisions taken with respect to the designation of members of the committee travelling on committee business.
If you oppose this motion, please say “no.” Hearing nothing, I declare the motion carried.
Just a few more to go here, folks. Do I have a mover for motion 10, travelling and living expenses of witnesses?
Senator Bellemare: I so move.
The Chair: Thank you. The Honourable Senator Bellemare moved:
That, pursuant to the Senate guidelines for witness expenses, the committee may reimburse reasonable travelling and living expenses of one witness per organization upon application, but that the chair be authorized to approve expenses of a second witness from the same organization should there be exceptional circumstances.
If anyone opposes this motion, please say “no.” All right. I will declare this motion carried as well.
Now I need a mover for motion 11 regarding communications.
Senator Ringuette: I so move.
The Chair: The Honourable Senator Ringuette moved:
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be empowered to direct communications officer(s) assigned to the committee in the development of communications plans and products where appropriate and to request the services of the Senate Communications Directorate for the purposes of the promotion of their work; and
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be empowered to allow coverage by electronic media of the committee’s public proceedings with the least possible disruption of its proceedings, at its discretion.
If you oppose this motion, please say “no.” I declare the motion carried.
At this point, I would then like to introduce our communications officer, Stav Nitka. Welcome. We really appreciate this. An important part of the work we do is to make sure that people know what we’re doing. We’ll keep you busy, we hope.
Colleagues, this brings us to the final item before adjournment, and that is “other business.” The time slot for regular meetings — and this is for information only — is Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. ET. That is hybrid in Room W-110 at 1 Wellington Street. I’m sure you all know that.
I would like to move a motion to go in camera at this time to discuss briefly some future business. Is it agreed, senators?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I see agreement. Thank you.
(The committee continued in camera.)