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QUESTION PERIOD — Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources

Business of Committee

April 4, 2019


Honourable senators, my question, which is essentially the same question on accountability, is to be put to the chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources and to the chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications if time allows.

The Hon. the Speaker [ - ]

Senator McPhedran, if you have a question, it can only be for one chair at a time.

I will start with Senator Galvez, please. It is not often that committees travel in the midst of considering a bill, but the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration has approved a budget of almost half a million dollars for members of the standing committee to travel while studying Bill C-69. Here is my question: Will you be following through on the rationale given to justify this exceptional expenditure of public monies and the bigger carbon footprint and the reason the committee needs to travel? What has been put in place to guarantee — as indicated to this chamber by proponents of this exceptional travel — that the voices of Canadians who have not yet been heard by this committee will in fact be heard as a result of this substantial, almost-half-million-dollar travel cost for the committee to travel at this time? Would your committee please include answering this question in detail through a report to this chamber after your travel is completed?

Hon. Rosa Galvez [ - ]

I thank my colleague for the question. I think it’s an important question when it’s a matter of accountability and transparency with respect to public money. For me, that is very important. Deputy Chair Senator MacDonald and I went to CIBA and we spoke in front of Senator Tannas. Actually I asked Senator Tannas your question. I asked him, is there a mechanism by which we have to report whether our trip was efficient? He said we have to answer on the money terms; we have to present receipts for the funds. However, we can, in parallel, present a report that says whether or not this was an efficient way of consulting and reaching people.

The Hon. the Speaker [ - ]

Senator Galvez, you have about 20 seconds to finish your answer. Question Period is expiring.

Senator Galvez [ - ]

We will be doing that report. Thank you.

The Hon. the Speaker [ - ]

Honourable senators, the time for Question Period has expired.

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