QUESTION PERIOD — Transport and Communications
Business of Committee
April 9, 2019
Honourable senators, I have a question on accountability to put to the chair of the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications, Senator David Tkachuk.
Not often do committees travel when in the midst of considering a bill, but the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration has so far approved a budget of $136,470 for members of the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications to travel while studying Bill C-48.
Following through on the rationale given to justify this exceptional expenditure of public monies and a bigger carbon footprint — as to why the committee needed to travel at this time — what has been put in place to guarantee that, as indicated to this chamber by proponents of this exceptional travel, the voices of those Canadians who haven’t yet been heard by this committee will, in fact, be heard as a result of this substantial cost for this committee to travel at this time?
Senator Tkachuk, would your committee please include answering this question in detail after your travel is completed through a report to this chamber?
We’re going to submit a report on the bill after clause-by-clause consideration; there will be a report there. The committee is going to agree to the report. That will be presented back to the Senate.
May I ask for clarification? I asked a pretty specific question about whether you would answer in detail about the voices that were heard. Typically, as you know, committees study bills here, and people present, either via video or travel. This is unusual.
My question is whether we could understand better as a chamber whether, in fact, this committee did what was stated as its rationale for this travel.
I have no idea what you’re talking about. I really don’t. There is a process. We are going through the process. We are going to Internal Economy. It will come to the Senate. The budgets are approved. We will hear witnesses. We’re going to present a report. In that report, it will tell you how many witnesses we heard and where we heard them. I know that on the West Coast, we have 50 witnesses already appearing in just two days, so you can imagine how many are going to be appearing on the Prairies.
We’re happy to be travelling to Saskatchewan and Alberta, although there was some discussion of whether we should travel, especially by ISG senators. I’m glad they saw the light. We’re now going to Edmonton and Regina. We’re not going to Estevan; we were voted down on Estevan, but if there are extra witnesses, we have the money to hold extra time in Regina when we go there the first week in May.
I have a supplementary question.
I’m sorry. I’ll put you on the list for questions.
