ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS — Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
Thirty-sixth Report of Committee Adopted
March 21, 2019
Chair of the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration, presented the following report:
Thursday, March 21, 2019
The Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration has the honour to present its
THIRTY-SIXTH REPORT
Your committee, which is authorized by the Rules of the Senate to consider financial and administrative matters, recommends that the following funds be released for fiscal year 2019-20, and that both committees be authorized to adjourn from place to place in Canada.
Transport and Communications(Legislation: Bill C-48)
Activity 1: Prince Rupert and Terrace, British Columbia
$
136,640
Total
$
136,640
(including funds for public hearings for 12 senators and 3 senators’ staff to travel)
Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources (Legislation: Bill C-69)
Activity 1: Western Canada
$
280,888
Activity 2: Eastern Canada
$
211,204
Total
$
492,092
(including the funds for public hearings for 14 senators and 2 senators’ staff to travel and for a charter airplane (sole source)).
A copy of each committee’s detailed budget application is appended to this report.
Respectfully submitted,
SABI MARWAH
Chair
(For text of budget, see today’s Journals of the Senate, Appendix , p. 4445.)
Honourable senators, when shall this report be taken into consideration?
Honourable senators, with leave of the Senate and notwithstanding rule 5-5(f), I move that the report be adopted now.
Is leave granted, honourable senators?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
Honourable senators, it’s not my intention to delay the consideration or the adoption of this report. I would simply like to say for the record that, given the amount of money involved and given the lengthy time in which these bills have been before the Senate, I for one will be voting against the motion when it comes time to vote, but I do not stand in the way of either the committee or the whole Senate.
Are honourable senators ready for the question?
What exactly is Senator Harder saying here? He didn’t ask for the report to be adopted now; he moved it. Then the question should have been, when should it be considered? That was not followed up. You didn’t ask whether it was later this day or that we would do it immediately. I think there’s a problem there. His Honour may have got ahead of you a little bit. You may have had discussions earlier; I don’t know.
Thank you, Senator Tkachuk.
Just to clarify, Senator Marwah, are you requesting leave to consider this report now or to put it on the Order Paper for consideration at the next sitting? I understood the honourable senator to be saying now. I asked if leave was granted. Leave was granted. We are on debate. Senator Harder spoke on debate.
Did you have anything on debate, Senator Tkachuk?
Are honourable senators ready for the question?
I do want to say a few things, since it is quite a bit of money. I think it should be pointed out that we are only going to British Columbia. We are not going to Saskatchewan or Alberta. That decision created quite a few divisions in the Senate as far as where we were going, although the budget for the trip to B.C. was developed unanimously by the committee. I just want to put that on the record.
This is a technical question for the senator. If I read this correctly, the expenses detailed here are for the fiscal year 2019-20. However, since the supply has not yet been tabled or approved yet, do we have the authority to approve these expenses without technically having the money to do so?
Senator Ringuette, in answer to your question, it is understood that any approval for expenditures dependent upon a supply bill would be contingent upon the supply bill being adopted. Thank you for raising that.
Are honourable senators ready for the question?
Is it your pleasure, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Some Hon. Senators: Agreed.
An Hon. Senator: On division.
(Motion agreed to, on division, and report adopted.)
