PACP Committee Meeting

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MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS

Meeting No. 25

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

The Standing Committee on Public Accounts met in a televised session at 3:33 p.m. this day, in Room 237-C Centre Block, the Chair, John Williams, presiding.

Members of the Committee present: Dean Allison, Gary Carr, David Christopherson, Brian Fitzpatrick, Mark Holland, Daryl Kramp, Hon. Walt Lastewka, Hon. Shawn Murphy, Benoît Sauvageau and John Williams.

In attendance: Library of Parliament: Brian O'Neal, Analyst ; Marc-André Pigeon, Analyst.

Witnesses: Office of the Auditor General of Canada: Douglas Timmins, Assistant Auditor General; Richard Brisebois, Principal; Guy Dumas, Director. Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat: Pierre Boucher, Senior Director, Architecture, Standards and Engineering; Helen McDonald, Chief Information Officer; Simon Gauthier, Deputy Chief Information Officer.

A question of privilege having been raised by Daryl Kramp in relation to the divulging of portions of the in-camera proceedings of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts of March 21, 2005 by the Honourable Member for Ajax-Pickering, the Chair ruled that the matter touched on privilege.

Daryl Kramp moved, — That in light of the comments by the Member for Ajax-Pickering, Mr. Mark Holland, in the Montreal Gazette, on page A16, on March 23, 2005, where he referred to in-camera proceedings of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and is quoted as saying:

“Liberal committee member Mark Holland said the Committee is being asked to examine something that has already been cleared by the Auditor General. He said that is why he pushed for the Committee to hear from Dodge and Fraser as well as O'Leary, Cutler and Kinsella. It's an attempt to use the Committee to score some partisan points and to try to drag people who have connections to the Prime Minister in front of the Committee to hopefully find a way to embarrass them in a partisan way.”

I believe the privileges of this committee have been breached or that a contempt may have occurred and I therefore ask that the Committee report to the House stating that the Committee feels that it is their duty to place these matters before the Speaker and to give the House an opportunity to reflect on these matters.

By unanimous consent, the motion was withdrawn.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(g), the Committee commenced consideration of Chapter 1, Information Technology Security of the February 2005 Report of the Auditor General of Canada referred to the Committee on February 15, 2005.

The witnesses made statements and answered questions.

At 5:28 p.m., the Committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.

Elizabeth B. Kingston
Clerk of the Committee

2005/04/22 1:36 p.m.