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Board of Internal Economy meeting

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Meeting Minutes

Monday, June 28, 2021

A meeting of the Board of Internal Economy of the House of Commons was held on Monday, June 28, 2021, at 11:11 a.m., in Room 035-B, West Block.

In the Chair: The Honourable Anthony Rota, Speaker of the House of Commons

Present: The Honourables Mark Holland, Dominic LeBlanc, Ginette Petitpas Taylor and Pablo Rodríguez; Mr. Gérard Deltell, Mr. Blake Richards, Ms. Claude DeBellefeuille and Mr. Peter Julian

Secretary to the Board: Charles Robert, Clerk of the House of Commons

Also Present: The Honourable Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P., Director, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association; Michel Patrice, Deputy Clerk, Administration; Jeremy LeBlanc, Acting Clerk Assistant and Director General, International and Interparliamentary Affairs; Daniel Paquette, Chief Financial Officer; Philippe Dufresne, Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel; Michelle Laframboise, Chief Human Resources Officer; Guillaume La Perrière-Marcoux, Secretariat

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

The minutes of the meeting of June 10, 2021, were approved for tabling.


BUSINESS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The Board took note of documents distributed since its June 10 meeting.

The Board requested an update on the availability of resources in fall to support parliamentary business in the House, in committees, and in parliamentary associations. The House Administration will provide this information in the coming weeks.

The Board approved that $5,000 be made available to each Member as an employer for the professional development and training of their employees. This will be part of a one-year pilot program to provide the opportunity to review the utilization and success of this measure, with a reassessment planned at the end of the one-year period.


RATIFICATION OF A WALK-AROUND – EXTENSION OF COVID-19 MEASURES

The Board agreed to extend the COVID-19 preventative measures adopted on January 28 calling for the use of non-medical masks / face coverings on Parliament Hill premises and in constituency offices until August 4, 2021.


31ST ANNUAL SESSION OF THE OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY, IN VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, IN JULY 2023

The Honourable Hedy Fry, P.C., M.P., Director, OSCE PA, Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association, presented the proposal to host the 31st Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Vancouver, British Columbia, in July 2023.


The Board approved the request to host this conference with funding as follows, excluding employee benefit plans (EBPs):

• $174,563 for 2022–2023;

• $1,703,819 for 2023–2024;2. That, under the revised policy:

• the temporary funding for fiscal year 2022–2023 will be absorbed by the anticipated budget surpluses of associations; and

• the total cost will be shared using the usual formula (30% Senate, 70% House of Commons) between the Senate ($563,515) and the House of Commons ($1,314,868).


65TH COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE IN HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA, IN AUGUST 2022

Jeremy LeBlanc, Acting Clerk Assistant and Director General, International and Interparliamentary Affairs, presented recommendations from the Joint Interparliamentary Council (JIC) concerning the funding for the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The Board approved changes to the funding for this conference as follows, excluding EBPs:

• the previously approved temporary funding of $400,650 will be deferred from 2021–2022 to 2022–2023;

• the funding will be shared using the usual formula (30% Senate, 70% House of Commons) between the Senate ($120,195) and the House of Commons ($280,455); and

• the anticipated budget surpluses for associations in fiscal year 2022–2023 will be used to cover supplementary costs associated with the postponement of the 65th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, if required, up to a maximum of $270,000.


2020–2021 YEAR-END FINANCIAL REPORT AND 2021–2022 SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES (B)

Daniel Paquette, Chief Financial Officer, presented the 2020–2021 Year-end Financial Report and the 2021–2022 Supplementary Estimates (B) and answered questions.

The Board approved the inclusion of the carry-forward of $18,002,197 in the 2021–2022 Supplementary Estimates (B).

The Administration will return to the Board in fall to inform Members of the final amount included in the Supplementary Estimates should the operational requirements identified at that time be less than the maximum carry forward.


REQUEST FOR EXCEPTION

The Board considered a request for exception to its external printing policy. The Board did not approve the request for exception.


REPORT TO CANADIANS

Charles Robert, Clerk of the House of Commons, presented the Report to Canadians 2021.

The Board agreed that the Speaker table the report in the House of Commons as soon as practicable.


JOINT INTERPARLIAMENTARY COUNCIL REPORT – PARLIAMENTARY ASSOCIATIONS’ ACTIVITIES AND EXPENDITURES FOR 2020–2021

The Board took note of the 2020–2021 Parliamentary Associations’ Activities and Expenditures Report.


2020–2021 ANNUAL REPORT ON COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES

The Board took note of the 2020–2021 Committee Activities and Expenditures annual report.

In accordance with the provisions of Standing Order 121(4), the Board agreed that the Speaker proceed with tabling the report in the House of Commons as soon as practicable.


At 11:49 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 11:54 a.m., the sitting resumed in camera.


EMPLOYMENT MATTERS

Michelle Laframboise, Chief Human Resources Officer, presented the proposed economic increases for represented employees and unrepresented employees of the House Administration.

The Board approved the following:


• Ratifying the tentative agreement reached between the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada and the House Administration, including

• an economic increase of 1.75% as of April 1, 2020;

• an economic increase of 1.5% as of April 1, 2021; and

• a one-time lump-sum payment of $400 for eligible members of this bargaining unit to complement the salary increases for 2018 and 2019.

• Granting economic increases to unrepresented employees of the House Administration and the unrepresented employees of the Cleaning Services Group as follows:

• a salary grid adjustment of 1% effective April 1, 2020;

• a 1.5% economic adjustment effective April 1, 2020;

• a 1.5% economic adjustment effective April 1, 2021; and

• a one-time lump-sum payment equivalent to 2% of the maximum rate of pay of an employee’s substantive position level within the unrepresented group as of March 31, 2020, in lieu of retroactive payment for the period of April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2020.

• Extending the changes made to the collective agreement to the terms and conditions of employment of unrepresented employees of the House Administration and of the Cleaning Services Group.

• Including $14,856,247—excluding employee benefit plans (EBPs) in the amount of $2,198,725—in the 2021–2022 Supplementary Estimates (B) and including $6,353,592—excluding EBPs in the amount of $940,332—in the 2022–2023 Main Estimates.


The Board discussed an employment matter.


The meeting was adjourned at 1:05 p.m.

Charles Robert
Secretary to the Board of Internal Economy