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Board of Internal Economy meeting

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Meeting Minutes

Thursday, April 20, 2023

A meeting of the Board of Internal Economy of the House of Commons was held on Thursday, April 20, 2023, at 11:09 a.m., in Room 225-A, West Block.

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

Present: The Honourables Mark Holland, Steven MacKinnon, Andrew Scheer and Kerry Lynne Findlay; Ms. Ruby Sahota; Ms. Claude DeBellefeuille; and Mr. Peter Julian

Acting Secretary to the Board: Eric Janse, Acting Clerk of the House of Commons

Also Present: Michel Patrice, Deputy Clerk, Administration; Michel Bédard, Interim Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel; Jeffrey LeBlanc, Acting Deputy Clerk, Procedure; Ian McDonald, Clerk Assistant, Committees and Legislative Services Directorate; Scott Lemoine, Principal Clerk, Committees and Legislative Services Directorate; Stéphan Aubé, Chief Information Officer; Paul St George, Chief Financial Officer; José Fernandez, Deputy Chief Financial Officer; Sylvie Lafontaine, Senior Director, Decision Support and Financial Planning; Patrick McDonell, Sergeant-at-Arms; Michelle Tittley, Secretariat

MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The minutes of the meeting of February 16, 2023, were approved for tabling.


BUSINESS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS

The Board took note of correspondence distributed since its last meeting and discussed the virtual committees dashboard. Eric Janse, Stéphan Aubé and Ian McDonald answered questions.


MODERNIZATION OF POLICIES – PART 1

Paul St George proposed changes to two policies applicable to Members, House Officers, and Members responsible for a national caucus research office (NCRO) and sought the Board’s confirmation of existing budget allocation mechanisms following a general election.

The Board approved that:

1. effective following the next general election, iPads cease to be provided centrally to Members at the start of each parliament and that they now be available only by request, as a charge against the MOB, subject to the limits set by the Chief Information Officer;

2. effective following the next general election:

• a fixed amount for wireless telecommunication services be permanently included in the office budgets for:

• the Speaker;

• the Deputy Speaker; and

• the Government House Leader;

• the amount for wireless telecommunication services be permanently included in the base budget for the calculation of the representation-based annual office budget for:

• Opposition Party Leaders;

• Opposition House Leaders;

• Chief Whips;

• Caucus Chairs;

• Members responsible for an NCRO; and

3. the Members By-law be amended immediately to reflect the Board’s confirmation of the existing budget allocation mechanisms.


HOUSE OF COMMONS ADMINISTRATION’S STRATEGIC PLAN 2023–2026

The Board took note of the House of Commons Administration’s Strategic Plan 2023–2026, proposed an amendment, and agreed that the Speaker proceed with its tabling in the House of Commons.


At 12:05 p.m., the meeting was suspended.

At 12:11 p.m., the meeting resumed in camera.


SECURITY MATTERS

The Board approved that:

• the House Administration continue removing the TikTok application from House of Commons managed devices;

• the House Administration continue to:

• participate in the working groups that will assess long-standing issues facing the parliamentary precinct and develop options for expanding its boundaries to support it in becoming a safe, secure, open and accessible place for parliamentarians, as well as the staff supporting Parliament, residents, businesses and visitors;

• report back to the Board from time to time; and

• the Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms and Corporate Security (SAA-CS), in collaboration with partners, develop a plan to identify and register public visitors to the parliamentary precinct.


The SAA-CS was asked to return to the Board’s next meeting to provide additional security recommendations.


The meeting was adjourned at 1:15 p.m.

Eric Janse
Acting Secretary to the Board of Internal Economy