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Minutes of Proceedings

42nd Parliament, 1st Session
Meeting No. 95
Monday, May 29, 2017, 3:34 p.m. to 8:59 p.m.
Televised
Presiding
Hon. Wayne Easter, Chair (Liberal)

• Xavier Barsalou-Duval (Bloc Québécois)
• Elizabeth May (Green Party)
• Monique Pauzé (Bloc Québécois)
• Gabriel Ste-Marie (Bloc Québécois)
House of Commons
• Stephanie Feldman, Procedural Clerk
• Justin Vaive, Legislative Clerk
 
Library of Parliament
• Brett Capstick, Analyst
• Florian Richard, Analyst
The Committee proceeded to the consideration of matters related to Committee business.

It was agreed, — That a proposed budget in the amount of $30,000, for the study of Bill C-44, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 22, 2017 and other measures, be adopted.

It was agreed, — That in relation to the study of Pre-Budget Consultations in advance of the 2018 budget, the proposed budget in the amount of $ 99,098.40, for the Committee’s travel to Vancouver, British Columbia; Yellowknife, Northwest Territories; Calgary, Alberta; and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in Fall 2017, be adopted and submitted to the Subcommittee on Committee Budgets of the Liaison Committee.

It was agreed, — That in relation to the study of Pre-Budget Consultations in advance of the 2018 budget, the proposed budget in the amount of $ 101,476.00, for the Committee’s travel to St-John's, Newfoundland; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Montréal, Québec; Windsor, Ontario; and Toronto, Ontario in Fall 2017, be adopted and submitted to the Subcommittee on Committee Budgets of the Liaison Committee.

It was agreed, — That in relation to the study of Pre-Budget Consultations in advance of the 2018 budget, the proposed budget in the amount of $ 56,347.99, for the Committee’s travel to Washington, D.C., and New York, New York; United States of America in Fall 2017, be adopted and submitted to the Subcommittee on Committee Budgets of the Liaison Committee.

It was agreed, — That in relation to its study of Consumer protection and oversight in relation to Schedule I banks:

a) the Committee hold two meetings to hear from witnesses on Monday, June 5 and Wednesday, June 7, 2017; and

b) that parties submit their prioritized lists of witnesses to the clerk no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 30, 2017.

At 3:47 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 3:51 p.m., the sitting resumed in a televised session.

Office of Infrastructure of Canada
• Glenn R. Campbell, Assistant Deputy Minister, Canada Infrastructure Bank Transition Office
• Shawn Grover, Senior Policy Analyst, Canada Infrastructure Bank Transition Office
• Steven Kuhn, Senior Director, Canada Infrastructure Bank Transition Office
Department of Citizenship and Immigration
• Karine Paré, Executive Director, Cost Management, Finance Branch
• Marie-Pier Côté, Director, Express Entry Policy
• Matt de Vlieger, Acting Director General, Strategic Policy and Planning
Department of Finance
• Niko Fleming, Chief, Infrastructure, Sectoral Policy Analysis, Economic Development and Corporate Finance Branch
• Trevor McGowan, Senior Legislative Chief, Legislative Review, Tax Legislation Division, Tax Policy Branch
• Jenna Robbins, Chief, Employment and Education Section, Personal Income Tax Division, Tax Policy Branch
• Mathieu Bourgeois, Tax Policy Advisor, Sales Tax Division, Tax Policy Branch
• Michèle Govier, Chief, Trade Rules, International Trade Policy Division, International Trade and Finance Branch
Department of Employment and Social Development
• Duncan Shaw, Director, Employment Insurance Part II Benefits & Measures, Employment Programs Policy & Design, Skills & Employment Branch
• Rose Young, Manager, Employment Insurance Part II Benefits and Measures, Employment Programs Policy and Design
Privy Council Office
• Allen Sutherland, Assistant Secretary, Machinery of Government
• Don Booth, Director, Strategic Policy
Pursuant to the Order of Reference of Tuesday, May 9, 2017, the Committee resumed consideration of Bill C-44, An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on March 22, 2017 and other measures.

The Committee commenced its clause-by-clause study of the Bill.

Trevor McGowan, Jenna Robbins, Mathieu Bourgeois, Michèle Govier, Allen Sutherland and Don Booth answered questions.

Pursuant to Standing Order 75(1), consideration of Clause 1, Short Title, was postponed.

The Chair called Clause 2.

After debate, Clause 2 carried on division.

After debate, Clause 3 carried on division.

After debate, Clause 4 carried on division.

After debate, Clause 5 carried on division.

After debate, Clause 6 carried on division.

After debate, Clause 7 carried on division.

After debate, Clause 8 carried on division.

After debate, Clause 9 carried on division.

After debate, Clause 10 carried on division.

After debate, Clause 11 carried on division.

After debate, Clause 12 carried on division.

After debate, Clause 13 carried on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Vance Badawey, Greg Fergus, Jennifer O'Connell, John Oliver, Robert-Falcon Ouellette — 5;

NAYS: Dan Albas, Gérard Deltell, Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Ron Liepert — 4.

After debate, Clause 14 carried on division.

By unanimous consent, Clauses 15 to 22 inclusive carried on division severally.

On Clause 23,

Pursuant to the order adopted by the Committee on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, the following amendment, submitted by Elizabeth May for the consideration of the Committee, was deemed moved:

That Bill C-44, in Clause 23, be amended by deleting lines 8 to 34 on page 13.

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Elizabeth May and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 0; NAYS: 9.

Pursuant to the order adopted by the Committee on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, the following amendment, submitted by Elizabeth May for the consideration of the Committee, was deemed moved:

That Bill C-44, in Clause 23, be amended

(a) by replacing line 12 on page 13 with the following:

“a corporation before March 2017 (in-”

(b) by replacing line 15 on page 13 with the following:

“March 2017) in conducting mining exploration activity from”

(c) by replacing lines 27 and 28 on page 13 with the following:

“subsection and made before March 2017, and”

(d) by replacing lines 33 and 34 on page 13 with the following:

“in that subsection and made before March 2017; (dépense minière déterminée)”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Elizabeth May and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 0; NAYS: 9.

Clause 23 carried on division.

By unanimous consent, Clauses 24 to 41 inclusive carried on division severally.

After debate, Clause 42 carried on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Vance Badawey, Greg Fergus, Jennifer O'Connell, John Oliver, Robert-Falcon Ouellette — 5;

NAYS: Dan Albas, Gérard Deltell, Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Ron Liepert — 4.

After debate, Clause 43 carried on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Vance Badawey, Greg Fergus, Jennifer O'Connell, John Oliver, Robert-Falcon Ouellette — 5;

NAYS: Dan Albas, Gérard Deltell, Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Ron Liepert — 4.

After debate, Clause 44 carried on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Vance Badawey, Greg Fergus, Jennifer O'Connell, John Oliver, Robert-Falcon Ouellette — 5;

NAYS: Dan Albas, Gérard Deltell, Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Ron Liepert — 4.

By unanimous consent, Clauses 45 to 48 inclusive carried on division severally.

After debate, Clause 49 carried on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Vance Badawey, Greg Fergus, Jennifer O'Connell, John Oliver, Robert-Falcon Ouellette — 5;

NAYS: Dan Albas, Gérard Deltell, Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Ron Liepert — 4.

After debate, Clause 50 carried on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Vance Badawey, Greg Fergus, Jennifer O'Connell, John Oliver, Robert-Falcon Ouellette — 5;

NAYS: Dan Albas, Gérard Deltell, Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Ron Liepert — 4.

By unanimous consent, Clauses 51 to 63 inclusive carried on division severally.

After debate, Clause 64 carried on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Vance Badawey, Greg Fergus, Jennifer O'Connell, John Oliver, Robert-Falcon Ouellette — 5;

NAYS: Dan Albas, Gérard Deltell, Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Ron Liepert — 4.

After debate, Clause 65 carried on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Vance Badawey, Greg Fergus, Jennifer O'Connell, John Oliver, Robert-Falcon Ouellette — 5;

NAYS: Dan Albas, Gérard Deltell, Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Ron Liepert — 4.

By unanimous consent, Clauses 66 to 102 inclusive carried on division severally.

On Clause 103,

Pursuant to the order adopted by the Committee on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, the following amendment, submitted by Elizabeth May for the consideration of the Committee, was deemed moved:

That Bill C-44, in Clause 103, be amended by adding after line 29 on page 68 the following:

“(d) the results of consultations held with representatives of every party in the House of Commons on the adequacy of borrowing authority Acts as a means of ensuring accountability to Parliament in respect of the Minister’s borrowing authority.”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Elizabeth May and it was negatived on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Dan Albas, Gérard Deltell, Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Ron Liepert — 4;

NAYS: Vance Badawey, Greg Fergus, Jennifer O'Connell, John Oliver, Robert-Falcon Ouellette — 5.

Clause 103 carried on division.

By unanimous consent, Clauses 104 to 112 inclusive carried on division severally.

After debate, Clause 113 carried on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Vance Badawey, Greg Fergus, Jennifer O'Connell, John Oliver, Robert-Falcon Ouellette — 5;

NAYS: Dan Albas, Gérard Deltell, Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Ron Liepert — 4.

After debate, Clause 114 carried on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Vance Badawey, Greg Fergus, Jennifer O'Connell, John Oliver, Robert-Falcon Ouellette — 5;

NAYS: Dan Albas, Gérard Deltell, Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Ron Liepert — 4.

By unanimous consent, Clauses 115 to 127 inclusive carried on division severally.

On Clause 128,

Greg Fergus moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by replacing, in the French version, lines 8 and 9 on page 78 with the following:

“tant sur les politiques macroéconomiques et budgétaires — dans le but d’améliorer la qualité des débats parle-”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Greg Fergus and it was agreed to.

Pierre-Luc Dusseault moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by adding after line 9 on page 78 the following:

“(2) The person appointed as Parliamentary Budget Officer shall have been selected by a panel that is composed of one member of every recognized party in the House of Commons and chaired by the Speaker of that House, who may vote only in the case of a tie vote in respect of any candidate.

(3) The panel shall make its selection on the basis of merit and technical competence without reference to political affiliation and shall select a person who, at the time of his or her appointment,

(a) has demonstrated expertise in federal budgeting and in financial and economic analysis across the financial cycle of the Government of Canada; and

(b) has the appropriate educational background, including a graduate degree in economics, finance or accounting, or a related field.”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Pierre-Luc Dusseault and it was negatived on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Pierre-Luc Dusseault — 1;

NAYS: Dan Albas, Vance Badawey, Gérard Deltell, Greg Fergus, Ron Liepert, Jennifer O'Connell, John Oliver, Robert-Falcon Ouellette — 8.

Pursuant to the order adopted by the Committee on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, the following amendment, submitted by Elizabeth May for the consideration of the Committee, was deemed moved:

That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by replacing line 18 on page 78 with the following:

“(b) the leader of every party in the House”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Elizabeth May and it was negatived.

Greg Fergus moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by adding after line 19 on page 78 the following:

“(1.1)The Parliamentary Budget Officer shall have demonstrated experience and expertise in federal or provincial budgeting.”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Greg Fergus and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Vance Badawey, Greg Fergus, Jennifer O'Connell, John Oliver, Robert-Falcon Ouellette — 5;

NAYS: Dan Albas, Gérard Deltell, Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Ron Liepert — 4.

At 6:06 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 6:32 p.m., the sitting resumed.

Pierre-Luc Dusseault moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by replacing line 2 on page 79 with the following:

“remuneration equivalent to the salary of an associate deputy minister of a department of the Government of Canada and expenses fixed by the Governor in”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Pierre-Luc Dusseault and it was negatived on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Dan Albas, Gérard Deltell, Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Ron Liepert — 4;

NAYS: Vance Badawey, Greg Fergus, Jennifer O'Connell, John Oliver, Robert-Falcon Ouellette — 5.

Pierre-Luc Dusseault moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by replacing line 6 on page 79 with the following:

“ment of Canada and has the”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Pierre-Luc Dusseault and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 1; NAYS: 8.

Greg Fergus moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended

(a) by replacing line 6 on page 79 with the following:

“ment of Canada and has the”

(b) by deleting lines 12 to 25 on page 80.

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Greg Fergus and it was agreed to on division.

Pierre-Luc Dusseault moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by adding after line 8 on page 79 the following:

“(1.1) The Parliamentary Budget Officer shall perform the duties of the office on a full-time basis and shall not hold any other office or engage in any other employment for reward.”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Pierre-Luc Dusseault and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 1; NAYS: 8.

Pierre-Luc Dusseault moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by replacing line 7 on page 80 with the following:

“submitted to the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Pierre-Luc Dusseault and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 1; NAYS: 8.

Pierre-Luc Dusseault moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by replacing lines 12 to 25 on page 80 with the following:

“79.12 The direction and control of the office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer and its officers and employees is vested in the Parliamentary Budget Officer.”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Pierre-Luc Dusseault and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 1; NAYS: 8.

Pursuant to the order adopted by the Committee on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, the following amendment, submitted by Elizabeth May for the consideration of the Committee, was deemed moved:

That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by deleting line 32 on page 80 to line 22 on page 81.

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Elizabeth May and it was negatived.

Pierre-Luc Dusseault moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by replacing line 39 on page 80 to line 1 on page 81 with the following:

“to the nation's finances or economy or to the estimates or priorities of the government that, in the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s opinion, should be brought to the atten-”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Pierre-Luc Dusseault and it was negatived on division.

Pursuant to the order adopted by the Committee on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, the following amendment, submitted by Elizabeth May for the consideration of the Committee, was deemed moved:

That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended

(a) by replacing line 40 on page 80 to line 1 on page 81 with the following:

“mentary Budget Officer’s opinion, should be brought to the atten-”

(b) by replacing lines 9 to 20 on page 81 with the following:

“(2) After the annual work plan has been prepared, the Speaker of the”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Elizabeth May and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 2; NAYS: 7.

Pierre-Luc Dusseault moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by replacing lines 9 to 22 on page 81 with the following:

“(2) The annual work plan is to be updated as required to reflect developments in the nation's finances or economy as well as the estimates of the government or any emerging government priorities.

(3) The Parliamentary Budget Officer shall transmit the annual work plan and any updated work plan to the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons for tabling in those Houses.

(4) After the work plan has been tabled in both Houses, the Parliamentary Budget Officer shall make it available to the public in any manner that he or she considers appropriate to facilitate public access to the plan.”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Pierre-Luc Dusseault and it was negatived on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Dan Albas, Gérard Deltell, Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Ron Liepert — 4;

NAYS: Chris Bittle, Greg Fergus, James Maloney, Jennifer O'Connell, Robert-Falcon Ouellette — 5.

Jennifer O'Connell moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by replacing lines 9 to 22 on page 81 with the following:

“(1.1) The Parliamentary Budget Officer may update the annual work plan as required during the fiscal year.

(2) After the annual work plan has been provided to the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons, they shall each table it in the House over which he or she presides.”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Jennifer O'Connell and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Chris Bittle, Greg Fergus, James Maloney, Jennifer O'Connell, Robert-Falcon Ouellette — 5;

NAYS: Dan Albas, Gérard Deltell, Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Ron Liepert — 4.

Jennifer O'Connell moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by replacing lines 38 and 39 on page 81 with the following:

“that are listed in an annual work plan;”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Jennifer O'Connell and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Chris Bittle, Greg Fergus, James Maloney, Jennifer O'Connell, Robert-Falcon Ouellette — 5;

NAYS: Dan Albas, Gérard Deltell, Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Ron Liepert — 4.

Pierre-Luc Dusseault moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended

(a) by replacing line 24 on page 81 with the following:

“solved, the mandate of the Parliamentary Budget Officer is to provide, on his or her own initiative, independent analysis to the Senate and the House of Commons of the state of the nation's finances, of the estimates and priorities of the Government of Canada and of the trends in the nation's economy. In fulfilling his or her mandate, the Parliamentary Budget Officer”

(b) by replacing lines 26 and 27 on page 81 with the following:

“Budget Officer's analysis of any federal government document, including”

(c) by replacing, in the English version, line 33 on page 81 with the following:

“ister of Finance, and”

(d) by deleting lines 36 to 39 on page 81;

(e) by replacing lines 29 to 32 on page 82 with the following:

“ate or of the House of Commons, estimate the economic or distributional impacts of any proposal that relates to a matter over which Parliament has jurisdiction.”

(f) by replacing line 34 on page 82 with the following:

“report prepared under paragraph (1)(a) to the”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Pierre-Luc Dusseault and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 1; NAYS: 8.

Pursuant to the order adopted by the Committee on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, the following amendment, submitted by Elizabeth May for the consideration of the Committee, was deemed moved:

That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by replacing lines 26 and 27 on page 81 with the following:

“Budget Officer’s analysis of federal government documents, including:”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Elizabeth May and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 3; NAYS: 6.

Pursuant to the order adopted by the Committee on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, the following amendment, submitted by Gabriel Ste-Marie for the consideration of the Committee, was deemed moved:

That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by replacing line 40 on page 81 with the following:

“(c) shall, if requested to do so by any member of the Senate or of the House of Commons or by any of the following”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment and it was negatived to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Gérard Deltell, Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Ron Liepert — 3;

NAYS: Dan Albas, Chris Bittle, Greg Fergus, James Maloney, Jennifer O'Connell, Robert-Falcon Ouellette — 6.

Pursuant to the order adopted by the Committee on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, the following amendment, submitted by Elizabeth May for the consideration of the Committee, was deemed moved:

That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by replacing lines 30 and 31 on page 82 with the following:

“cial cost of any proposal before the Senate or the House of Com-”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Elizabeth May and it was negatived on division.

Jennifer O'Connell moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by replacing lines 30 to 32 on page 82 with the following:

“cial cost of any proposal that relates to a matter over which Parliament has jurisdiction.”

Pierre-Luc Dusseault moved, — That the amendment be amended by replacing the word “cost”, with:

“economic and distributional impact”

After debate, the question was put on the subamendment of Pierre-Luc Dusseault and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 1; NAYS: 8.

The question was put on the amendment of Jennifer O'Connell and it was agreed to, by a show of hands: YEAS: 5; NAYS: 4.

Pierre-Luc Dusseault moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by adding after line 32 on page 82 the following:

“(1.1) The Parliamentary Budget Officer may refuse a request made under subsection (1), on the ground that

(a) the request does not fall within his or her mandate;

(b) the request does not in substance relate to the nation's finances or economy;

(c) the request is one that could be more appropriately dealt with by another institution; or

(d) he or she does not have the resources necessary to fulfil the request.

(1.2) The Parliamentary Budget Officer must inform the Committee that made the request of the reasons for the refusal.”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Pierre-Luc Dusseault and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 1; NAYS: 8.

Pursuant to the order adopted by the Committee on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, the following amendment, submitted by Elizabeth May for the consideration of the Committee, was deemed moved:

That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended

(a) by replacing lines 38 and 39 on page 82 with the following:

“Officer may make the report available to the public on the same day that the report is provid-”

(b) by replacing line 1 on page 83 with the following:

“to the public on the same day that the”

(c) by replacing lines 8 and 9 on page 83 with the following:

“Officer may make the report available to the public on the same day that the report is provid-”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Elizabeth May and the result of the vote was announced: YEAS: 4; NAYS: 4.

Whereupon, the Chair voted in the negative.

Accordingly, the amendment was negatived.

Robert-Falcon Ouellette moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by

(a) replacing line 38 on page 82 with the following:

“Officer shall make the report available to the public one”

(b) replacing line 46 on page 82 with the following:

“liamentary Budget Officer shall make the report available”

(c) replacing line 8 on page 83 with the following:

“Officer shall make the report available to the public one”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Robert-Falcon Ouellette and it was agreed to, by a show of hands: YEAS: 5; NAYS: 3.

Pursuant to the order adopted by the Committee on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, the following amendment, submitted by Gabriel Ste-Marie for the consideration of the Committee, was deemed moved:

That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by replacing line 6 on page 83 with the following:

“(1)(e) or (f) to the member of the Senate or of the House of”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 0; NAYS: 7.

Pursuant to the order adopted by the Committee on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, the following amendment, submitted by Elizabeth May for the consideration of the Committee, was deemed moved:

That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by adding after line 14 on page 83 the following:

“(6) If Parliament is dissolved, the Parliamentary Budget Officer may continue any work undertaken under paragraph 79.2(1)(a) or (b).”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Elizabeth May and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 1; NAYS: 8.

Pierre-Luc Dusseault moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended

(a) by replacing line 15 on page 83 to line 13 on page 86 with the following:

“79.21 On or before the 120th day before the date fixed for a general election under section 56.1 or 56.2 of the Canada Elections Act, the Parliamentary Budget Officer shall make available to the public

(a) a five-year economic and fiscal projection that may be used by the public to assess the economic and fiscal impacts of a party’s election platform; and

(b) after consultation with the Standing Committee on Finance of the House of Commons or, in the event that there is not a Standing Committee on Finance, the appropriate committee of that House, tools that may be used to assess the impact of policy changes in respect of government benefits and tax measures.”

(b) by replacing line 19 on page 87 with the following:

“under section 79.4, unless the dis-”

(c) by deleting lines 24 to 26 on page 87.

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Pierre-Luc Dusseault and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 1; NAYS: 8.

Vance Badawey moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by

(a) replacing line 23 on page 86 with the following:

“79.3 The following definitions apply in sections 79.4 to”

(b) adding after line 15 on page 87 the following:

“79.41 If he or she refuses to provide access to information requested under subsection 79.4(1), the deputy minister of the department concerned or the person who occupies any other similar position for the federal institution or parent Crown corporation, as the case may be, shall provide the Parliamentary Budget Officer with a written justification for the refusal.

79.42 If the Parliamentary Budget Officer is of the opinion that he or she has not been provided with free or timely access to information requested under subsection 79.4(1), he or she may so notify the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons or any appropriate committee of the Senate, of the House of Commons or of both Houses of Parliament.”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Vance Badawey and it was agreed to, by a show of hands: YEAS: 5; NAYS: 4.

Pierre-Luc Dusseault moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended

(a) by replacing line 1 on page 87 with the following:

“corporation that, in the opinion of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, is required for the performance of his or

(b) by adding after line 15 on page 87 the following:

“(3) If the head of a department or of a parent Crown corporation fails to fulfil a request made under subsection (1), the head shall advise the Parliamentary Budget Officer in writing as to which exception set out in subsection (2) applies in respect of the requested information or, if applicable, the reason for which the information does not fall within an exception set out in subsection 69(3) of the Access to Information Act.

(4) The Parliamentary Budget Officer may notify the appropriate committee of the Senate and of the House of Commons if a government institution fails to comply with a request under subsection (1) and if, in the opinion of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, the non-compliance is not justified.

(5) In addition, the Parliamentary Budget Officer may refer the matter to the Federal Court under subsection 18.3(1) of the Federal Courts Act as if the Parliamentary Budget Officer were a tribunal.”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Pierre-Luc Dusseault and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 2; NAYS: 5.

Pursuant to the order adopted by the Committee on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, the following amendment, submitted by Elizabeth May for the consideration of the Committee, was deemed moved:

That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by replacing lines 1 and 2 on page 87 with the following:

“corporation.”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Elizabeth May and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 0; NAYS: 9.

Pursuant to the order adopted by the Committee on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, the following amendment, submitted by Elizabeth May for the consideration of the Committee, was deemed moved:

That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by deleting lines 10 to 12 on page 87.

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Elizabeth May and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 0; NAYS: 9.

Pursuant to the order adopted by the Committee on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, the following amendment, submitted by Elizabeth May for the consideration of the Committee, was deemed moved:

That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by replacing line 15 on page 87 with the following:

Canada Evidence Act unless section 69 of the Access to Information Act applies or the confidence relates to public expenditures, taxation or other sources of revenue and is

(i) a submission to the Governor in Council, including information prepared in relation to the submission, except for information containing advice or recommendations provided to the Governor in Council, or

(ii) a submission to the Treasury Board, including information prepared in relation to the submission, except for information containing advice or recommendations provided to the Treasury Board or the President of the Treasury Board.

(3) For greater certainty, information referred to in subparagraphs (2)(d)(i) and (ii) remains a confidence of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada for the purposes of any other Act of Parliament.”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Elizabeth May and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 1; NAYS: 8.

Pursuant to the order adopted by the Committee on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, the following amendment, submitted by Elizabeth May for the consideration of the Committee, was deemed moved:

That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by adding after line 15 on page 87 the following:

“(3) If the head of a department or of a parent Crown corporation refuses access to the information, he or she must provide reasons for the refusal to the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

(4) If access to the information is not granted within 20 days after the day on which the request is made, the head of a department or parent Crown corporation is deemed to have refused it.

(5) If access to the information is refused by the head of a department or of a parent Crown corporation, the Parliamentary Budget Officer may, pursuant to section 18.1 of the Federal Courts Act, apply to the Federal Court for a review of the decision of the head to refuse access to the information.”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Elizabeth May and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 1; NAYS: 8.

Robert-Falcon Ouellette moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by replacing lines 21 to 30 on page 87 with the following:

“tary Budget Officer’s mandate and, in the case of information referred to in subsection 79.21(9), the minister’s deputy has consented to the disclosure.”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Robert-Falcon Ouellette and it was agreed to on division.

Pursuant to the order adopted by the Committee on Tuesday, May 10, 2016, the following amendment, submitted by Elizabeth May for the consideration of the Committee, was deemed moved:

That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by adding after line 30 on page 87 the following:

“75.501 The Parliamentary Budget Officer may refer any question of law, including the interpretation of his or her mandate or right to access information, to the Federal Court in accordance with section 18.3 of the Federal Courts Act as if the Parliamentary Budget Officer were a federal board, commission or other tribunal.”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Elizabeth May and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 0; NAYS: 9.

Jennifer O'Connell moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 128, be amended by adding after line 30 on page 87 the following:

“79.501 A committee of the Senate, of the House of Commons or of both Houses of Parliament shall, five years after the day on which this section comes into force, undertake a review of sections 79.01 to 79.5.”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Jennifer O'Connell and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Vance Badawey, Chris Bittle, Pierre-Luc Dusseault, Greg Fergus, Jennifer O'Connell — 5;

NAYS: Dan Albas, Gérard Deltell, Ron Liepert — 3.

Clause 128, as amended, carried on division.

By unanimous consent, Clauses 129 to 158 inclusive carried on division severally.

On Clause 159,

Jennifer O'Connell moved, — That Bill C-44, in Clause 159, be amended by adding after line 17 on page 97 the following:

“(3) Despite subsection (2), the Parliamentary Budget Officer is deemed to be a federal board, commission or other tribunal for the purpose of subsection 18.3(1).”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Jennifer O'Connell and it was agreed to on division.

Clause 159, as amended, carried on division.

By unanimous consent, Clauses 160 to 173 inclusive carried on division severally.

On new Clause 173.1,

Greg Fergus moved, — That Bill C-44 be amended by adding after line 35 on page 104 the following:

“Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act

173.1 Subsection 45.47(5) of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act is replaced by the following:

(5) This section applies despite subsection 13(1) of the Auditor General Act and subsection 79.4(1) of the Parliament of Canada Act.”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Greg Fergus and it was agreed to, by a show of hands: YEAS: 5; NAYS: 2.

New Clause 173.1 carried on division.

By unanimous consent, Clauses 174 to 191 inclusive carried on division severally.

At 8:59 p.m., the Committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.



Suzie Cadieux
Clerk of the Committee