PACP Committee Meeting

The Standing Committee on Public Accounts met at 3:45 p.m. this day, in Room 237-C, Centre Block, the Chair, the Hon. Joseph Volpe, presiding.

The Committee resumed consideration of the motion of David Christopherson, — That, in relation to the study of the Report of the Auditor General of Canada on the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada, the Auditor General of Canada and Christiane Ouimet, the former Integrity Commissioner of Canada, be invited to appear at the next available meeting.

After debate, the question was put on the motion and it was agreed to.

It was agreed, — That the report of the Subcommittee, as amended, be concurred in.

The report reads as follows:

1. That, in relation to the study of the Report of the Auditor General of Canada concerning the Public Service Integrity Commissioner of Canada, the following witnesses be invited to appear before the Committee:

• Wayne G. Wouters, Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to Cabinet, Privy Council Office

• Kevin G. Lynch, former Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to Cabinet

• Patricia Hassard, Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Senior Personnel and Public Service Renewal, Privy Council Office

• Michelle d’Auray, Secretary of the Treasury Board of Canada.

Jean-Claude D'Amours moved, — That the committee report the following to the House of Commons:

Whereas reports of the Auditor General of Canada are of critical importance to our democracy, and whereas the Auditor General Act states that:

(5) Each additional report of the Auditor General to the House of Commons made under subsection (1) shall be submitted to the House of Commons on the expiration of thirty days after the notice is sent pursuant to subsection (4) or any longer period that is specified in the notice and the Speaker of the House of Commons shall lay each such report before the House of Commons forthwith after receiving it or, if that House is not then sitting, on any of the first fifteen days on which that House is sitting after the Speaker receives it.

And whereas the Speaker of the House of Commons continues to hold office during dissolution of Parliament, that notwithstanding the Act, the committee calls on the Speaker of the House of Commons, in the event of dissolution of Parliament, to post a copy of any report of the Auditor General on the Parliamentary website the same day that he receives it.

Daryl Kramp raised a point of order concerning the applicability of the Committee’s routine motion requiring 48 hours’ notice for motions, deemed adopted on Thursday, March 11, 2010.

Debate arose.

RULING BY THE CHAIR

The Chair ruled that the 48-hour notice requirement does not apply to motions relating directly to business then under consideration. As the motion of Jean-Claude D’Amours constituted an item of business proposed during the consideration of Committee business, the notice requirement does not apply.

Whereupon, Daryl Kramp appealed the decision of the Chair.

The question: "Shall the decision of the Chair be sustained?" was put and the decision was overturned on the following recorded division: YEAS: Navdeep Bains, Jean-Claude D'Amours, Meili Faille, Richard Nadeau — 4; NAYS: David Christopherson, Earl Dreeshen, Daryl Kramp, Andrew Saxton, Bev Shipley, Terence Young — 6.

Andrew Saxton moved, — That the meeting be now adjourned.

The question was put on the motion and it was negatived, by a show of hands: YEAS: 3; NAYS: 5.

At 4:47 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 4:49 p.m., the sitting resumed in camera.

The Committee resumed consideration of a draft report.

It was agreed, — That the draft report, as amended, be adopted.

It was agreed, —That the report be entitled: “Chapter 3, “Service Delivery,” of the Fall 2010 Report of the Auditor General of Canada”.

It was agreed, —That the Chair, Clerk and Analyst be authorized to make such grammatical and editorial changes as may be necessary without changing the substance of the report.

It was agreed, —That the Chair present the report to the House.

It was agreed, —That, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the Committee request that the Government table a comprehensive response to the report.

It was agreed, —That the Clerk of the Committee prepare and issue a press release following the presentation of the report in the House.

At 5:05 p.m., the Committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.